Spectacular Failure of Security at Kansai International Airport

While millions of dollars were spent on a new “anti-terrorist” system to fingerprint foreigners entering Japan, it seems that some basic security procedures have been woefully neglected at one of Japan’s major airports:

A Chinese man who was supposed to be heading back to his homeland left Kansai International Airport earlier this month by going through a restricted area without drawing any attention, sources said Sunday.

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He went through embarkation procedures and passed through a boarding gate for a JAL airplane bound for Dalian, northeastern China, at around 9:40 a.m. and began to cross the boarding bridge to the plane, they said.

However, he got off the bridge by going through an unlocked door and down a stairway.

He entered a restricted area on the ground but was not spotted by a security guard who was positioned just below the bridge, the sources said.

The man walked through the restricted area for more than 500 meters and left the airport through a gate shortly before 10 a.m. without being stopped by any guard.

Over 100 police officers were mobilized to search for the man, but they failed at their task. The man later turned himself into authorities voluntarily, and has since left Japan.