TOKYO:Last November, Tokyo became the second government in the world (after the United States) to introduce mandatory fingerprinting and photo-taking at all its international entry points as part of beefed-up "anti-terrorism" measures.

Japan's corporations have been quick to spot the rise in demand for identification and security devices around the post-9/11 world, a market set to balloon to over $US7 billion by 2012, according to the US-based International Biometric Group.

Fujitsu, Toshiba and Hitachi have all recently announced plans to expand production of "palm-vein ID devices". Hitachi alone predicts sales of nearly US$1 billion over three years, according to the Nikkei business newspaper. A new device by Mitsubishi goes further, reading fingerprints under the surface of the skin. Oki Electric, meanwhile, has developed a security system that scans irises, and is aiming to sell 10,000 units this year. Most intriguingly, NEC (the company that provides those new immigration tools at Japan's ports of entry) is marketing a facial recognition system that detects the sex and age of subjects by comparing them to existing photo databases.

There is much more to come. Who will develop all the software and accessories demanded by the global biometrics industry in the coming years? Two countries - the US and Japan - will be best placed to find out as they hone and refine the identification tools of the future.