G-7 Nations to Share Booking Info on Air Passengers

Tokyo, May 24 (Jiji Press)--The Group of Seven major countries are slated to agree at their annual summit in Japan later this week to share passenger name records, or PNRs, in their flight reservation databases, in an effort to prevent terrorists from crossing borders, a Japanese government source said Tuesday. The sharing of PNRs will be included in a counterterrorism action plan to be adopted at the G-7 Ise-Shima summit in the central prefecture of Mie for two days from Thursday, the source said. Counterterrorism is high on the agenda for the summit, following recent major terror attacks by Islamic extremists, including the ones in Paris last November and in Brussels in March. PNRs contain passenger names, points of departure and destinations, and booking dates and places. Last year, the Japanese government made it mandatory for air carriers to submit PNRs on international passengers to and from Japan. The European Union took a similar step, following the simultaneous terror attacks in Paris. The counterterrorism action plan will also call for steadily implementing measures to block terrorism financing adopted at a meeting of G-7 finance ministers and central bank governors in the northeastern Japan city of Sendai last week. To root out terrorism, the upcoming action plan will also urge assistance to developing countries in fighting poverty and promoting education. At a press conference on Tuesday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga expressed the country's eagerness to draw up an "effective and specific" action plan. END