Japan have announced plans to unveil a program next year which will see the introduction of fingerprint currency that will eventually replace cash by the year 2020. The fingerprint currency system will force users to register their fingerprints and other biometric information at locations such as airports, and then when they wish to pay for a service they scan their fingerprint instead of using cash or cards. Pressfortruth.ca reports: The program is going to start with foreign tourists being able to verify their identity by scanning their finger rather than pulling out their wallet. Also, currently where tourists are required to show passports in order to check into hotels, it’s alleged that the government plans to substitute the new fingerprint verification in place of the passport check. There are at least 300 shops so far that are going to be participating in the experiment, from hotels and souvenir shops to restaurants and other venues. Tourists will even be able to withdraw cash just by scanning their finger. The government has already said that they plan to slowly expand the program by next year to cover many other areas. They hope to have the system fully realized by the year 2020. [...]