Location: Tokyo, Japan

NEC Corp's facial recognition system

can identify a person with face covering

in less than one second

ASSISTANT MANAGER OF NEC CORPORATION'S DIGITAL PLATFORM DIVISION, SHINYA TAKASHIMA, SAYING:"The engine authenticates by focusing on an eye or feature on the face that is not covered up with a mask. The information has proven accuracy and our company has assessed it's 99.9% precise, so I think it's good enough to be used."

NEC had already been working on a system

to meet the needs of allergy sufferers who wear masks -

a common practice in Japan

The new system has been on sale in Japan and overseas

Customers include Lufthansa and Swiss International Airlines