On July 9, 2024, duty-free shopping lockers, which allow passengers who pre-ordered their duty-free items through WeChat to pick up their items and process the required paperwork without stopping by a staffed counter, were rolled out at Tokyo Haneda Airport. The service currently primarily targets visitors from China but the airport plans to expand it over time.
The lockers can be found in the departure lobby of Terminal 2’s international area, as well as in two locations on Terminal 3’s third floor – in the departure lobby and next to the Keikyu Line area. All of the locations are landside, before security check and immigration. While the Terminal 2 location is open from 5AM until the last international departure from the terminal, the Terminal 3 locations are open 24/7 and from 6AM to 11PM respectively.
The patented “HANEDA TAX FREE Lockers” (patent no. 2024-105674) were jointly developed by Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd., FUJI CORPORATION, Netstars Co., Ltd., and J&J Tax Free Co., Ltd., and are designated by Japan’s finance ministry as “vending machines capable of performing duty-free sales procedures.”
In terms of the four companies’ roles, FUJI CORPORATION manufactures the lockers themselves, Netstars developed the WeChat app, J&J Tax Free handles duty-free sales documentation, and Haneda Airport’s operator Japan Airport Terminal uses and promotes the system.
