Tokyo will launch joint research among police, companies and universities to develop the facial recognition system ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics, which the metropolis is bidding to host, the official said.

Under the system, cameras would be installed throughout the world's largest city at train stations, commercial hubs and other key points.

The system would be the first to transform pictures instantly into 3-D, which would then be compared in real-time to images of suspects on wanted lists, the official said.

In the event of a match, police would be immediately notified.

The current system 'only has two-dimensional images and cameras can't match them to real faces when viewing them diagonally or at different angles,' said the official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

The new system is expected to cost around 110 million yen (S$1.4 million) and will be tested for the first time in 2010, the official said.

Japan, one of the world's safest countries, has been repeatedly threatened by Al-Qaeda militants for its support of the Iraq war and alliance with the United States, which stations more than 40,000 troops in Japan.

Japan last year started a controversial system to photograph and fingerprint all foreigners when they arrive in the country.

Japan is also stepping up security measures ahead of July's summit of leaders from the Group of Eight major economies on the northern island of Hokkaido.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is expected to allocate an extra 500 million yen (S$6.5 million) in the 2008 fiscal year to boost security in the capital for the summit, the local official said. -- AFP