Amid a surge in foreign tourists, newly appointed Justice Minister Mitsuhide Iwaki said Friday that tightening immigration control at airports is one of the ministry¡¯s most urgent priorities.

It is imperative that counter-terrorism efforts at airports be stepped up, as the country experiences an unprecedented rise in the number of tourists that may reach a record annual total of 20 million by the end of this fiscal year, Iwaki said during a group interview with the media.

But at the same time, the surge in tourists is clogging passport control at major international airports, highlighting the need for streamlining scrutiny of low-risk visitors, he said.

¡°It is one of my ministry¡¯s most urgent priorities to achieve a delicate balance between stiffening immigration control and facilitating visitors¡¯ smooth entry to the nation,¡± Iwaki said.

To this end, he has already instructed relevant departments to bolster immigration manpower at airports and install more automated gates equipped with facial recognition technology, according to the minister.

Iwaki also reaffirmed the ministry¡¯s commitment to rectifying Japan¡¯s notoriously tight refugee recognition standards.

A five-year immigration policy review unveiled last month showed the country will start taking into account what it calls ¡°emerging forms of persecution¡± in assessing whether applicants¡¯ claims meet a refugee definition designated by a U.N. convention in 1951.

¡°By carrying out such a reform, the ministry will continue to make efforts to realize swift and accurate protection of real refugees,¡± Iwaki said.

As for the worldwide crisis centered around Syrian refugees, the minister said he recognizes the situation as an ¡°extremely serious problem.¡± He pledged the ministry¡¯s determination to do what it can in the event that the central government decides to take in Syrians.

Meanwhile, Iwaki described capital punishment as a grave measure that requires serious consideration. But he nonetheless defended the practice on the grounds that Japan, as a nation that respects the rule of law, is obliged to carry out judgment handed down by the judiciary.

Like his predecessors, Iwaki stressed his ¡°cautious¡± attitude toward outlawing hate speech ¡ª a phenomenon that has come to a head in recent years as a group of right-wingers have taken to the street to vilify ethnic minorities such as Koreans.

Although such discriminatory speech is ¡°unforgivable,¡± banning it altogether may interfere with people¡¯s rights to freedom of speech, Iwaki said, noting the ministry will for now stick to its current effort to ¡°enlighten¡± the public on the importance of human rights.