Originally Posted by
bocastephen
I entered twice in June using APEC and the card saved me a lot of time vs the foreigner line, but the e-gate would have had me through in seconds vs 5 minutes.
So I think the correct answer is: what airports do you usually enter Japan from, and at what time of day..
Haneda and Narita always and at different hours. Never waited more than a couple of minutes. So it is worth the time and effort to get the TTP to save a couple of minutes a few times a month?
As I see it the biggest advantage of TTP over APEC is the fact that TTP is valid legal identification in Japan whereas for APEC you still have the legal obligation to carry your passport with you at all times. Now I'm sure many people visiting Japan don't carry their passports with them all the time but if authorities do want to randomly stop you and you don't have it on you they can definitely make it a hassle and I believe the fines can be 100,000 yen or more if they feel like pushing the issue.
Spent 40 years in Japan. Never been asked for a passport. And if they want to hassle you, the law still says "Passport" not "legal identification."
I can also offer a personal example of an issue with APEC where an immigration inspector refused to accept a US card because it didn't have visa endorsements on the back.
Happened to me once on the way out once. It did not work out well for the inspector.