Japan Deploys Walk-through Facial Recognition Ticket Turnstiles at Train Stations Across the Country
Soon, there will be no need to stand in line to buy a train ticket or even use an IC card to get on and off the platform. Just smile for the camera - even if you are wearing a mask!
Listen to and/or watch the “Read My Lips Podcast Series” version.
What’s new: In a scene straight out of the 1990 movie classic Total Recall, when Arnold Schwarzenegger tries to pass through a turnstile but is caught with a concealed gun, Osaka Metro has nearly completed testing and will soon go live with new walk-through, facial-recognition ticket turnstiles throughout its subway network.
The Yamanote Yukarigaoka Line, a new transit system in Chiba Prefecture, introduced facial recognition boarding in June 2024.
On Friday, April 24, 2025, Keisei Electric Railway introduced similar technology for reserved seats for the first time. It will allow passengers traveling from Narita Airport to Ueno Station in Tokyo to pass through gates using facial recognition instead of tickets or integrated chip (IC) cards.
How it works: Among the various biometric authentication methods, facial recognition is unique in that, unlike fingerprints or palm vein patterns, you don't have to consciously hold up any part of your body. It is being used in a variety of applications, including access control for facilities and personal authentication on smartphones.
The facial recognition cameras in the Osaka Metro are always in operation, but they do not record video. When the camera detects and recognizes the face of a target person, it converts the image into feature point data, which is then used to check against the electronic records registered in advance on the authentication server. If someone other than the target person tries to pass through the gate by mistake, the image is immediately deleted.
Similar to how some airlines have already implemented facial recognition technology to facilitate boarding, Keisei Electric Railway's new service requires users to register their facial images when they purchase express tickets online in advance. Before boarding the train, they can pass through the ticket gate by having their faces scanned by the terminal installed at the ticket turnstile. When they pass through the gate, a printed ticket is issued with their seat assignment.
Why it matters: The new facial recognition technology is designed to reduce congestion at ticket machines, which has become a problem at Narita Airport due to the recent influx of record numbers of overseas visitors to Japan. It will also help alleviate congestion during the morning and evening rush hours on Japan's busy urban train and subway networks.
The user experience should allow stress-free ticket gates and eliminate the need to carry anything.
Fun fact: The use of facial recognition technology in Japan's rail systems is nothing new, but until recently it has largely been on an experimental basis.
Osaka Metro has been working with Takamizawa Cybernetics (高見沢サイバネティックス) and Panasonic Connect (パナソニックコネクト) since 2019 to begin demonstration experiments with Osaka Metro employees, with the aim of identifying problems and obtaining basic data for consideration of the practical application of facial recognition ticket gates. In 2022, they began further testing with customers who use wheelchairs.
Both rounds of testing were successful and were used to justify a full-scale rollout by the end of fiscal 2024, which ends on March 31, 2025. Osaka Metro is still testing - now with 500 volunteers from the general public. This initiative is part of an overall effort to introduce cashless and ticketless gates in preparation for the Osaka/Kansai Expo 2025, which will be held for about six months from April 2025 at the Yumeshima venue in Osaka.
What they’re saying: The Keisei Skyliner now serves more than 50 million passengers each year, and demand continues to grow.
"We introduced this new technology to quickly relieve congestion at the station. From now on, we will work to improve convenience while making people more aware of it." - Kenji Nagatsuka, General Manager of the Transportation Department at Keisei Electric Railway
The new technology is expected to help reduce congestion.
"There were so many people that it took a long time to buy a train ticket." - A woman in her 40s who came to Japan with her family from Taiwan
She is likely to try the new facial recognition technology when she returns to the airport.
Yes, but: Facial recognition technology raises serious concerns, including privacy violations through mass surveillance and data breaches, algorithmic bias that disproportionately impacts people of color, lack of transparency and accountability in its use, potential for misuse by authoritarian regimes and commercial exploitation, and threats to civil liberties such as false arrests and chilling effects on free speech.
Commentary: Anyone who has tried to navigate the world's busiest train station in Shinjuku, Tokyo, during rush hour would probably quickly grasp the potential benefits of being able to bypass traditional ticket turnstiles. Especially in Japan's urban centers, widespread use of this new technology is probably inevitable at this point.
I am generally optimistic about the potential of facial recognition technology, although it does seem a little scary based on previous visits to China, where it has been used for surveillance for many years.
At the very least, it certainly gives new meaning to the Japanese colloquial term kao pasu (顔パス), which is used to describe how select people with certain status or power can easily enter VIP rooms, members-only areas, etc. without having to show identification.
What’s next: Facial recognition technology is poised for significant growth as advances in AI lead to increased accuracy and expand its applications beyond security into areas such as immersive, personalized experiences with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), healthcare, and smart cities. It will undoubtedly be used throughout the Internet of Things (IoT). However, responsible development is critical, addressing concerns such as privacy, bias, and ethical implications through stricter regulations, efforts to mitigate bias, and a focus on transparency and accountability.
What do you think? Are you scared by facial recognition technology?
All responses to this quick poll are completely anonymous, even to the author.
Links to Japanese Sources: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/shutoken-news/20250123/1000113408.html, https://subway.osakametro.co.jp/news/news_release/20231121_kaoninsyou_kaisatsuki.php, https://epayments.jp/archives/49597, and https://news.panasonic.com/jp/press/jn230307-1.
#FacialRecognition #AugmentedReality #VirtualReality #InternetofThings #AR #VR #IoT #PanasonicConnect #TakamizawaCybernetics #顔認証 #改札 #顔認証改札機 #高見沢サイバネティックス #パナソニックコネクト #顔パス
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This is really interesting and futuristic. Also a bit concerning! My guess is that facial recognition on the Osaka Metro is more of a 'show off how cool and high tech Japan still is' to the tourists (who they hope will be coming for the expo), rather than something useful and socially/fiscally responsible. In my years living in Osaka, I rarely waited more than a few seconds in line to get through a metro ticket gate (an IC card is pretty quick and convenient).
One of my concerns would be security of user data. There was a saying when I worked in Silicon Valley (I was in the internet security industry) where once a machine is connected to the internet, it is not a matter of 'if' but 'when' its data will be breached. This rings true, especially in the past few years, where several million social security numbers were stolen from ultra-high security bank servers, and government servers are regularly compromised everywhere.
I imagine a preferable system for tourists, would be the ability to pre-order an IC card with funds on it. And I honestly wonder if whatever advantages gained by facial recognition are worth the cost of implementing and maintaining these systems over time, not to mention the security and privacy issues.
Sorry, that's a lot of thoughts and questions! Thanks for continuing to bring these things to light, Mark :-)
ありがとう - thanks for the great story Mark.