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Security cameras are now mandatory for new trains in Japan

By on October 16, 2023

Two years ago on October 31, a man disguised in a Joker costume, the villain in Batman superhero franchise, attacked passengers inside a running Keio train just before setting the car on fire.

Because there were no surveillance cameras inside the train, it took the police a long time to identify where and how the crime happened. The incident brought to light a weak link in Japan’s security systems.

A revised Japanese transport ministry ordinance now mandates the installation of security cameras on newly built train cars.

Compliance in installing security cameras is required for all railroad operators of Shinkansen bullet trains and other train cars with an average 100,000 or more passengers per kilometer a day in the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya metropolitan areas. The revised ordinance was enforced on Sunday.

The move was made to deter the effect of crimes happening inside trains. Each railroad operator is responsible for camera operation and management including recording.

However, enabling the simultaneous sharing of recorded videos with railway firms’ train control centers is not required due to the perceived financial burden.

The ministry decided in June to mandate security camera installation on new train cars based on talks with experts after the knife attack incidents on the Odakyu Electric Railway Co. and Keio Corp. in 2021.

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