Tokyo: A revised Japanese transport ministry ordinance mandating the installation of security cameras on newly built train cars has taken effect.

The security camera requirement covers all Shinkansen bullet trains and other train cars on lines with 100,000 or more passengers on average per kilometer per day, mainly  in the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya metropolitan areas.

The revised ordinance was enforced on Sunday.

According to the ministry, the move is aimed at increasing the deterrent effect of crimes on trains. Each railroad operator is responsible for camera operation and management.

A recording function is obliged for the cameras, but a function enabling the simultaneous sharing of recorded videos with railway firms’ train control centers is not required in light of their financial burden.

The ministry decided in June to mandate security camera installation on new train cars based on talks held with experts after knife attacks on trains of Odakyu Electric Railway Co. and Keio Corp. happened in 2021.

JIJI Press