JR East begins trials of facial recognition ticket gates on the Shinkansen this November
The East Japan Railway Company (JR East) has announced that it will be conducting a real-world field trial for a new “walk-through” facial recognition ticket gate system.
The new technology allows pre-registered passengers to pass through the ticket gate without needing to tap an IC card or insert a physical ticket.
This is designed to improve convenience, especially for passengers who are carrying large luggage or are using a stroller.
This new trial by JR East follows the introduction of facial recognition ticket gates in western Japan, which saw the Osaka Metro install them in 130 of their stations earlier this year.
This new initiative is part of the company’s long-term “Suica Renaissance” plan, which aims to move “beyond the standard of tapping” a card at the ticket gate.
The field trial will be held at two stations on the Joetsu Shinkansen line.
New facial recognition gates will be installed at both Niigata Station and Nagaoka Station.
Each station will test a system provided by a different manufacturer.
To test the new system, the company is currently recruiting “public monitors” to participate in the trial.
The monitors must be junior high school students or older who hold a “Suica FREX” or “Suica FREX Pal” Shinkansen commuter pass for the route between Niigata and Nagaoka.
Participants will be asked to use the new gates when they travel and to complete several surveys about their experience.
As a thank you for their cooperation, all monitors will receive a ¥3,000 gift certificate for use at the “CoCoLo” station shopping centers.
JR East has also stated that it is considering other, non-facial-recognition technologies to achieve a “walk-through” system on its conventional train lines, with a separate trial planned for the spring of 2027.
The company has said that it aims to fully implement a walk-through gate system within the next ten years.
The field trial for the new facial recognition gates is scheduled to run from the 6th of November to the 31st of March, 2026.
Recruitment for the public monitors will be held at the “Igottier Nagaoka” store inside Nagaoka Station from the 6th to the 17th of October, 2025.
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