Tokyo Subway Launches New Experiment with Credit Card Touch Payments

A subway line in Tokyo now lets you enter with a credit card tap. What does this mean for the future of Japan’s IC transit cards?

By Jay Allen

Once a heavily cash-dependent country, Japan continues introducing more payment options for cashless and contactless methods. Now, a subway line in Tokyo becomes the latest to support entering the gates with a credit card tap. But what does this mean for the future of Japan’s beloved IC subway cards?

All aboard the Denentoshi

This week, Japan’s Tokyu Railways Co., Ltd. announced it was trialing credit card and QR code ticket support. As of August 30th, riders can use either form of payment to board the company’s Denentoshi Line in Tokyo, which runs from Shibuya Station all the way to Chūō-rinkan in Kanagawa Prefecture.

The Denentoshi Line is the first in the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area to offer credit card payments. However, it’s not the first in Japan. In March, Fukuoka City announced support for credit card payments for all three city-operated lines at all 36 city stations. This followed experimental support for the technology that the city introduced in the previous year.