Tokyo to Install 22,000 Security Cameras on Metro in Advance of 2020 Olympics

East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, plans to install about 22,000 security cameras as part of efforts to increase public safety and security before the 2020 Olympics

• By Jessica Davis
• Mar 12, 2019

East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, has announced plans to increase the number of security cameras at stations in and around Tokyo and set up a department to monitor the cameras 24/7. The cameras are part of the company’s plan to increase public safety and security in the led up to the 2020 Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo.

According to reports, by the time the Olympics open next July, about 22,000 security cameras will be present near JR East ticket gates and on platforms at about 1,200 stations.

The company also said it plans to introduce a system that can directly and automatically send images from the video surveillance cameras to police in case of an emergency. JR East also plans to set up a special department to monitor images from the cameras around the clock.

Concerns about attacks on public transportation have increased following incidents aboard bullet trains in recent years, including a man’s self-immolation onboard a bullet train in 2015. Last year, a man armed with a knife killed one passenger and injured two others.

JR East has decided to equip 8,300 local train cars in the greater Tokyo area and 200 bullet train carriages with security cameras and to install security cameras in all new train cars.