https://afcsblog.ingonoka.com/tags/japan-transportation/ Recent content in Japan Transportation on AFCS Blog Hugo en Tue, 07 Jul 2026 12:30:37 +0800 https://afcsblog.ingonoka.com/post/qr-afcs-online-vs-offline/ Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0800 https://afcsblog.ingonoka.com/post/qr-afcs-online-vs-offline/ <div id="preamble"> <div class="sectionbody"> <div class="paragraph"> <p>A giant leap for Japan, but a step backwards for the AFCS industry? <span class="citation">(<a href="#Jiji:2026jr">1</a>)</span></p> </div> <div class="paragraph"> <p>That was the question that popped into my head when I read the news that JR East is planning to replace magnetic stripe tickets with QR codes in 2027. If the images associated with this announcement are to be believed, then Japanese railway passengers can look forward to printed QR paper tickets, no less!</p> </div> <div class="paragraph"> <p>I have no doubt that as long as Japan remains a low-crime, high-trust society, this will work as well as you would expect from Japan and especially from its railway operators.</p> </div> <div class="paragraph"> <p>Furthermore, this looks like a re-paid proprietary QR ticketing solution, which is easier to design and operate than an open system that combines re-paid with out-paid tickets.</p> </div> <div class="paragraph"> <p>The Department of Transport (DOTR) of the Philippines, in their preliminary statements regarding a national AFCS concession, left no doubt that any national AFCS system must be open, interoperable and ubiquitous.</p> </div> <div class="paragraph"> <p>In my article, I am trying to understand the issues that may arise from the use of QR codes for ticketing in high-traffic mass transit systems, such as the light rail systems in Manila.</p> </div> <div class="paragraph"> <p>I will leave the solutions that could address some or even all of the problems to a future post.</p> </div>