Special Report: Japan Sees Movement on Open Loop, but Rollout is Fragmented and Largest Operator Continues to Balk
Japan has been perhaps the most notable holdout among developed countries in resisting the move to open-loop fare payments.
There are some signs that this is beginning to change, however. Three major subway operators plan to at least trial open-loop payments soon or have already started.
Japan’s JR East in No Hurry to Support Open Loop as Suica E-Money Continues to Grow
JR East, the giant Japanese railway company, is the largest single transit agency so far to not yet introduce open-loop payments of fares. And the agency has signaled no plans to support the technology.
That is bucking a trend in the Asia, where more major transit agencies are supporting the technology or plan to do so. That includes Land Transport Authority in Singapore, the Skytrain and MRT in Bangkok, and the launch late last month of open loop by Mass Transit Railway, or MTR, in Hong Kong. The Taipei