Nationwide Mutual Usage Service

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Nationwide Mutual Usage Service
Service mark
RegionJapan
IndustryPublic transport
Shopping
LaunchedMarch 23, 2013
IC card interoperability diagram

Japan's Nationwide Mutual Usage Service (全国相互利用サービス, Zenkoku Sōgo Riyō Sābisu) is a system that allows for reciprocal use and interoperability between the country's ten most common transportation IC cards – contactless smart cards used on public transport with additional e-money functionality. Launched on March 23, 2013, the service allows riders of trains, buses, and other public transport to seamlessly use the same card in all major Japanese cities, across hundreds public, privately owned, and third-sector systems.[1][2] As of March 9, 2024, it is available on services run by 326 transit operators.[3][4][5]

The ten cards included in the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service and their issuing companies are:

Map of Japan showing major IC card service areas

With some exceptions,[a] IC cards part of the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service typically cannot be used[b] for continuous travel between two areas served by different IC cards, but rather within each area or city.[2] All cards implement an RFID technology developed by Sony called FeliCa.[8]

History[edit]

Rollout of IC card systems and interoperability in Japan (as of March 2018)

While previous bilateral agreements between companies existed previously, such as the ability for JR West's ICOCA and JR East's Suica to be used interchangeably since August 2004, this was abandoned in favor of a "blanket approach" targeting all major cards, realized with the launch of the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service.[2] Discussions of such a system had been underway since December 2010, and testing lasted for six months prior to the public release.[1]

Implementation[edit]

Following launch, as of March 31, 2013, Suica – the most popular of the ten cards – became usable at 4,365 train stations and on approximately 21,000 buses nationwide. As electronic money, Suica became accepted at nearly 210,000 retail locations[1] and at the time was reported to be the payment method of 3.4 million transactions each day.[2] Per estimates provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, over 100 million residents became covered under the new Mutual Usage system.[1]

A brown and red service mark, consisting of the letters "IC" with a pantograph replacing the tittle of the "i" and wheels on the "c", is displayed at ticket gates, fare boxes, and point of sale systems (such as in convenience stores or restaurants) where any of the cards are accepted as a form of payment.[9][10][11]

PiTaPa is excluded from mutual usage agreements when used as digital currency (e-money) due to its implementation as post-pay system tied to a user's bank account rather than a prepaid, rechargeable card.[12]

Multi-function Cards for Regional Transit[edit]

Beginning in 2021, initially targeting Aomori, Akita, northern Iwate, Yamagata, and Gunma Prefectures, JR East introduced chīki renkei (地域連携, lit. 'regional cooperation') IC cards, 2-in-1 cards which combine the needs of smaller, local transit operators with standard Suica functionality.[13][14] With limited budget and resources to overhaul historical systems to comply with JR East's standards, these cards allow for regional "affiliate" operators to continue supporting various implementations of commuter passes while also providing riders with the ability to use their cards identically to Suica, i.e. not only on local transit but also in larger cities. As Suica is part of the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service, these cards are also interoperable with the ten major cards and usable across Japan.

Discounted and subsidized fares, such as those for disabled riders, can also be selectively applied in users' home regions while charging standard fares elsewhere.

Multi-function IC cards include nolbé in Gunma, totra in Tochigi, yamako cherica and shoko cherika in Yamagata, Iwate Green Pass in Iwate, HACHICA in Hachinohe, and AOPASS in Aomori, among others. JR East has viewed this ongoing endeavor as an effort to "promote regional revitalization" in the Tōhoku region by allowing for the use of Suica and other transit cards in these areas, thereby attracting potential visitors[15] and positioning the cards as a component of the company's mobility as a service strategy.[16][17] These cards follow the SD2 FeliCa standard and support reward point programs of both local operators and JR East via FeliCa Pocket.[18] They are alternatively referred to as "Regional Collaboration IC cards."[19]

A revised KURURU IC card is scheduled to launch in Nagano in March 2025, superseding the previous local card of the same name without mutual usage functionality.[20] A similar card is planned to be introduced for buses in Matsumoto in spring 2026.[21]

Exceptions[edit]

As of 2024, the ten cards are fully interchangeable (i.e. any system that supports one of the cards will support the other nine) with two exceptions: Kantō Railway's two railway lines in Ibaraki Prefecture, and the Chiba Urban Monorail.[22] Both located in the Greater Tokyo Area, these two systems support only PASMO and Suica, and have not yet been upgraded due to low ridership and the high cost of replacing aged equipment.[23]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ IC cards can be used on services between Suica and PASMO regions in the Greater Tokyo Area, and on certain direct services between SUGOCA and Hayakaken areas in Kyushu.[2] Cards can also be used to travel via Kintetsu Railway limited express trains between Osaka and Nagoya, despite Osaka being within JR West's service region and Nagoya's location in the JR Central area.
  2. ^ Shinkansen tickets may be linked to an IC card following an online purchase, but cannot be purchased with an IC card's e-money.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Ito, Etsuro (October 2013). "Launch of Nationwide Interoperable Transport System IC Cards" (PDF). East Japan Railway Culture Foundation. Japan Railway & Transport Review. pp. 6–15. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Annual Report 2013" (PDF). East Japan Railway Company. August 2013. p. 46. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  3. ^ "東日本旅客鉄道株式会社 ICカード乗車券取扱規則" (PDF). East Japan Railway Company. February 27, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  4. ^ "manaca 取扱規則" (PDF). MIC (Meitetsu). March 2, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  5. ^ "nimoca取扱規則". nimoca. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  6. ^ "Welcome Suica". JR East. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  7. ^ "PASMO Areas". PASMO. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  8. ^ "About FeliCa Technology". Sony. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  9. ^ "『 その他 』 内のFAQ". East Japan Railway Company (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  10. ^ "Welcome Suica (for extended use)". East Japan Railway Company. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  11. ^ "Tokai IC Card (TOICA)". Central Japan Railway Company. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "交通系ICカードの全国相互利用サービス". Central Japan Railway Company (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "Investment Plan for the Acceleration of "Move Up" 2027 FY2022.3 Capital Expenditure Plan" (PDF). East Japan Railway Company. April 28, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  14. ^ "Suica と地域交通 IC カード機能を併せ持つ 2in1 カード「地域連携 IC カード」実現の取り組みについて" (PDF). East Japan Railway Company (in Japanese). JR East, Sony Imaging Products & Solutions, JR East Mechatronics. September 25, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  15. ^ "Consolidated Financial Results for the Nine-Month Period Ended December 31, 2020 (Japanese GAAP)". Daiwa IR. East Japan Railway Company. January 29, 2021. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  16. ^ "採用情報". East Japan Railway Company (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  17. ^ "East Japan Railway Company joins MaaS Alliance". Intelligent Transport. November 7, 2019. Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  18. ^ "FeliCaポケット搭載カード一覧". Sony (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  19. ^ "FY2022.3 Financial Results" (PDF). East Japan Railway Company. April 28, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  20. ^ "お知らせ". 長野地域バス共通ICカード KURURU（くるる） (in Japanese). January 15, 2024. Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  21. ^ "Suica対応のICカードを路線バスに導入へ　松本市、2026年春の利用開始目指す". 信濃毎日新聞デジタル (in Japanese). February 19, 2024. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  22. ^ Toda, Takashi (July 7, 2021). "Exception to the Mutual Utilization of Traffic IC Cards". nanyanen.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  23. ^ "ＰＡＳＭＯ・Ｓｕｉｃａ以外に利用できるＩＣカード". Chiba Urban Monorail (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
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