RFID in Japan

Toppan Printing developed paper that protects RFID cards such as RFID train passes, corporate ID cards, RFID payment cards from skimming attacks. It functions as so-called Faradey Cage, that is, the paper has a very thin layer of metal in it (by the way, the paper's thickness is about 0.2mm). So, wrapping an RFID card with the paper is like wrapping it with a metal sheet that shuts out electro-magnetic fields. The company plans to commercialize the technology by this fall.

via MSN-Mainichi Interactive, May 27, in Japanese

QR Clip Music System is a web hosting service that allows amateur musicians to easily disseminate thier songs to people's mobile phones. Uploaded songs can be heard by simply scanning a corresponding QR code using a camera phone.

via QR Code Blog

The Korea Herald reports:

The government is drafting new guidelines that ban the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to collect and store information on consumer spending habits.

In March, I wrote that 10 vending machines with integrated surveillance cameras will be installed in Osaka next year.

NAJ, Inc. , which plans to soon introduce a kind of RFID-based student tracking system at an elementary school in Osaka, is already installing vending machines with integrated surveillance cameras along the school route. They will conduct a pilot test of a system for "keeping an eye on kids' safety" using these unique vending machines.

The vending machines, which is made by a company called Forking (http://www.forking.co.jp/) will be networked by broadband connections and send out video images of kids commuting to/from the school.

The school hopes that this technology will prevent some crimes and reduce the number of crimes in the area.

NAJ plans to conduct this pilot test, which will start this June and last till May 2006, in collaboration with a consortium of local authorities.

via VentureNow, May 23, 2005, in Japanese.

In November, Japanese convenience store chain Sunkus was attaching QR codes to Bentos for marketing survey purposes.

According to Hokkaido Shimbun, NTT DoCoMo and Dentsu are also interested in Bentos and QR codes, but their ideas seem to be a little bit different. They together plan to introduce a new media for advertisement using Bentos, QR codes and camera phones. Consumers buy their favorite Bentos and scan the attached QR codes (using thier mobile phones) hoping to win some prize. This is when ads are displayed on their phones.

Bentos are one of the most popular sales items in Japanese convenient stores. There are many different kinds and each is targeted to a specific consumer segment (that can be characterized by age, gender, etc.) So, it could be an interesting ad channel if one wants to reach specific kinds of consumers.

via Hokkaido Shmbun, May 20, in Japanese < QR Code Blog

NTT DoCoMo recently conducted a survey on RFID-chipped FeliCa phones aka "wallet phones." It was an web-based survey and 1,605 people (male: 1,152, female: 453) answered.

How often do people use "wallet phones"? Once aweek: 26%, once in every 2weeks: 15%, three times a week: 14%. Overall, 58% people use at least once a week. 13% people don't use the RFID payment feature of their phones.

Where did they use it? Convenience stores: 77%, Coffee shops: 29%, book stores and rental shops: 22%. More than 90% people said they want to use it in the future.

DoCoMo sold more than 3.34 million "wallet phones" by the end of April 2005.

via Keitai Watch, May 17, 2005, in Japanese

A company called Zicom Security Systems Ltd has a plan to introduce RFID in some schools in Mumbai, India. Pilot tests are currently being couducted.

The RFID tags would be incorporated on the identity cards of each student. Parents who wish to subscribe to the service could track the whereabouts of their children with the help of readers that would mess-age the mobile depend-ing on the trigger set. These readers would be placed in convenient locations.

via Cybermedia News, May 18, 2005

PS. A new category is added to this blog: "asia"

Marunouchi is an area located at the center of Tokyo. QR codes are now attached to 94 roadside trees in the area so that visitors can use their camphones to get information "from the trees." Scanning a QR code leads you to a mobile website that shows historical or sightseeing information related to the location of the tree. For example, the code may tell you the history of a building behind the tree or show you a map and dining/shopping information.

via Asahi.com, May 17, 2005, in Japanese