Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture trials secure face biometric payments from VeriTrans and NEC

Secure, convenient, cashless and contactless biometric payment solution VeriTrans4G is being deployed on a Proof of Concept (PoC) basis between March 12 and March 29, 2021, in businesses and public facilities across the Prefecture of Shizuoka in Japan.

VeriTrans, a subsidiary of Digital Garage Group, says the solution, which is a combination of NEC Corporation’s facial recognition solution and VeriTrans’ credit card payment service, can be used for a wide range of applications and is expected to help boost the tourism industry in the area.

The PoC, known as ‘Umi no Mizuumi’, the press release explained, makes use of facial recognition data as a type of common ID for biometric payments at 15 locations in the Lake Hamana region, including hotels, restaurants, a retailer and cultural facilities.

For the system to be used, customers are expected to register their user information on the selfie registration website, including facial biometric data and credit card details. VeriTrans4G began testing at 7-Eleven stores in Japan last year,  and launched a pilot to support tourism in Toyama in October.

The facial recognition process at the time of payment is performed on a dedicated tablet device installed in the store when customers purchase products or use services, and the payment is completed with the credit card which is linked to their facial information at the time of registration. The system also supports payments for ecommerce transactions.

The service, the companies note, offers a ‘one-click continual charge function’ which enables users to pay with only their user IDs that are automatically generated when registering face biometric data. It also includes a wide range of security features to prevent fraudulent usage and ensure data privacy.

VeriTrans added that it is ready to offer more new payment methods required by business operators and consumers, and provide cashless solutions based on an integrated understanding of industry demands.

Article Topics

biometric data  |  biometric payments  |  biometrics  |  data protection  |  facial recognition  |  Japan  |  NEC  |  pilot project  |  privacy  |  secure transactions