NEC trades in 20K employee ID cards for facial recognition system in Japan

Company celebrating its 125th anniversary

Jul 19, 2024, 8:38 am EDT | Abigail Opiah

NEC trades in 20K employee ID cards for facial recognition system in Japan

NEC Corporation plans to implement a facial recognition identification access control system for its 20,000 employees in Japan, replacing traditional ID cards. Japan News reports that the system will facilitate building entry, timecard management, and access to office equipment such as printers and lockers. Additionally, it can be used for payments in the company cafeteria. The system will also integrate with external services like the Mirairo ID app, benefiting employees with disabilities.

According to the company, employees will be able to utilize facial recognition technology to access office multifunction printers and lockers.

Recently, it integrated its facial recognition identification system into SoftBank’s digital transformation initiatives, aiming to provide tailored solutions across various sectors. The collaboration was announced just as NEC was repeating with the highest biometric accuracy score in four of eight categories in the latest assessment from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology’s 1:N Identification track.

In May 2024, the company also unveiled its plans to introduce a facial recognition payment system at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan to be held from April 13 to October 13, 2025. The system utilizes in-store payments using face biometrics and additional face-based authentication for admission management, in a bid to improve user convenience through hands-free payments, and prevent identity theft.

NEC revealed in a recent interview that it deployed 3,000 touchpoints across a number of airports worldwide, using its valued partners such as SITA, Lufthansa, Delta, and Star Alliance.

These developments come as NEC commences the formal celebration of its 125th anniversary.

“Going forward, the NEC Group will continue to contribute to the future of society by advancing the digital transformation (DX) of our customers and communities, driven by a range of advanced technologies and trusted human resources. We look forward to your continued support in our future endeavors,” the company notes in a LinkedIn post.