East Japan Railway Co. is considering providing wearable cameras from April to its station staff working at night to better protect them from becoming involved in trouble with passengers, sources familiar with the matter said Monday.
By providing such cameras, the company wants to reduce the risk of its workers becoming victims of violence or a crime, the sources said. It would be the first railway operator to use such cameras for security purposes, according to the transportation ministry.
The operator, known as JR East, will examine how to secure the safety of its workers while protecting the privacy of passengers at the same time, the sources said.
The transportation ministry said there were 439 cases of violence targeting workers at stations of JR East and other railway companies nationwide in fiscal 2020, although the figure fell 172 cases from the previous year as the number of passengers decreased due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Wearable cameras, many of which can be attached to people's clothing, allow users to record video without using their hands.
JR East conducted a demonstration test in 2020 involving security staff wearing a camera aboard a shinkansen bullet train to check the communication situation on a moving vehicle and ways to provide support to workers by watching a live feed.
The operator is considering the stations and areas where workers will use such cameras, and whether to inform passengers they are doing so, the sources said.
Whether the cameras will record and be monitored remotely at all times will also be discussed, they said.
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