Security cameras to be required for new train cars

Dec 03 (NHK) - The Japanese government has decided to make it mandatory for railway operators to install security cameras in all new carriages.

The decision comes after a series of violent incidents on trains in recent months.

Passengers were attacked by a knife-wielding man on an Odakyu Electric Railway train in Tokyo in August. A similar attack happened on a Keio Line train in Tokyo in October. Last month, a man started a fire on board a Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train in southwestern Japan.

The transport ministry has decided that railway operators will be required to install security cameras in new cars. Operators have only been requested to do so until now.

But small and medium-size operators may raise concerns about the additional financial burden.

Experts point out that train conductors and the operation center need to be able to access live footage from cameras, or they will not be able to act quickly enough to prevent crimes. ...continue reading

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