JR East plans to launch walk-through ticket gates in spring 2028 at 40 stations, letting passengers with the Suica Mobile app pass without tapping a phone or card. The gates will detect the app wirelessly using ultrawideband technology, whose longer range allows phones to remain in pockets or bags. JR East says the system responds in 0.2 seconds, about as quickly as existing tap-to-pay readers, so passengers should not face extra delays. The change is intended to make travel easier for people carrying bulky items, pushing strollers or using wheelchairs. Existing Suica app users will not need to make changes and can still tap their phones if they prefer.
The new gates will not accept physical tickets or rechargeable IC cards. The 2028 rollout covers all Yamanote Line stations, JR stations serving Narita Airport, Hamamatsucho and Tokyo Monorail stations serving Haneda. Before then, 400 selected commuter-pass holders will test the gates at 14 Tokyo stations, including Shibuya, Shinjuku and Tokyo, from April 2027 to February 2028. JR East aims to extend the system to 565 stations with automatic gates, including shinkansen stations, by the end of fiscal 2031. For rural stations without automatic gates, it is exploring smartphone-based entry and exit using GPS-related technology, with deployment targeted for the mid-2030s.
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