RFID Japan

RFID in Japan or RFID Japan has reached existing time – in response to industry pressure power levels in Japan have been just relaxed – opening opportunities & new applications. Stricter licensing laws have not helped the growth of RFID Japan, but there are a huge number of innovative applications & technologies not seen elsewhere, making do with ranges that are available, adding value & benefit to users.

For example, RFID tags small enough to fit on the edges of sheets of steel to track them; mobile phones with RFID tags which, when held up to posters or displays, will send information about the display in an email to the phone; sushi bars having RFID tags embedded in crockery to calculate what was eaten; passive tags with lights & even voice recognition so the item quickly; & a full smart transport system implemented in Tokyo are just some of the applications of RFID Japan currently being used in Japan.

The market of RFID Japan: Some of companies felt that the RFID market had been slow in Japan with little demand, & at first glance this has been Bourne out to some extent when looking at the fairly low number of tags that have been sold. However, main of RFID Japan has been used in “closed” applications, which have often not needed large volumes of tags & these projects have therefore been profitable, making most of the money on services, training & infrastructure.

The tag price was not the make or break for any of these applications. With the change in ranges and new technologies the climate is also now changing – many are still rightly focusing on closed applications but are also now trialing RFID Japan for logistics & retailing use. The number of RFID companies in Japan has also increased – the Aim Japan expo consisted of about 100 exhibitors; with about a third of those displaying an RFID Japan related product or service.

The largest applications by volume of RFID transponders sold in Japan are as follows:

• Access control/Corporate ID (e. g. cafeteria payment etc)
• Contact less IC cards for transport
• Libraries
• Heavy industrial use – raw material tracking & inventory

The profile of RFID technology has recently been growing in Japan as several companies and organizations announce trials of smart-tag systems. Japan has also demonstrated real leadership in the development of RF tags and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) microchips and the standards that will allow everyday objects to be embedded with computer intelligence.

Auto-ID Center Opens Lab in Japan: The Auto-ID Center recently opened a research lab at Keio University in Japan and giving a quick boost to RFID Japan. The lab is the center's fourth around the world and will be headed by renowned Japanese computer scientist Jun Murai. The opening of the center should raise Japan and Asia's profile in the RFID Japan industry. The region has so far received little attention for its development efforts and use of RFID technology, even though many people say Japan, in particular, will be a major player in the industry.