Despite Japan’s low economic growth, the outlook for the country’s security industry remains bright due to various factors, the most important of which is definitely the 2020 Summer Olympics, where vendors will introduce more cutting-edge technologies and solutions to protect the athletes as well as spectators. The
Despite Japan's low economic growth, the outlook for the country's security industry remains bright due to various factors, the most important of which is definitely the 2020 Summer Olympics, where vendors will introduce more cutting-edge technologies and solutions to protect the athletes as well as spectators.
The country's economy has been lackluster for a while. The World Bank forecasts Japan's GDP growth this year would be 0.5 percent, down from the 0.6 percent last year. And the trend is expected to continue, as the organization forecasts growth of 0.5 percent and 0.7 percent for 2017 and 2018, respectively.
However, for security, it's a different story as most of the companies we spoke with expressed a sense of optimism. “The growth rate for security would exceed 0.5 percent, certainly,” said Yasuo Tobinaga, CEO of Tenpo Planning. “The growth momentum will be beyond 10 percent.”
The biggest drivers for Japan's security growth are definitely large-scale sports events including the 2019 Rugby World Cup and, in particular, the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, which will see an influx of international athletes and visitors. The need to protect them has therefore become a major priority. “The Tokyo Olympics will be a big opportunity for Japan. They will have the biggest influence on Japan's security,” said Hiroshi Sasaki, CTO and CEO of Javatel.
“Since the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are approaching, security growth rate seems to be higher than that for general economy,” said Yasuo Nagase, Advisor at Locksystem. “All markets relating to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will have stronger growth, while the growth rate for video surveillance vendors will be especially significant.”
Already, the 2020 Games promise to be the most advanced ever, as far as technology is concerned. The following are among the technologies that are expected to be introduced or deployed to strengthen security.
Biometrics
Japan, being a soft target for terrorist attacks, will implement biometrics, in particular facial recognition, to strengthen access control to critical area. “There will be camera systems and facial recognition against terrorism in stadiums, railway stations, and airports,” said Masaya Kida, Senior manager at OPTEX.
Already, Japan airports are using facial recognition systems that photograph incoming visitors and match them against images of known terrorists as part of their passport control procedure. “Again, for the 2020 Olympics, the government will tighten passport control and protection against terrorist threats,” Nagase said.
Video Surveillance
Video surveillance will play a critical role in keeping places safe and secure. “Likely we will see potential demand for video surveillances in stadiums, city and transportation, as well as solutions enabling resilience against security threats,” said Chris Cheung, Regional Sales Director for North Asia at Axis Communications. “Safety is one of the key concerns in hosting Olympics. For security purpose, video surveillance solutions shall offer highest reliability and quality videos to effectively protect people and property. Technologies that can provide sharp image in any light and with smallest details and widest view are the crucial capabilities to detect risks and deter crimes.”
Cloud
Since some of the stadiums or sports facilities are temporary, making a permanent investment in security may not be so worthwhile. Taking video to the cloud and pay a subscription fee for storage and management is therefore expected to gain prominence. “Certainly for large events, the permanent stadiums may use either cloud or on premise solutions, but for temporary stadiums, or temporary installations to monitor the streets between train stations and venues, the cloud is ideal, because the cost of a perpetual license is far greater when the system may only be in place for a short time,” said Alan Broderick, Country Manager for Japan at Genetec.