Seven Japanese Railway Operators to Launch QR Code Tickets in Spring 2027

Seven Japanese railway companies announced on October 13, 2026 that they will launch a QR code ticket service in spring 2027, replacing short-distance magnetic tickets issued by station automatic ticket machines, according to digitaltoday.co.kr. The participating operators are JR East, Keisei Electric Railway, Keikyu, Sendai Airport Transit, Tokyo Monorail, Tobu Railway and Hokuso Railway.

The QR tickets will be usable on all lines and stations of the seven companies, with a common system allowing tickets that connect different operators' sections. Instead of inserting a ticket into an automatic gate, passengers hold the printed QR code over the gate's reader. On arrival, they scan the code again and place the ticket into a collection box installed at the gate. At stations without QR-compatible gates, passengers can use staffed counters.

The new tickets measure 57.5×85mm, compared with 30×57.5mm for the current small tickets, about 2.8 times the area. The switch is intended to reduce the maintenance burden of existing magnetic ticket machines and gates.

The companies have been pushing to introduce QR tickets since 2024, and the group initially had eight participants. After the merger of Shin-Keisei Electric Railway and changes in some operators' participation, the number was finalized at seven.

The railway companies plan to expand QR tickets while maintaining existing IC card services such as Suica and PASMO. Cooperation with other railway operators and specific usage details will be announced later.