01
CCTV REFERENCE EVIDENCE
1.35 cameras / 1k
49,841 reported cameras in Tokyo. Metropolitan population and local camera coverage need cautious interpretation.
Open CCTV sourceTHE EVIDENCE STACK
Seven records
Different claims
Every measure has its own source, date, and scope. The country profile keeps them distinct by design.
FACE / BIOMETRIC
Documented pilot or limited use
Police / event-security pilots · 2024
Public reporting and policy materials point to limited police and event-security facial-recognition pilots. The public evidence reviewed did not justify a broader operational label.
AI USE SCOPE
Facial identification
2026-04 · Low confidence
Public reporting describes a Tokyo ward facial-recognition camera trial; the pilot retains this as limited-use evidence.
The source documents a local trial and does not establish ongoing deployment or detailed control arrangements.
Mainichi · Tokyo ward trialPRIVATE-CAMERA LINK
Documented footage-request programme
Metropolitan camera registration examples · 2024
Tokyo police information describes security-camera cooperation and registration; the pilot treats this as a narrower request/registry model rather than continuous access.
SAFEGUARDS CONTEXT
86.6 / 100
WJP 2025 Factor 4.6: protection from arbitrary interference with privacy in practice. The score changed -3.2 points from 2024.
Open WJP sourceSUPPLIER / PROCUREMENT
Documented record
Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd.
One set of AI camera-system equipment.
The award notice identifies equipment and supplier but does not describe the system’s analytical functionality or operating policy.
JETRO — Osaka police AI camera award noticeINCIDENTS & REDRESS
Remedy or reform
29 Jun 2016 · Japan · Tokyo police files concerning Muslim communities
Police surveillance files leak and compensation
Reporting on the Supreme Court outcome described compensation for the privacy impact of a police-files leak that exposed profiling material, while the underlying broad surveillance challenge was dismissed.
The source is a 2016 report on a specific leak and litigation outcome; it does not provide a current account of police practice.
Al Jazeera · court-outcome reporting Open incidents & redressDATA INFRASTRUCTURE & JURISDICTION
Where data may sit, and what can govern it
These are separate contextual records. Data-centre capacity is not evidence of surveillance access; legal powers are not evidence of their use.
CONTEXT, NOT PROOF
Government cloud governance and legal process do not show the host location or access path for a named surveillance system.
High confidencePolicy context; no comparable count
2024
Public market sources report capacity growth, but the pilot avoids using third-party counts as a comparative surveillance measure.
Cross-border transfer framework
2026
APPI permits international transfers subject to consent or equivalent-protection conditions; no blanket localisation requirement is coded.
Government Cloud framework
2026
Digital Agency material describes a common government cloud environment, technical requirements, and service-selection process.
Judicial-process access context
2026
Communications-interception legislation sets out criminal-investigation procedures; it is not evidence of administrative or camera-data access.
SOURCE HISTORY
When the record changed.
The timeline preserves source vintages and review dates so changes can be examined rather than announced without a record.
- 2024
- 2025-06CCTV evidence source
Tokyo: 49,841 reported cameras; 1.35 per 1,000 people in the documented reference place.
Open source - 2025
- 2024Facial-recognition record
Public reporting and policy materials point to limited police and event-security facial-recognition pilots. The public evidence reviewed did not justify a broader operational label.
Open source - 2024Camera-integration record
Tokyo police information describes security-camera cooperation and registration; the pilot treats this as a narrower request/registry model rather than continuous access.
Open source - 2026-04AI use-scope record
Facial identification · Live public space · Assistive search. Public reporting describes a Tokyo ward facial-recognition camera trial; the pilot retains this as limited-use evidence.
Open source - 2025-01
- 2024Data-infrastructure context
Public market sources report capacity growth, but the pilot avoids using third-party counts as a comparative surveillance measure.
Open source - 2026Lawful-access context
Communications-interception legislation sets out criminal-investigation procedures; it is not evidence of administrative or camera-data access.
Open source - 29 Jun 2016Incident / redress record
Remedy or reform: Reporting on the Supreme Court outcome described compensation for the privacy impact of a police-files leak that exposed profiling material, while the underlying broad surveillance challenge was dismissed.
Open source - 2026-08Layer evidence review
Record category: Partial layer record. This version preserves gaps rather than treating them as evidence of absence.
No comparable public source located in this review
REVIEWED PUBLIC UPDATES
Accepted additions and corrections.
Community submissions remain private until an editor checks the source, scope, and status. Only accepted changes appear here.
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