Eight east Japan rail operators, including the one operating the Tokyo Monorail to the capital's Haneda airport, announced Wednesday they will transition from paper tickets with a magnetic backing to ones that only have QR codes printed on them from 2027 to reduce their environmental impact.
Although most train journeys on the companies' lines are currently made using prepaid cards like Suica or through mobile apps registered with the service, Japan's train operators still sell physical magnetic-backed tickets at stations.
However, the companies say they have decided to begin replacing them starting at the end of fiscal 2026 in March 2027 with paper QR code versions to transition to a sustainable system that eliminates the need for the complex infrastructure required to sell and process magnetic-backed tickets.
Abolishing the tickets, which contain metal components, in favor of ones made entirely of paper will also simplify the disposal process and reduce their environmental footprint, the firms said. The magnetic parts of current tickets must be separated when recycling them.
Unlike current passes, which are inserted into compatible ticket gates and can get jammed inside the devices, passengers will scan the paper ones with QR code readers.
Data on the tickets, as well as entries and exits to stations, will be shared between the companies, they said.
The eight firms that have said they will make the change include East Japan Railway Co., also known as JR East, Keisei Electric Railway Co., whose services include the Keisei Skyliner to Narita airport, and Tobu Railway Co., which runs lines including the Tobu Skytree Line.
