Market Trends of Japan Access Control Industry
The Smart Card Segment is Expected to Register Significant Growth in the Market
- Smartcards are increasingly becoming the standard for secure access control systems. These cards contain an embedded computer chip programmed with personal information about the cardholder and the specific access points they are permitted to enter. These cards can be integrated with various technologies, such as proximity, magnetic-stripe, and biometric systems, to create a flexible and effective security solution.
- Smartcards offer robust security features such as encryption and secure storage of sensitive data, making them ideal for applications that require secure authentication. The advanced processing capabilities and memory of smart cards allow them to transmit highly encrypted data to credential readers for authentication, significantly enhancing security.
- The increasing adoption of IoT devices and smart infrastructure in buildings and cities drives the need for integrated and secure access control systems. Smart cards play a key role in this ecosystem by providing secure and convenient access. Further, the shift toward cloud-based access control systems influences the adoption of smart cards. Cloud solutions offer greater scalability, flexibility, and remote management capabilities, making smart cards an integral part of these systems.
- Government initiatives are driving market demand through the concept of Society 5.0. This vision builds on previous societal phases: Society 1.0 (hunter-gatherer), Society 2.0 (agricultural), Society 3.0 (industrialized), and Society 4.0 (information). Known as the 'super-smart society,' Society 5.0 aims to create a sustainable, inclusive socio-economic model by leveraging digital technologies such as big data analytics, AI, IoT, and robotics.
- New constructions, particularly in commercial, residential, and institutional sectors, are increasingly incorporating smart card systems for access control due to increased security concerns. Smart cards provide a higher level of security compared to traditional keys. They use encryption and can be programmed to allow access to specific areas, reducing the risk of unauthorized entry. As per the MLIT (Japan), in 2023, approximately 819.6 thousand housing starts were initiated in Japan.
The Industrial Sector is Anticipated to Hold a Significant Market Share
- Japan's industrial sector has historically been a cornerstone of its economy, contributing significantly to its GDP and global trade presence. The country is renowned for its technological advancements, particularly in robotics, automotive, and electronics. Continuous innovation in these fields drives growth and keeps Japan at the forefront of global industrial development.
- The primary objectives of many industrial manufacturing facilities are safety and productivity. The latter goal significantly depends on ensuring a safe and secure place for workers, visitors, plant managers, and other leaders. As such, there is a need to increase the level of physical security in industrial manufacturing settings to detect threats, prevent intrusion, and respond appropriately and quickly in the case of any unwanted event.
- Integrated security solutions, such as access control systems and management tools, are significantly adopted in industrial sites to streamline and enhance security operations and reporting. Access control is a way to seamlessly fuse these solutions and help the industrial manufacturing facility reach its goals of safety and productivity. Some of the prime solutions include biometrics, smart sensors, and proximity cards.
- Plant managers should consider adopting biometrics as a tool to accurately verify the staff and visitor identity to reduce any vulnerability. Biometrics' multispectral imaging technology reduces the risk of not detecting the real fingertip from a fake one due to modern polarization vision and different types of light used in capturing the data from the surface, subsurface, and subdermal structures of the skin.
- The growing industrial sector is expected to generate demand for access control devices. According to METI (Japan), the total production value of Japan's electronics industry reached approximately JPY 10.7 trillion (USD 0.076 trillion) in 2023. This industry includes consumer electronic equipment, industrial electronic equipment, and electronic components and devices.