Big Brother or big help? Japan trials AI facial recognition cameras to find missing people

Big Brother or big help? Japan trials AI facial recognition cameras to find missing peoplePolice stations in Tokyo’s Arakawa ward receive about 100 reports each year of missing children and elderly people with dementia2-MIN READ2-MIN0ListenPublished: 11:56am, 13 Jul 2026A Tokyo ward has installed outdoor AI cameras with facial recognition capabilities to help locate missing children and elderly people, a move aimed at improving public safety but also raising privacy concerns in Japan.Arakawa ward installed 33 Artificial Intelligence-equipped security cameras on pylons along the main street and elsewhere near the JR Nippori Station in April to test whether the technology could speed up searches for missing persons.The busy area around the station is frequented by commuters, students and foreign residents.If a child or elderly person with dementia goes missing, family members can ask the ward to conduct an AI-assisted search by providing a photograph. The AI then scans recorded footage for people closely matching the image.People walk past a security camera equipped with facial recognition AI outside the JR Nippori Station in Tokyo’s Arakawa ward in May. Photo: KyodoThe ward believes that this is the first outdoor deployment of AI facial recognition security cameras by a local Japanese government, and hopes that it will help to find missing people more quickly.Select VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x