Tokyo ward's facial recognition camera trial raises privacy concerns (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A 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. Arakawa Ward installed 33 artificial intelligence-equipped security cameras on utility poles along the main street and elsewhere near 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. The 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. Police stations in Arakawa receive about 100 reports each year of missing children and elderly people with dementia. Until now, police officers and ward officials have searched on foot around train stations and other locations. The footage is stored for seven days. Only a small number of staff have access via a dedicated computer in a locked room at the ward office, and officials say it is used solely to search for missing people. AI-equipped security cameras are also being introduced elsewhere in Japan, but for different purposes. Hyogo Prefecture and Tokyo's Adachi Ward plan to introduce cameras capable of detecting people lingering in entertainment districts in an effort to curb touting. The use of facial recognition technology has prompted privacy concerns in Japan and overseas. The European Union's AI Act prohibits the real-time collection