Japan police to test AI-equipped cameras in protecting VIPs

Need to detect 'lone offenders' grows as country mourns Abe assassination anniversary

The area where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot in Nara on July 8, 2022.

Nikkei staff writers

July 7, 2023 18:03 JST

TOKYO -- Japanese police will begin testing security cameras equipped with AI-based technology to protect high-profile public figures, Nikkei has learned, as the country mourns the anniversary of the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday. The technology could lead to the detection of suspicious activity, supplementing existing security measures.

The National Police Agency aims to launch the testing sometime during the current fiscal year, which will end in March 2024.