Tomiyo Yamada, affectionately known in Japan as the “Expo Grandma,” became a world expo enthusiast after attending Expo 2005 Aichi, Japan, and has been in attendance at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan (hereafter, Expo 2025) every day since it opened. The season pass Ms. Yamada uses to enter Expo 2025 each day is being utilized for entry control through a system powered by NEC’s facial recognition technology. This marks the first time such technology has been used at a world expo in Japan. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Yamada, who is not only “the face of the world expo” but also arguably the top user of NEC’s facial recognition technology, about her impressions of facial recognition and the expectations she has for future society. 

The system makes entry more than seamless, it also provides peace of mind

When “Expo Grandma” Tomiyo Yamada experienced facial recognition-powered entry for the first time on the opening day of Expo 2025, she found herself wondering, “Is this really all I have to do to enter the venue?” Smiling as she cheerfully recalled the second day, Ms. Yamada told us, “I kind of acted like I knew what I was doing, saying to the staff, ‘This is the right gate to use, right?” After Expo 2005 Aichi, Japan (hereafter, Expo 2005), Ms. Yamada has attended seven world expos, including those held in Shanghai and Milan, making a name for herself around the world. 

For Ms. Yamada, who intends to once again achieve perfect attendance at Expo 2025, this has been her first experience with facial recognition-based entry. She says the thrill of being able to breeze through the entry gates in just a matter of seconds has made her realize just how much progress has been made. 

NEC made this possible by providing Expo 2025 with facial recognition systems for entry and payment management. Season and Summer Pass holders are eligible to use this entry management system. By registering their photographs in advance, scanning their QR code at a designated gate upon arrival, and looking into the camera installed at the gate, Season and Summer Pass holders can verify their identity as they enter the venue. Deploying a facial recognition system at an event of this scale, which welcomes over 100,000 visitors daily from around the world, has been an exciting opportunity for NEC.

This entry system is focused on bolstering security and preventing identity fraud. Kazuhiro Yamada, son of Tomiyo Yamada and her companion at Expo 2025, recounted an instance where he tried entering with the wrong QR code, saying, “I wasn’t able to get through because of the facial recognition.” He also explained that he has experienced the importance of security first-hand, stating, “There is definitely peace of mind that comes from knowing that mistaken entry is virtually impossible.” Regarding the technology he has seen for himself thus far at Expo 2025, Mr. Yamada says, “The technology is far more advanced than what I could have imagined back in the day. I suspect it will continue to go beyond what we can imagine going forward.”  

The future charted by NEC: “I’ll be looking forward to it, so I hope to live a long life.”

When Ms. Yamada shared that she had used her season pass at Expo 2005 until it was tattered, we asked her which system she preferred. Without any hesitation at all, she replied, “Facial recognition.” When asked why, she told us, “Because it gives me a sense of what’s in store for us in the future.” Upon hearing her expectations for the technologies of “future society,” one of the key phrases at Expo 2025, we introduced her to some of NEC’s initiatives.  

“Long lines often form because staff members must check each and every visitor. I think it would be great if there was a way for multiple people to pass through all at once but still use their faces to confirm their identities.”

NEC has already developed a system enabling the recognition of multiple people at once without them having to stop. This system combines NEC’s facial recognition technology with technology used to verify a person’s identity based on physical characteristics to carry out real-time recognition of as many as 100 people in just one minute, eliminating the need for gates designed to allow just one person through at a time. Utilization of this system is expected to further alleviate congestion at entrances to public facilities and other venues.  

The utilization of NEC’s facial recognition technology is also expanding into various other aspects of people’s lives through applications such as procedures at international airports, entry management at theme parks and other public venues, payment services at shops, ATM procedures, security at condominium complexes or hotels, and other services and solutions like these that are still in the trial phase.

Upon learning about NEC’s initiatives, Ms. Yamada’s eyes lit up as she asked, “Does this mean we’ll soon find ourselves in a world where long lines of people don’t have to wait to enter venues and we won’t have to carry a card key with us anymore?” She then added, “If that’s the kind of world that awaits us, I’ll be looking forward to it. I hope to live a long life so that I can experience it for myself.”   

As stated in its Purpose, “NEC creates the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential.” Through its involvement in Expo 2025, NEC is another step closer to a future society where new social value will undoubtedly emerge.

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