JCB to Launch 'Offica Watch'
with Casio;
Latest Contactless Solution Trial Underway
For Immediate Release
Tokyo, Japan, June 10, 2004 - JCB, a leading international credit
card brand, today launched a 2 month site trial of its new wristwatch
Offica corporate solution. The 'Offica Watch', in cooperation with
Casio, contains employee ID, access control and cashless payment
functions. Twenty-five JCB employees will use the Offica Watch instead
of the current Offica card to access the JCB tower in central Tokyo,
make purchases at company restaurants and stores, and carry out
a variety of administrative functions.
"This watch will improve convenience and user-friendliness
for the wearers, as they don't have to take something out of their
pocket or purse to open a door or pay for coffee. We think this
has particular advantages in environments such as manufacturing
plants or amusement parks where people should be hands-free and
not have to carry a lot of things around." said Mr. Yuichi
Momose, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Strategic
Market Development department at JCB. "We'll be launching this
solution commercially early next year, after a review of the 2 month
live trial."
The introduction of a wristwatch-based solution incorporating a
suite of contactless chip functions is a first for Japan, and follows
the trial of JCB's innovative Mobile Offica. Mobile Offica is a
mobile phone based corporate solution through mobile phones in cooperation
with NTT DoCoMo at the beginning of this year. Both Mobile Offica
and the new Offica Watch utilize Sony's FeliCa* contactless interface
chip.
The corporate environment, with a limited range of equipment and
infrastructure, allows for faster, easier implementation of chip-based
information and payment technology in media such as Mobile Offica
and Offica Watch. JCB is committed to developing solutions that
provide superior functionality via the most suitable media - conventional
plastic cards, mobile phones, key chains or PDAs.
JCB's Offica solution offers corporations a diverse and flexible
menu of functions including access control, network authentication,
employee identification and attendance tracking, and cashless purchasing
at the office. A major advance over conventional, prepaid applications,
Offica's postpay function links to the employee's own JCB brand
credit card.
*Felica is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.
About Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
Casio Computer Co., Ltd. is one of the leading consumer electronics
companies in the world. Since its establishment in 1957, Casio has
been supplying revolutionary products based on original ideas and
advanced technology that contribute to society through improving
people's lives. "If it is not original, it's not a CASIO"
is our way of thinking, and that tradition continues in all our
new innovative product development and offerings, including calculators
and timepieces, digital cameras, mobile phones, musical instruments,
LCD TVs, and digital office equipment. CASIO's activities are driven
by a relentless pursuit to deliver innovative products with advanced
digital technology, offering product and performance refinement
while reducing size and power consumption.
About JCB Co., Ltd.
JCB is an international credit card brand and the largest card issuer
and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in
1961 and began expanding overseas in 1981. Its merchant network
includes 11.4 million merchants and spans 189 countries and territories.
JCB cards are now issued in 18 countries and territories, with 49.6
million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy,
JCB has formed alliances with more than 320 leading banks and financial
institutions globally to increase merchant coverage and cardmember
base.
JCB's corporate philosophy of "Service from the heart",
a commitment to responsive and high-quality service, continues to
guide it as it creates the future together with its customers, merchants
and partners. For further information, please visit the JCB Co.
Ltd. home page at:
www.jcb-global.com/english
or www.jcbinternational.com.
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Cashless payment at a JCB canteen
with a wristwatch Offica
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The Offica series incorporating contactless
chips for cashless payment and office access control.
From left: "Offica"- JCB's employee ID card, available
since May 2003. "Mobile Offica"£NTT Docomo's mobile
phone, in a trial project from December 2003. "Offica Watch"-
Casio's wristwatch, in a trial project from June 2004.
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