Tokyo (March 3, 2005) - Visa International and JCB have formed an alliance to implement a common set of global payment industry data security standards in Japan to protect cardholder account and transaction information.

The standards, based on Visa's Account Information Security (AIS) program, are designed to prevent unauthorized disclosure or modification of cardholder data. Visa and/or JCB cardholder account and transaction information must be processed, stored and transmitted by card issuers, merchants and payment processors in compliance with the requirements set forth in the 12 high-level standards. Compliance will ensure the robustness and stringency of data security measures used to safeguard sensitive customer data.

The program sets a minimum level of security to protect cardholder data in line with international standards. It also provides issuers, merchants, and processors with a common benchmark against which to assess their level of security in reference to globally recognized standards. The adoption of common standards will lower costs, reduce complexity and foster wider acceptance of strengthened security procedures by the entire industry.

Ingo Noka, Visa Asia Pacific's head of payment security services, said, "The use of payment cards and the number of businesses handling cardholder data is increasing in Japan. It is therefore critical that all parties in the payment chain play their role in ensuring that the best standards are in place to protect cardholder account data."

"Visa and JCB combined have a share of cards among international brands that exceeds 70% in Japan and approaches 65% globally. Our alliance will help speed up the implementation of the program in Japan. With the knowledge that their personal data is in safe hands of responsible parties in the payment business, our cardholders will most certainly have peace of mind."

Takahiro Shimokawa, Vice President at Advanced Technologies Department of JCB, said the adoption of the global standard will also protect the compliant businesses from threats against their websites, servers and IT systems. "We are looking forward to working together with Visa to help our members, their merchants and service providers construct a more secure payment environment, beginning with increasing awareness of these international standards by all parties involved in the payment industry. The ultimate aim, of course, is to enable consumers to use payment cards with complete confidence in the security of their information."

The 12 standards ensure that payment businesses maintain the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive account and transaction data. The standards cover the entire transaction cycle, focusing on key areas such as access control, authentication, firewalls, virus protection and patch management, data disposal, encryption and physical security.

Large merchants or processors may enroll in a certification program by Visa or JCB, or engage one of the Qualified Security Assessors appointed by Visa or JCB to provide consultancy services and help review their operations and validate their compliance to the standards.

To simplify the compliance process, Visa and JCB will provide web-based self-assessment and validation tools in Japanese and English. Merchants and their service providers can use these tools to assess their own vulnerability to Internet hacking and other security breaches. The online self-assessment tool is free of charge. The results of the self-assessment will help businesses identify and improve their security and risk management processes to better protect customer data.

The tools and other information on the program can be found at www.visa.co.jp/secured www.visa-asia.com/secured and www.jcb-global.com (available in April).

About Visa International
VISA is the world's leading payment brand generating more than US$3 trillion in annual card sales volume. Visa has unsurpassed acceptance in more than 150 countries. The Visa organization plays a pivotal role in developing innovative payment products and technologies to benefit its 21,000 member financial institutions and their cardholders. Visa is a leader in Internet based payments and is pioneering the creation of u-commerce, or universal commerce--the ability to conduct commerce anywhere, anytime, and any way. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

About Visa Asia Pacific
In Asia Pacific, Visa has a greater market share than all other payment card brands combined with 62 percent of all card purchases at the point of sale being made using VISA cards. There are currently more than 229 million VISA-branded cards in the region. Through September of this year, US$339 billion was spent at point of sale or withdrawn from ATMs in Asia Pacific using VISA cards. Visa Asia Pacific's Internet address is www.visa-asia.com.

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 12.2 million merchants and spans 190 countries and territories. JCB cards are now issued in 18 countries and territories, with 53.59 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.jcbcorporate.com/english.