Japan has an e-money system that is generally convenient for everyone. In Tokyo, you can get an IC card and load it with Suica or PASMO. In other cities, the names differ, but the underlying system is the same, which is why these cards work interchangeably across Japan. Because of the well-known chip shortage, physical cards have been harder to produce, and operators have been pushing people toward mobile apps and digital-wallet versions instead.
That seems reasonable. However, there is a catch: you either need an iPhone or an Android phone manufactured for the Japanese market. The latter confused me. I already knew about some Japan-specific quirks, such as the forced camera-shutter sound on Japanese phones (thanks, upskirters), but why couldn’t I use Google Wallet or the PASMO app on my American-bought Pixel? PASMO displayed an error saying that FeliCa was not detected.
What is FeliCa?
From Wikipedia:
“FeliCa is a contactless RFID smart card system from Sony in Japan, primarily used in electronic money cards. The name stands for Felicity Card. First utilized in the Octopus card system in Hong Kong,[1] the technology is used in a variety of cards also in countries such as Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Macau, the Philippines, and the United States.”
It is also known as NFC Type F. From what I found online, it is faster for higher-level operations and offers stronger security. However, FeliCa is a closed standard, so its full specifications are not public, and only a limited group of professionals can verify its details. It is said to have achieved an ISO/IEC 15408 EAL6+ security level, so, at a minimum, AES, RSA/ECC, and SHA-2/3 are involved.
Although my Pixel had NFC, it did not have FeliCa. My options were:
- Buy a new phone just to use e-Suica.
- Buy a physical backup Suica card.
I did neither. I eventually realized that Fitbit had its own wallet implementation and that Japan-market Fitbits include FeliCa and can provision Suica. So now I have a backup Suica card on my smartwatch. I suspect that other Japan-market Android smartwatches may work too, but I haven’t tested them.
FeliCa displays in many ways how Japan does technology. Open, usable, convenient. But fraught with the politics of “just trust us bro”. Which, isn’t the best way to cyber. But that’s my 200 yen.
Notes
Fitbit also recently migrated away from its own wallet app in favor of Google Wallet integration. If I delete this card, I am not 100% sure that I can provision it again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I have also heard that people have been patching rooted phones to add FeliCa support, but I didn’t want to root my Pixel. :)