Photo/Illutration A lockless parking lot features I-Tech Corp. technology rather than locking mechanisms or other physical impediments. This photo was taken in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward on Feb. 7. (Akihito Ogawa)

Technology developed to track license plates in paid parking lots without tire-locking mechanisms is attracting interest from police departments across Japan.

Parking equipment maker I-Tech Corp., headquartered in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward, is flooded with hundreds of calls annually from police asking for “footage” of cars from its open-access parking lots.

I-Tech is famed for its “lockless” parking system that does not utilize locking mechanisms or exit barriers to prevent customers from leaving without paying.

Instead, specialized number-recognition poles with embedded cameras are arranged at respective parking spaces to scan license plates and other data, which is used to track down customers who fail to pay the parking fees.

“We can basically follow all motorists even when they basically 'run' from our parking spaces,” emphasized I-Tech President Takushi Maekawa.

Pitched to the market in 2010, the system has been installed at 5,000 locations across the country, mainly in urban areas.

I-Tech began using artificial intelligence to process the substantial volume of data it collected from customers after the company became affiliated with AI model developer Pksha Technology Inc. in 2019.

The company reports that its accuracy in recognizing automobiles with visible number plates has already reached 100 percent.

Seeing potential uses for the company’s technology and business networks, law enforcement authorities have been asking I-Tech for data.

SHARING WITH POLICE

I-Tech said police ask for information such as parking dates and locations in accordance with the processes outlined in the Code of Criminal Procedure. Offering that data does not mean that police share investigation details with the corporation.

In one such case, I-Tech was asked to provide records of different car lots on multiple occasions over six months.

I-Tech explained that the clear license plate images, along with the recorded entry and exit times, can likely provide police with highly valuable evidence.

In March 2022, I-Tech was awarded a letter of appreciation by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for its role in assisting with the arrest of a culprit.

The MPD stated that I-Tech “helped identify the vehicle used by a criminal, significantly contributing to solving a robbery incident.”

TRACKING PEOPLE DOWN

I-Tech’s system is designed to prevent customers from leaving its parking lots without paying first.

I-Tech said that recorded number plate data is securely kept on a server for three months until it is discarded.

When the system detects that a driver has left without paying, I-Tech finds the driver’s personal information via lawyers based on the vehicle’s license plate, and sends the bill to the person’s registered address.

If an unpaid driver shows up at another of the company’s parking facilities, guards from I-Tech put up a notice urging the individual to make the proper payment.

In some cases, I-Tech said it has resorted to legal action, such as filing small claims lawsuits against customers in summary court.

Only 0.4 percent of drivers leave without paying, and the proportion is thought to be lower in urban areas where surveillance cameras may be a deterrent.

ON THE RISE

A survey by the Japan Parking Business Association show that there were 99,000 paid parking lots across Japan as of April 2021.

Of this figure, I-Tech estimates that about 10,000, including those managed by another company’s sensor-based mechanism, do not use locking devices.

Drivers may appreciate that, with lock-free parking lots, they can move their vehicles smoothly in the event of mechanical failures or power outages caused by natural disasters.

These lots may also be more convenient for drivers who lack confidence in their driving skills, or those driving low-bodied automobiles that could be scraped by locking mechanisms in the ground.

“Stress-free, lockless parking facilities can be realized in a wider range of locations only thanks to the number plate recognition framework,” said Maekawa. “We will be contributing to society from here on out at the same time.”

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