Taxi companies are installing video systems in their vehicles to reduce passenger conflicts in a move that is raising privacy concerns because of vague warnings that are leaving many unaware they are being recorded.
Last November, a drunken passenger exited a Fuji Taxi without paying after attacking the driver in Ama, Aichi Prefecture. A small camera stuck to the windshield recorded the whole incident, leading to his arrest by Aichi Prefectural Police on suspicion of robbery. The footage was subsequently submitted as evidence without the man's knowledge.
The Fuji Taxi Group is a major cab operator based in Naka Ward, Nagoya. The incident took place right after the cameras were installed, at a cost of ¥50,000 per car, and all of the 540 cabs have one. This was done to reportedly to protect the drivers after an incident two years before in which a driver was robbed and seriously injured.