Seven Bank has unveiled a mobile automated teller machine that enables people to withdraw or deposit money in the event regular ATMs are rendered useless in a disaster.
The mobile ATM is loaded on a vehicle that has been converted from a small truck. It runs on a battery designed to last for about 10 hours and can also be powered by a built-in generator.
The machine can operate anywhere as long as it is connected to a cellphone network.
Unveiling the machine on the fourth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Seven & i Holdings Co.'s banking unit said it hopes the mobile ATM will help people in the immediate aftermath of a disaster by making the rounds at stores, evacuation centers and housing complexes.
The ATM normally sits on the back of the truck but can also be moved off it so that elderly people can easily reach the machine.
The vehicle is basically on standby in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo. But it will be available for use at the five-day U.N. World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction starting Saturday in Sendai.