As global public transport operators look for ways to keep the coronavirus at bay on planes, trains and buses, one of Japan's biggest rail firms is betting on the anti-microbial properties of silver to keep passengers safe on the world's busiest subway.
Tokyo's labyrinthine rail network of about 900 stations and roughly 85 lines has seen passenger numbers approach pre-virus levels since the city's de facto lockdown was lifted in late May.
This raises the risk of transmission via high-contact points such as hand straps, hand rails and seats, just as the city's number of new cases of COVID-19 infection is rising again.