East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, said Saturday that a glitch had been resolved after it caused some services, including one provided through its smartphone app for the Suica transit IC card, to become temporarily unavailable for about half the day.
The problem left users of the Mobile Suica app unable to use the top-up function using credit cards. The Ekinet online train reservation service was also affected, with users left unable to book, change or cancel train tickets.
Furthermore, ticket vending machines and Midori no Madoguchi sales counters had been temporarily unable to accept credit cards.
Meanwhile, Mobile Suica users were able to top up their app with cash and pay by the loaded app at ticket gates and stores.
The glitch, which started around 12:37 a.m., was caused by a power problem with JR East's server system, the company said.
Also on Saturday, the Pasmo transit IC card, issued by private train service operators in the greater Tokyo area, was hit by a system glitch, temporarily causing problems such as with refunds using the Pasmo card and app.
While the Pasmo operator and others identified the cause as a power equipment issue, they said that it was unclear if the glitch had anything to do with the problem at JR East.