KEY POINTSHitachi joins Japan Card Network’s phased credit payment infrastructure modernization project through HARC cloud operations servicesProject combines development and operations from the outset, using SRE and platform engineering to strengthen reliabilityJapan Card Network’s payment network connects about 858,000 terminals and handles about 40.9 billion transactions annually
Hitachi will support cloud operations reform through HARC as Japan Card Network modernizes credit payment systems linked to about 858,000 terminals. Photo by panumas nikhomkhai on Pexels
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Hitachi Ltd. has joined Japan Card Network Co.’s phased modernization project for its credit payment platform, supporting cloud operations reform from the initial stage through its Hitachi Application Reliability Centers, or HARC, managed service, the company said on Aug. 17.
The project is intended to continuously strengthen the high reliability required for mission-critical systems that support credit card payments. Hitachi is supporting an operating model that integrates development and operations from the outset. TISI Co., which is responsible for system construction, is working with the companies to define the system implementation policy ahead of a fuller buildout.
Japan Card Network plans to modernize multiple systems that make up its credit payment platform, with future use of hybrid cloud in view. HARC was adopted for the project from the grand design study phase in October 2025.
Hitachi said specialists in site reliability engineering and platform engineering are helping define an operating model suited to payment infrastructure, while proposing service level objectives and a phased implementation approach. In future phases, the company plans to support operations designed for collaboration between people and AI.
Japan Card Network’s credit payment network connects about 858,000 payment terminals nationwide, and annual transaction volume has quadrupled over the past decade to about 40.9 billion. The company is pursuing the modernization project using cloud-native technologies.
Hitachi said the initiative also looks ahead to broader use of AI in operations, including AI agent-assisted development, anomaly prediction and automatic triage of large alert volumes. The company added that operational knowledge gained in mission-critical fields would also feed into HMAX by Hitachi, its next-generation solutions lineup for social infrastructure, including stronger AI governance and secure operation of underlying data.
HARC is a global managed service for operational transformation based on SRE methods and is used by more than 40 Fortune 500 companies. In Japan, it has supported about 30 companies.
Hitachi posted revenue of 10.5867 trillion yen for fiscal 2025 ended March 2026. As of March 31, 2026, the company had 606 consolidated subsidiaries and about 290,000 employees worldwide.