World ID expands in Japan under new head Masami Takahashi

World, a human‑verification system developed by US‑based Tools for Humanity, announced a new Japanese leadership team on 28 July. Masami Takahashi, former executive at Sony, Uber Japan and WeWork Japan, was appointed General Manager of World’s Japan operations. The company uses a dedicated scanner called Orb to issue a one‑time “World ID” that proves the holder is a real person without sharing personal data. Registrations have reached about 18 million users worldwide, with a growing user base in Japan. Takahashi said the project is entering Phase 3 of its “Simple Plan,” focusing on expanding the use cases of World ID through partnerships with services such as Tinder, Zoom and others, making Japan a key market among the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and South Korea. The announcement was made at a round‑table in Tokyo’s Akasaka district, signalling the firm’s push to create a trust infrastructure for the era of generative AI and bots.