Tokyo, August 19, 2005 – JCB, a leading international payment brand, is pleased to announce that Royal Group, a major restaurant chain in Japan, will be phasing in QUICPay acceptance from October this year. With all Royal Host and Sizzler restaurants nationwide included, 300 locations will be offering JCB's QUICPay contactless payment solution.

QUICPay is a payment solution designed for locations where speed and convenience are important. Launched by JCB in 2003, QUICPay leverages the advantages of fast offline processing so that a purchase can be made in less than one second, much quicker than payment by cash. A part of the customer’s existing credit limit is assigned to a contactless IC chip, which may be embedded in a plastic card or in a mobile phone handset. QUICPay purchases are linked to the cardholder’s existing JCB credit card account so that users can also enjoy earning loyalty points on all their daily purchases.

“QUICPay is yet another way we help our cardmembers benefit from quick and easy payment, as well as providing our merchant partners like family restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores and other high volume businesses the advantages of improved customer throughput at the register”, said Mr. Manabu Kanou, Assistant Vice President at Strategic Market Development Department of JCB.

JCB will also begin providing QUICPay for KDDI au and Vodafone mobile phones equipped with Sony’s FeliCa smart card technology from this autumn, as part of an aggressive strategy to develop the contactless payment market in Japan. JCB aims to increase the number of QUICPay accepting merchants to more than 100,000 within 3 years, and to provide real value for merchants and consumers alike.

About Royal Holdings Co., Ltd.
Royal, established in 1950, is a leading food and hospitality firm in Japan. It has been constantly working toward the pursuit of quality and striving to offer high quality cuisines, services, and a fine atmosphere in all its business facets. Based on its five businesses, Restaurant Business, Food Business, In-flight Meal Business, Bakery Business, and Hotel Business, Royal will continue to meet the changing world and environment and further grow to become “Japan’s highest quality catering and hospitality firm”, while utilizing each business’s strengths and sharing know-how. Royal’s major nationwide restaurant chains include Royal Host and Sizzler. For more information about Royal, please visit at: www.royal.co.jp/co/en.

About JCB
JCB is an international credit card brand and the largest card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding overseas in 1981. Its merchant network includes 12.4 million merchants and spans 190 countries and territories. JCB cards are now issued in 19 countries and territories, with 55.14 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with more than 350 leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase merchant coverage and cardmember base. JCB's corporate philosophy of "Service from the heart", a commitment to responsive and high-quality service, continues to guide it as it creates the future together with its customers, merchants and partners. For further information, please visit the JCB Co. Ltd. home page at: www.jcb-global.com/english or www.jcbcorporate.com/english.