---
title: Who Owns Photo ME's ID Photo Booths? ME Group Japan from 1963 to Photomaton EVO, Photo Sizes, and i-keep Digital Downloads
url: https://joelin.cc/en/p/9845
source: https://joelin.cc/en/p/9845
lang: en
pubDate: '2026-10-12'
date_modified: '2026-10-12'
description: Explore Photo ME's history, Japan booth locations, i-keep downloads, payments, photo sizes and observed prices, plus background and retouching rules for Taiwanese passports.
author: joe
ai_role: ai_only
translation_of: /p/9845
about:
- name: Photo ME
sameAs:
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123456627
---
# Who Owns Photo ME's ID Photo Booths? ME Group Japan from 1963 to Photomaton EVO, Photo Sizes, and i-keep Digital Downloads
## Summary
Photo ME is the ID photo booth brand operated in Japan by ME Group Japan 株式会社. The company was established in June 1963 as 日本オート・フォート株式会社. Its official website describes it as the pioneer that first introduced ID photo booths to Japan. Renamed ME Group Japan in November 2022, it is a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK-listed ME Group International. Its registered office is in Minami-Azabu, Minato, Tokyo, while the headquarters listed on its official company profile is in Minami Ward, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture.
In March 2021, it absorbed Plaza Create's subsidiary フォトプラザ. In September 2023, it took over the ID photo booths of two 富士フイルム subsidiaries, with the final total reaching 3,611 booths. In October 2025, it acquired 439 machines from 加賀デバイス's sticker-machine business. Photomaton EVO launched in Japan on May 20, 2026, with an installation in Kabukicho, Shinjuku.
On September 25, 2026, this site compiled 13,085 installation locations, entry by entry, from the official locator. Of these, 7,166 supported direct My Number Card applications, 7,889 offered digital downloads, and 1,345 were in Tokyo. The company's own figure is approximately 14,000 locations nationwide.
The i-keep digital download service requires no app, retains photos for six months, and provides original files at 1500×1125 pixels. The official website says it is a paid service but does not disclose the price. The official ID photo sizes are 40×30, 30×25, 45×35, 70×50, and 55×45 mm; 30×24 and 50×50 mm are not listed. The specifications for the current ND71 model list only coins and ¥1,000 notes, while EVO accepts only cashless payments.
Official ID photo prices have not been published. Panels on two booths, photographed in Nagoya in February 2024 and Aioi, Hyogo, in September 2026, listed スタンダード at ¥1,000 and 肌美人スーパー at ¥1,100. All three printing modes described on the official website include skin-beautifying effects. Taiwanese and Japanese passport photos share the same 45×35 mm dimensions, but Taiwan's representative office in Japan requires a plain white background and prohibits beauty modes or retouching.
### Key facts
- ME Group Japan 株式会社 was established in June 1963 as 日本オート・フォート株式会社. Its official website describes it as the pioneer that first introduced ID photo booths to Japan.
- On November 25, 2022, 日本オート・フォート changed its name to ME Group Japan 株式会社. Its parent, the UK's ME Group International plc, owns 100% of the company.
- The National Tax Agency's register places its registered office in Minami-Azabu, Minato, Tokyo. The official company profile lists its headquarters in Minami Ward, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture.
- It absorbed Plaza Create's subsidiary フォトプラザ on March 15, 2021. It took over the ID photo booth businesses of two 富士フイルム subsidiaries on September 30, 2023, with the final count settled at 3,611 booths at the end of March 2024.
- On October 1, 2025, it acquired 加賀デバイス's sticker-machine business: 439 machines for ¥70 million.
- Photomaton EVO launched in Japan on May 20, 2026, with an installation in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. Its enclosure was designed by Philippe Starck, and it accepts only cashless payments.
- This site's September 25, 2026 compilation from the official locator counted 13,085 Photo ME installation locations. The company's own figure is approximately 14,000 nationwide.
- Of those 13,085 locations, 7,166 supported direct My Number Card applications and 7,889 offered digital downloads. Tokyo accounted for 1,345 locations.
- i-keep requires no app, retains files for six months, and provides originals at 1500×1125 pixels. The official website says only that it is a paid service.
- Official sizes are: résumé/driver's license, 40×30 and 30×25 mm; passport/My Number Card, 45×35 mm; medium-size/residence card, 45×35 plus 40×30 mm; large-size, 70×50 plus 55×45 mm. Neither 30×24 nor 50×50 mm is listed.
- Official ID photo prices have not been published. Booth panels photographed in Nagoya in February 2024 and Aioi, Hyogo, in September 2026 listed スタンダード at ¥1,000 and 肌美人スーパー at ¥1,100.
- All three official printing modes—スタンダード, 肌美人スーパー, and 肌美人プレミアム—include skin-beautifying effects. Background-color selection is available only in 肌美人プレミアム.
- For passport renewal, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan requires 4.5×3.5 cm photos with a plain white background and prohibits selfie beauty modes or retouching.
The original Chinese article was published on September 25, 2026. Its research dates and market information are retained here as the historical snapshot.
Many of the white ID photo booths outside Japanese stations, supermarkets, and drugstores, with red “証明写真” lettering across the top, are ME Group Japan 株式会社's Photo ME booths. The company was established in Japan in 1963 under the name 日本オート・フォート. Its official website describes it as the pioneer that first introduced ID photo booths to Japan. It adopted its current name in 2022 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK-listed ME Group International. This site's September 25, 2026 compilation from the official locator counted 13,085 installation locations; the company's own figure is approximately 14,000 nationwide.
Three features distinguish it from other operators: the i-keep digital download service requires no app and retains photos for six months; older booths accept only cash, while the new Photomaton EVO accepts only cashless payments; and all three printing modes published on the official website include skin-beautifying effects. That last point is particularly important for Taiwanese users: for Taiwanese passport photos, the representative office in Japan requires a plain white background and prohibits beauty modes or retouching.
A Photo ME ID photo booth in Kita Ward, Nagoya, in February 2024. The customer-service sticker above the photo collection slot says ME Group Japan. This is an older model with “2 Languages Available” printed on its panel. This site blurred the advertising portraits on the panel. Photograph: 円周率３パーセント, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), [original image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NGO_%E5%8C%97_%E8%A8%BC%E6%98%8E%E5%86%99%E7%9C%9F%E6%A9%9F_20240222_074859.jpg).
To find the nearest booth with the features you need, use this site's [Japan ID photo booth locator](https://photobooth.joelin.cc/japan/idphoto/). For an introductory comparison of three operators, see the [Japan ID photo booth overview](https://joelin.cc/p/9846). This article focuses on where the Photo ME brand came from and how to use it.
## Photo ME is an ID photo booth, not a purikura machine
First, distinguish the two types of machine. Photo ME is an ID photo booth, or 証明写真機, for photos used on résumés, passports, residence cards, and My Number Cards. These booths stand beside stations, supermarkets, and drugstores, and one person sits inside to take a photo. Purikura machines, or プリクラ, are the photo-sticker machines in arcades where groups squeeze in together and can add drawings and text afterward. Their customers, locations, and uses are different.
ME Group Japan operates both. Its official entertainment-machine section lists its original photo-sticker machine TOMATO, described as offering the “industry's first full-body photography,” with QR-code payments and an interface supporting Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese. It also lists Names, an おなまえシール machine that makes personalized name stickers: photos taken on-site or stored on a phone can be turned into waterproof stickers. These machines are placed in stationery and toy sections at retailers such as AEON. The broader history of Japan's photo-sticker machine market is covered separately in [Thirty Years of Purikura in Japan](https://joelin.cc/p/9821). This article discusses only ID photo booths.
## Company history: from 日本オート・フォート in 1963 to Photomaton EVO in 2026
ME Group Japan's own account of its lineage starts with オート・フォート社 in Los Angeles in 1946, followed by the establishment of Photo-Me in the UK in 1952. The Japanese branch began as 日本オート・フォート株式会社 in June 1963. Its old website described that year as “the birth of ID photo booths in Japan.” The following timeline brings together key dates from official sources:
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| June 1963 | 日本オート・フォート株式会社 was established. The company describes itself as the pioneer that introduced ID photo booths to Japan. | Company profile; ME Group Japan's strengths |
| 1981 | New models capable of taking passport photos were installed at JR and other stations, according to the company. | “The History of 日本オート・フォート” on the former official website (archived page) |
| November 2020 | A partnership with Plaza Create was announced. Plaza would spin its ID photo booth business into a subsidiary, フォトプラザ, and transfer all its shares to 日本オート・フォート. The announcement stated that Plaza had 1,600 booths and 日本オート・フォート had 7,000 in Japan, according to the companies. | Plaza joint announcement |
| March 15, 2021 | フォトプラザ was absorbed in a merger. | National Tax Agency Corporate Number Publication Site |
| November 25, 2022 | The company was renamed ME Group Japan 株式会社. | Same as above |
| September 30, 2023 | The company took over the ID photo booth businesses of two 富士フイルム subsidiaries. The count was 3,548 booths at closing and was finalized at 3,611 at the end of March 2024. | London Stock Exchange acquisition-completion announcement |
| From November 2023 | The company description in press releases changed to “approximately 14,000 locations nationwide.” | ME Group Japan press release, November 8, 2023 |
| October 1, 2025 | The company acquired 加賀デバイス's sticker-machine business: 439 self-service sticker vending machines for ¥70 million. The acquisition covered only the business and assets. | ME Group 2025 Annual Report |
| May 20, 2026 | Photomaton EVO launched in Japan at THE FOUR-EYED, a select shop in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. JOY PHOTO launched at the same time. | ME Group Japan press release, May 20, 2026 |
The main story in this table is one of expansion through the acquisition of other operators' machines: founded in 1963, the company absorbed the Plaza branch in 2021 and took over 富士フイルム's booths in 2023. In 2022, it changed its name from 日本オート・フォート to ME Group Japan to align with its UK parent. The 2025 acquisition involved sticker machines, not ID photo booths; EVO's arrival in 2026 brought the parent's next-generation booth to Japan. Beyond photography machines, ME Group Japan has also operated Feed ME Orange freshly squeezed orange-juice vending machines in Japan since 2021. Its 2021 official press release listed a price of ¥500 per cup.
### Registered in Tokyo, headquartered in Saitama
Looking up ME Group Japan's address produces two answers. Both come from official sources, but they serve different purposes:
- The National Tax Agency's corporate register lists the registered office at 3-20-1 Minami-Azabu, Minato, Tokyo, following a relocation on November 22, 2023. This is the company's legal address.
- The official company profile lists the headquarters at 4-10-6 Uchiya, Minami Ward, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture. The footer on every page of the official website uses this address too. The “Urawa headquarters” listed on the old website in 2007 was at this same location. This is the operational base.
The official website also lists Osaka and Fukuoka branches, Nagoya and Hiroshima sales offices, and capital of ¥64 million. It claims to have an industry-leading 650 service engineers handling maintenance. This is a company claim and has not been independently verified.
### Its parent is the UK's ME Group
ME Group Japan's parent is London-listed ME Group International plc, formerly Photo-Me International. Photomaton, familiar on French streets, is also one of its brands. The group's annual report does not disclose Japan's figures separately, instead including Japan within the Asia-Pacific region. The parent's revenue, profits, booth counts by country, and attempted sale in 2025 are covered in [An In-Depth Look at ME Group, a Leading Photo Booth Operator in Europe and North America](https://joelin.cc/p/9822).
## Scale: this site counted 13,085 locations; the company reports approximately 14,000
The number of Photo ME booths needs to be discussed using two separate measures. On September 25, 2026, this site compiled 13,085 installation locations, entry by entry, from the official locator. Entries with the same name, address, and coordinates were counted as one location. The company's own descriptions have used “approximately 14,000 locations nationwide” in press releases since November 2023, while pages on its website say “more than 10,000 locations.” These figures use different counting bases, so this article presents them side by side without subtracting one from the other.
| Item | This site's September 25, 2026 compilation |
|---|---:|
| Total installation locations | 13,085 |
| Locations supporting direct My Number Card applications at the booth | 7,166 |
| Locations offering digital downloads through i-keep | 7,889 |
| Locations marked as having skin-beautifying features | 12,968 |
In other words, slightly more than half of Photo ME's locations nationwide allow direct My Number Card applications at the booth, and around 60% offer digital files. If you need either feature, check first; simply finding a booth does not mean it will offer it. These feature fields are filters in ME's official locator. Their definitions differ from those used by other operators, making them unsuitable for direct comparisons across brands.
Photo ME is present in all 47 prefectures. In this site's compilation, Tokyo had the most locations at 1,345, followed by Saitama with 834, Kanagawa with 826, Osaka with 784, Chiba with 766, and Hokkaido with 571. Complete prefectural lists and maps are available on pages such as the [Tokyo ID photo booth locator](https://photobooth.joelin.cc/japan/idphoto/tokyo/). Choose a prefecture from the [nationwide overview](https://photobooth.joelin.cc/japan/idphoto/).
## How it differs from other operators
### i-keep digital files: no app, six months of storage
i-keep is Photo ME's digital photo download service. According to the official explanation and the text on the download site's interface, its key features are as follows, checked on September 25, 2026:
- i-keep is available only on compatible booths. For every feature, the official website notes that the services offered vary by ID photo booth.
- i-keep requires no app. You can download files by opening the website on a phone or computer.
- i-keep retains digital files for six months.
- i-keep's original files are 1500×1125 pixels.
- i-keep is a paid service. The official website says only “有料,” meaning a fee applies, and does not publish the amount.
DNP's Ki-Re-i takes a different approach to providing digital files. The table below includes only facts available from both operators' official sources:
| Item | Photo ME (i-keep) | DNP Ki-Re-i (Withスマホ) |
|---|---|---|
| Is an app required? | No | Yes: the free Ki-Re-i Photo app |
| How to retrieve the file | Enter the management code printed on the photo at the download site | Scan a QR code and enter an eight-digit download password |
| Storage or download deadline | Stored for six months | Must be downloaded to the app within seven days of the photo session |
| Original file dimensions | 1500×1125 pixels | 1024×768 pixels |
The main differences are the deadline and the tool used. i-keep works through a browser, allowing you to return and download within six months. Ki-Re-i requires an app and the file must be saved within a week, but the app lets you recrop it to suit different uses. The DNP information comes from the official DNP Withスマホ page.
### Payment: older booths take cash; EVO is cashless only
The official machine specifications page describes two opposite approaches, checked on September 25, 2026:
- For the ND71, labeled on the website as its latest ID photo booth, the specifications list only ¥10, ¥50, ¥100, and ¥500 coins, plus ¥1,000 notes.
- Photomaton EVO, launched in May 2026, is described as accepting “cashless payments only; cash payments not supported.” The website does not specify which cashless methods it accepts.
There are claims online that “all Photo ME booths accept Suica and PayPay,” but the official locator has no payment-method filter, and no such claim was found in the official information. Carrying a few ¥100 coins and a ¥1,000 note is the more dependable approach.
### All three printing modes include skin-beautifying effects
The official website lists three Photo ME printing modes:
| Mode | Effects described by the company |
|---|---|
| スタンダード | Skin-beautifying effect + skin-lightening effect |
| 肌美人スーパー | Skin-beautifying effect + skin-lightening or tanning effect |
| 肌美人プレミアム | Skin-beautifying effect + skin-lightening or tanning effect + background-color selection |
All three modes include skin-beautifying effects. The differences are whether you can choose between skin-lightening and tanning, and whether you can change the background color. The official explanation says 肌美人プレミアム offers nine background colors, “in addition to the blue background often used for résumé and official-document photos.” It describes the skin-beautifying effect as preserving skin texture while smoothing roughness and blemishes for a clear appearance, and says this does not interfere with the original purpose of ID photos. For Taiwanese passport photos, however, this is precisely the issue that needs care, as discussed below.
### Photomaton EVO and JOY PHOTO
Photomaton EVO is ME Group's next-generation booth, launched in Japan on May 20, 2026. According to the official website and press release:
- EVO's enclosure was designed by Philippe Starck. It has a 43-inch exterior screen and prints one photo in approximately nine seconds on average.
- EVO accepts only cashless payments and does not take cash.
- Its exclusive entertainment photo menu, JOY PHOTO, includes “4ポーズ・スプリット” (four-pose split) and “4ポーズ・クラシック” (four-pose classic), which take four different shots; “16カット” (16-cut), which prints the same photo in 16 panels; and “ポートレイト” (portrait), which prints a favorite shot across the full sheet.
- EVO images on both the official website and the press release are labeled as showing the overseas specification. The actual appearance of Japanese booths should be checked on-site.
A June 30, 2026 press release listed the next planned installation locations: Odakyu Soshigaya-Okura Station, ヨドバシ Akiba, ヨドバシ池袋, and ヨドバシ川崎ルフロン. Official prices for EVO and JOY PHOTO have not been published.
## How to use Photo ME: the steps for a photo session
The official website has neither a step-by-step Photo ME tutorial nor an FAQ page. The following process was pieced together from its feature descriptions and articles, along with public information from J-LIS, the Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems. Always follow the actual booth's on-screen instructions:
1. Check the booth before leaving. For digital files, select the “画像データダウンロード” (image-data download) filter. For My Number Card applications, select “マイナンバー直接申請” (direct My Number application). Use this site's [Japan ID photo booth locator](https://photobooth.joelin.cc/japan/idphoto/) or the official machine location search.
2. Once inside, choose a printing mode—スタンダード, 肌美人スーパー, or 肌美人プレミアム—then select the intended use and size.
3. Pay. Older booths take coins or ¥1,000 notes; EVO uses cashless payment.
4. Face the camera for the photo. The prints emerge from the “写真取出し口” (photo collection slot) on the outside of the booth.
5. If you need digital files, the photo will have a download URL and management code printed on it. Enter the code at the i-keep download site, choose the photo type, and download.
6. To apply for a My Number Card, select “個人番号カード申請” (Individual Number Card application) on the touchscreen, pay the photo fee, and hold the QR code on your card application form up to the reader. Enter the information requested on-screen, then take the photo and submit the application, following the official J-LIS instructions.
The i-keep download service has two entry points. If the photo says PMI, use the PMI customer site. If it says Photo ME, use the Photo ME customer site. If a booth has a problem, the official individual-customer inquiry form requires its “機械の管理番号” (machine management number). This number is posted inside or outside the booth.
## Available photo sizes: the official size table as published
The following reproduces the entries in the official “ID Photo Size List,” checked on September 25, 2026. The website notes that the photo types available may differ from the list depending on the booth model.
| Official category | Sizes and quantities |
|---|---|
| Résumé / driver's license (履歴書・運転免許) | Six 40×30 mm photos; three 30×25 mm photos |
| Passport / My Number Card (パスポート・マイナンバー) | Four 45×35 mm photos |
| Medium-size / residence card (中型・在留カード) | Two 45×35 mm photos + two 40×30 mm photos |
| Large-size (大型) | One 70×50 mm photo + one 55×45 mm photo |
Neither 30×24 mm nor 50×50 mm appears in this official table. The size charts printed on the two booth panels photographed for this article match the website's table, with the passport entry also marked “face size: 34 mm.”
For common uses among Taiwanese people in Japan:
- Renewing a Taiwanese passport or replacing a lost one through the representative office in Japan requires 4.5×3.5 cm photos, matching Photo ME's 45×35 mm “パスポート” option.
- A residence card requires 4×3 cm photos. The “中型・在留カード” combination includes 40×30 mm photos.
- For résumés used in part-time work or job applications in Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare résumé template specifies a height of 36–40 mm and a width of 24–30 mm. The 40×30 mm “履歴書” option can be used.
- For converting a Taiwanese driver's license to a Japanese one, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department requires a photo 3 cm high and 2.4 cm wide. Photo ME's official table puts “運転免許” (driver's license) in the 40×30 and 30×25 mm category and does not list 30×24 mm, so confirm before taking the photo. The police department also says that automatic ID photo booths are available inside the Fuchu, Samezu, and Koto driver's license testing centers, and photos taken there can be used.
- Printed US visa photos are 2×2 inches, or 51×51 mm. This size is absent from the official table.
## Prices: no official listing, but prices are visible in two booth photographs
Neither ME Group Japan's website, its PR TIMES press releases, nor its parent's financial reports published ID photo prices as of the September 25, 2026 check. The official i-keep information says only that a fee applies. Prices for EVO and JOY PHOTO were also not found.
The only visible prices come from third-party photographs of booth panels. Both show the same older model, with ME Group Japan customer-service stickers:
- A booth panel in Kita Ward, Nagoya, photographed in February 2024: 肌美人スーパー, ¥1,100; スタンダード, ¥1,000.
- A booth panel in Aioi, Hyogo Prefecture, photographed in September 2026: 肌美人スーパー, ¥1,100; スタンダード, ¥1,000.
These were the posted prices at those two booths when the photographs were taken, not a uniform nationwide price. Neither photograph shows the additional prices for 肌美人プレミアム or i-keep, and the company has not published them.
Photo ME outside a retail store in Aioi, Hyogo Prefecture, on September 12, 2026. The panel prices match those on the Nagoya booth photographed in 2024, and a ME Group Japan customer-service sticker is likewise attached above the collection slot. This site blurred the advertising portraits on the panel. Photograph: Chacmool, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), [original image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Photo_Booth_in_Japan_Sep_2026.jpg).
## Using digital files for online Japanese passport and My Number Card applications
Japanese passports can be applied for online through Mynaportal, or マイナポータル. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' photo guidance for online applications specifies a JPG file no larger than 600 KB; larger files are automatically compressed. It also accepts photo files taken by photography studios and similar services. ME Group Japan's passport photo article explains this as: “Photos taken in ID photo booths can also be used for online applications when i-keep is used.”
To apply online for a Japanese passport using a Photo ME digital file:
1. Use the locator to find a booth with “画像データダウンロード” (image-data download).
2. Take the photo using the “パスポート” (passport) size.
3. Download the file from i-keep using the management code printed on the photo.
4. Upload the file on the passport application screen in Mynaportal.
The i-keep original is 1500×1125 pixels, but ME does not specify its file size. Check for yourself whether it exceeds 600 KB; if it does, Mynaportal will compress it automatically. The same company article also lists the new fees effective July 1, 2026: ¥8,900 for an online application for a ten-year passport, and ¥9,300 for an application at the counter.
For a My Number Card, there are two approaches: apply yourself using a printed photo or digital file, or apply directly through a compatible booth. J-LIS lists four operators offering direct booth applications, including ME Group Japan. It also cautions that some ID photo booths around town support applications and others do not. Of the 13,085 locations compiled by this site, 7,166 had this feature.
## Taiwanese passport photos: the size matches, but the background must be white and beauty effects must be off
Taiwanese people living in Japan apply to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan to renew or replace a passport. Its passport renewal instructions require two color photos measuring 4.5×3.5 cm, taken within six months, with a “plain white background,” a crown-to-chin height of 3.2–3.6 cm, and no teeth showing. The instructions explicitly prohibit “selfie beauty modes or retouching.” The same page also says that photo review is strict, many applicants have their submissions rejected, and taking the photos at a photography studio is recommended. This was checked on September 25, 2026.
Comparing these requirements with Photo ME raises three separate issues:
- The dimensions match. Taiwan's 4.5×3.5 cm passport photo size is the same as Photo ME's 45×35 mm “パスポート” option. The Japanese passport specifications summarized in ME's article give a crown-to-chin height of 34±2 mm, also within Taiwan's required 3.2–3.6 cm range.
- Confirm that the background is plain white. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs accepts backgrounds such as light blue, while Taiwan's representative office in Japan requires plain white. Photo ME's website mentions background-color selection only for 肌美人プレミアム and notes that blue backgrounds are common. Before taking a Taiwanese passport photo, check on the booth's screen that the background is white.
- Avoid skin-beautifying effects. The representative office explicitly prohibits beauty modes and retouching, but all three printing modes on Photo ME's website include skin-beautifying effects. No “completely unretouched” option was found. The official information provides no solution to this issue; this is why the representative office recommends a photography studio.
### Keep beauty effects off for both exam and passport photos
Two articles on ME Group Japan's own website pull in different directions when read together:
- Its exam photo article for the Common Test for University Admissions lists skin-beautifying edits, brightness correction, and facial-contour correction as unacceptable because they cause a photo to be treated as edited or retouched. It tells readers to use the data exactly as photographed, then recommends using an ID photo booth and downloading the digital file through i-keep.
- The same website's printing-mode descriptions say all three modes include skin-beautifying effects. Its passport article also says that photos may be edited within the limits of the specifications, then lists the three beauty modes below.
The company does not explain how these statements can be reconciled. For readers, the conclusion is straightforward: do not choose beauty effects for either exam or passport photos. If you cannot find an option without those effects on the booth, follow the representative office's advice and use a photography studio.
## Further reading
- [How to Use Japan's ID Photo Booths: Differences Between Three Operators](https://joelin.cc/p/9846)—A comparison of Photo ME, DNP's Ki-Re-i and ID-Spot, and 扶桑プレシジョン's ID VOX, bringing together what Taiwanese users should know before taking passport or residence-card photos.
- [The Ki-Re-i / ID-Spot Brand Guide](https://joelin.cc/p/9843)—大日本印刷 DNP's ID photo booths: their origins in the takeover from コニカミノルタ, the standard mode without retouching, and Withスマホ digital files.
- [The ID VOX Brand Guide](https://joelin.cc/p/9844)—The third network, operated by Kyoto's 扶桑プレシジョン, with many installations at ミニストップ and スギ薬局.
- [An In-Depth Look at ME Group, a Leading Photo Booth Operator in Europe and North America](https://joelin.cc/p/9822)—Photo ME's UK parent: revenue and profit across four businesses, the effects of national policies on the ID photo business, and the acquisition of 富士フイルム's Japanese ID photo booths in 2023.
- [Thirty Years of Purikura in Japan](https://joelin.cc/p/9821)—The purikura market, which is distinct from the ID photo booths discussed here.
- [Taiwan's ID Photo Booths: 水啦證件快照](https://joelin.cc/p/4349) and [富多美證件快照](https://joelin.cc/p/5883)—What the same type of machine looks like in Taiwan when you return.
- [Japan ID Photo Booth Locator](https://photobooth.joelin.cc/japan/idphoto/)—Nationwide installation locations for Photo ME, DNP, and ID VOX, searchable by prefecture and features.
## What this article could not establish
The following information was not found in official sources. This article does not supply answers or speculate:
- Official prices for each Photo ME printing mode, and the additional charge for i-keep digital files.
- Prices for Photomaton EVO and JOY PHOTO, and which cashless payment methods EVO accepts.
- Whether older Photo ME booths accept transit IC cards or QR-code payments.
- Which options appear under “写真の種類” (photo type) when downloading from i-keep, and the downloaded file sizes.
- The default background color in Photo ME's “パスポート” mode, and whether an option without skin-beautifying effects is available.
- ME Group Japan's total employee count in Japan. The company discloses only 650 maintenance engineers.
## FAQ
### Which company operates the Photo ME booths labeled “証明写真” on Japanese streets?
They are operated by ME Group Japan 株式会社. The company was established in 1963 as 日本オート・フォート株式会社 and adopted its current name in November 2022. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK-listed ME Group International. The customer-service sticker on the booth identifies ME Group Japan 株式会社.
### How much does a Photo ME photo session cost?
The company has not published official ID photo prices. Panels on two booths, photographed in Kita Ward, Nagoya, in February 2024 and Aioi, Hyogo Prefecture, in September 2026, listed スタンダード at ¥1,000 and 肌美人スーパー at ¥1,100. These were the posted prices at those two booths at those times, not a uniform nationwide price. The official i-keep information says only that a fee applies; the amount was not found.
### How do I get Photo ME digital files? Do I need an app?
No app is required. Take the photo at a booth that supports i-keep. A download URL and management code will be printed on the photo. Open the download site on a phone or computer, enter the code, select the photo type, and download. Original files are 1500×1125 pixels and are retained for six months. Not every booth offers this feature, so select “画像データダウンロード” (image-data download) in the official locator before leaving.
### Can I pay at Photo ME with a card, Suica, or PayPay?
The official specifications for the current ND71 ID photo booth list only ¥10, ¥50, ¥100, and ¥500 coins and ¥1,000 notes. The new Photomaton EVO accepts only cashless payments and does not take cash, but its website does not specify which methods it supports. No official information was found confirming whether older booths accept transit IC cards or QR-code payments.
### Can I use Photo ME for Taiwanese passport photos?
The dimensions match: both Taiwanese passport photos and the Japanese “パスポート” option are 45×35 mm. However, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan requires a plain white background and prohibits selfie beauty modes or retouching. All three printing modes published on Photo ME's website include skin-beautifying effects, and no unretouched option was found. The representative office also says that photo review is strict and recommends using a photography studio.
### Can Photo ME take 3×2.4 cm or 5×5 cm photos?
Neither size appears in the official ID photo size table. The listed sizes are 40×30, 30×25, 45×35, 70×50, and 55×45 mm. The company also notes that the available photo types vary by model. Anyone converting to a Japanese driver's license, which requires 3×2.4 cm photos, or needing printed US visa photos at 51×51 mm should confirm separately.
### Is Photo ME the same kind of machine as purikura?
No. Photo ME consists of ID photo booths, or 証明写真機, placed at stations and beside supermarkets. Purikura machines are photo-sticker machines in arcades for taking recreational photos. ME Group Japan operates both: its photo-sticker machine is called TOMATO, and it also offers the Names personalized name-sticker machine.
Article keywords: Photo ME, ME Group Japan, 日本オート・フォート, ID photo booths, Japanese ID photo booths, Photomaton EVO, i-keep, My Number, Taiwanese passport photos, skin-beautifying effects