Each person needs one. Pasmo/Suica is read when touching the IC card reader upon entering and exiting a gate, and the correct fare is deducted from the card. The same card cannot be read entering twice at the same station. Thank you for the quick response.

A standard Suica card cannot be used by more than one person for the same journey simultaneously. In the Japanese transit system, the card functions on a "Tap-In/Tap-Out" basis, which creates a unique digital record for each individual passenger. When you tap at the entry gate, the system marks your starting point; if you were to pass the card back to a second person, the gate would register an "Entry Error" because the card is already logically inside the system. Therefore, every traveler in your group—including children over the age of six—must possess their own individual Suica card or mobile equivalent (Apple Pay/Google Pay). However, you can use the stored value on a single Suica card to pay for multiple people at vending machines, convenience stores, or at a manned ticket counter where an agent can manually deduct the fare for multiple tickets. For standard gate entry, however, the rule is strictly one card per person. If you are traveling as a family in 2026, the most efficient method is for each adult to add a digital Suica to their smartphone wallet to avoid the hassle of physical card deposits.