In high-tech Japan, cash is still king

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[TOKYO] Once a pioneer in cashless transactions, Japan is now lagging behind as the world's biggest economies increasingly embrace electronic payments - because its ageing population still prefers physical money. Read more at The Business Times.

"In a place like this, everything is very slow. We get lots of old people who like to chat while getting out their money. They don't need quick transactions," says the 40-year-old shopkeeper.With Japan becoming the first"super-aged" society with more than 28 per cent of people 65 or over, it is harder to persuade consumers to take up new technology, according to Yuki Fukumoto, an analyst at the NLI Research Institute.

Payment cards for transport systems in Tokyo and other cities are also often used for small purchases from vending machines or convenience stores, but cash remains preferred for other transactions. It also plans to introduce a points system to partially reward customers paying by cashless means as a way to mitigate a controversial hike in consumption tax from eight percent to 10 per cent from October.

Companies too are doing their best to promote a cashless society - earlier in the year, mobile company Rakuten started"100-per cent cashless" stadia for its baseball and football teams.

 

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