OSAKA — Lifeline or a waste of electricity?
That's the question causing controversy in the Kanto region, as those suffering rolling blackouts outside of Tokyo's 23 wards grow angry at the fact that hot and cold drink vending machines operated by Coca-Cola, Suntory, Kirin and others have not all been turned off.
With more than 5.5 million vending machines in operation nationwide, Japan has a reputation for being an automated heaven, where anything from beer to toothbrushes is sold in vending machines.