Japan's capital expenditure boom is shifting to the services sector, stirring fears that self-checkout systems and software will take the human touch out of omotenashi, the country's vaunted commitment to hospitality.
The economic forces at work are undeniable. The working age population is forecast to shrink by about one-third in the next half century, and companies simply cannot hire enough workers.
Turning to automation raises productivity and removes a bottleneck to economic growth — but marks a retreat from a services-oriented culture where the customer is king.