Ibaraki Prefecture is adopting cashless payments made using smartphones as a means to tap into data-driven marketing, and allow small and medium-sized businesses to benefit from a central government plan to offset a scheduled consumption tax hike by rewarding consumers for noncash purchases.
Prefectural officials on Tuesday signed an agreement with Tokyo-based startup Origami Inc., a QR-code payment service provider, in the hopes of using the payment data as it seeks new tourism development strategies, and to invigorate the local economy, the officials said.
The deal "will help increase consumption and enable us to benefit from data-driven marketing," Ibaraki Gov. Kazuhiro Oikawa said during a ceremony held Tuesday to commemorate the deal. "I want Ibaraki to become a promoter of cashless payments."