Restaurants and shops in Yokohama Chinatown hope government relief measures for businesses introduced with the Oct. 1 consumption tax hike will help bring in new customers.
They are pinning their hopes on a rebate program for cashless purchases aimed at mitigating the impact of the tax hike to 10 percent from 8 percent and spreading the use of electronic payments in Japan.
The Yokohama Chinatown Development Association expects its tie-up with PayPay Corp., a smartphone payment provider run by SoftBank Group Corp., will attract consumers keen on taking advantage, including tourists who patronize the ethnic enclave and its roughly 500 restaurants and stores.