40% of Japanese consumers make cashless purchases more frequently: survey
About 40 percent of Japanese consumers started to use cashless payments more frequently after the government's introduction of a point reward program for such payments, an industry ministry survey showed Friday. The survey about the point reward program, introduced in October to alleviate negative effects ...
Japanese trends you couldn't have missed in 2019
Amid the hard news of the past year, there were some trends that lit up Japan's media offered the nation a sense of, if not a little hope, at least some relief.
Carrier KDDI and convenience store Lawson to tie up on mobile payments
Mobile phone carrier KDDI Corp. and convenience store operator Lawson Inc. will tie up on smartphone payments and combine their customer loyalty point programs to strengthen competitiveness against rivals, the two companies announced Monday. KDDI, which operates the au Wallet point service for its customers, ...
Line starts bank transfer service via smartphone payment platform
Messaging app provider Line Corp. on Monday started a new service that allows users to transfer money to bank accounts via its smartphone payment platform, a first for Japan in a crowded market. Other mobile payment service providers in the country have enabled transfers between ...
MUFG Bank will set up a joint company with human resources services provider Recruit Holdings Co. to launch a smartphone-based cashless payment service, it was learned Wednesday. The core banking arm of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. will seek to utilize Recruit's client base of ...
Japan plans supplementary funding as cashless payment reward program takes off
The government is considering additional funding of more than ¥100 billion ($920 million) in the supplementary budget to finance a popular rewards program for shoppers making cashless payments, Jiji Press has learned. The program was launched last month to cushion the impact of the Oct. ...
Nearly 20% of Japan households using e-money but cash still king
Almost a fifth of households use electronic money for small purchases, a survey by a central bank-affiliated research institute shows, up from a year ago and a sign the culture of cash-hoarding is changing. In the survey conducted between June and July, 18.5 percent of ...
Despite Japan’s quest to go cashless, nation’s growing elderly population proves reluctant
Cash is king in Japan, and more so for the country's fast-aging population who are still deeply reluctant to give it up. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to make more Japanese — the world's most dedicated cash-hoarders — switch to using cashless payments is producing ...
400,000 users still have deposits in 7pay as Seven-Eleven scraps embattled service
Seven-Eleven Japan Co. has terminated its embattled 7pay smartphone-based cashless payment service, leaving around 400,000 users still with unused deposits in the service. The service was scrapped Monday after just three months, following cases of security breaches immediately after its introduction on July 1. Some ...
Presence of Japan's ¥1 coins likely to fade further with tax hike
Small and silver in color, the ¥1 coin may not have much of a presence after the consumption tax rises from 8 percent to 10 percent on Oct. 1. In addition to the spread of cashless payments using electronic money or credit cards, an increase ...
Can a tax rebate persuade Japan's mom-and-pop stores to shift to cashless payments?
Despite the government pushing the opportunity to accelerate Japan’s shift away from cash, many small-business owners are hesitant to change over to cashless payments.
JR East and Tokyo Metro to debut special IC cards aimed at tourists
From Sunday, visitors to Japan will be able to go cashless while traveling across the country, with major rail operators set to release new rechargeable prepaid transportation IC cards for tourists. The Welcome Suica cards, to be offered by East Japan Railway Co., or JR ...
