SoftBank's PayPay surges ahead in Japan's digital payments race
PayPay has deployed a shoe-leather sales force of thousands to target restaurants, drugstores and supermarkets, attracting more than 3 million merchants.
Japan consumers get mixed bag of slow wage growth and forced savings
Some economists estimate that the pandemic has forced Japanese households to save about ¥13 trillion ($118 billion), or roughly 4% of Japan's annual consumption.
Consumption rebounded from a sharp decline triggered by the initial coronavirus shock last year but remained below pre-pandemic levels.
Japanese firms double down on online sales in China amid tourism halt
Demand for Japanese cosmetics is rising as Chinese consumers unable to travel abroad accelerate purchases on e-commerce platforms.
How COVID-19 is altering consumer behavior in Japan
The coronavirus has changed the way we all shop, but which habits are likely to stay with us when the pandemic subsides?
Every second counts as startups race to deliver fresh food
Investors have placed a bet that demand for convenience will drive the next transformation in food retail and help crack the vice-like grip of the big supermarket stores.
Japan's young adults get a lesson in how to be savvy consumers
A change to the legal age of adulthood next year will enable high school students to sign contracts to purchase expensive goods and services without parental consent.
Aeon suffers record ¥71 billion hit as retailers report losses
The Japanese retail giant reported a record group net loss of ¥71.024 million for the year through February, its first red ink in 12 years.
Pandemic gives extra momentum to cashless drive in Japan
Even local governments — typically the last in line to introduce any kind of technology — are starting to jump onto the digital payment trend.
Japan juggles power struggles, hotel woes and what to do with repurposed ATM spaces
The unusually cold winter this year is putting a strain on power utilities nationwide.
Fukushima businesses struggling to stay afloat despite government help
Financial issues will not end soon, given that only a portion of the residents who evacuated from disaster-stricken areas have returned or are expected to.
China’s disputed virus theory has shoppers shunning foreign food
The consumer distrust is being fueled at least partly by statements from the government, which has taken increasingly drastic steps to curb the risk of the virus spreading via food imports.
