TOKYO -- Video game arcades will offer electronic money payment options starting this year, shifting away from a long tradition of coin-operated games in a search for more flexible pricing.
Physical currency has been the coin of the realm since the first Japanese arcades appeared in 1973. But now, as operators struggle to pass on the April 2014 consumption tax hike to players, e-money offers the promise of adjusting prices in increments as small as 1 yen.
