TOKYO -- Shoppers in Japan are quickly embracing mobile payments and electronic money after the sales tax hike this month, advancing the push to pay electronically in a country where cold hard cash remains king.
Seeking to cushion the impact of the Oct. 1 tax increase to 10% from 8%, the government rolled out the same day a nine-month reward points program aimed at smaller retailers. Customers earn either 2% or 5% of their noncash purchases, including credit card payments, in shopping points. As of its launch, the program was available at roughly half a million shops nationwide.
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