May 8, 2020Will COVID-19 end Japan's love affair with cash?Despite Japan's reputation for using highly advanced technologies - both wonderful and weird - when it comes to the adoption of electronic payments Japan is lagging behind. Even with government-backed discounts and incentives and a plethora of payments options and services, only about twenty percent of transactions are electronic. This compares poorly with Korea, where penetration is around 90% and China which stands at around 60%. Whether growth is hindered by high merchan