Nearly 20% of Japan households using e-money, but cash still king

Nearly 20 percent of Japanese households use electronic money for small purchases, a recent survey by Japan's central bank showed. While that is slightly more than a year ago, a vast majority of Japanese still prefer cash, showing the nation's "cash is king" culture is hard to change.

Released on Monday, the survey conducted by the central bank between June and July found that 18.5 percent of households were using electronic money, including smartphone applications and debit card payments, on shopping trips where 1,000 yen ($9.17) or less was spent. The share in 2018 was 15.4 percent.

The government's efforts to prod Japan to go cashless may be paying off, at least among the younger generation, because the survey data showed that 35.6 percent of people in their 20s and 30s in single-person households used electronic money for small purchases.