Yen for Living

Two machines are always better than one

For his part in reviving a crippled Japan, Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara has made himself the point man in the demonization of vending machines. “Only in such a country do you see them lined up everywhere,” he groused recently, and suggested that anyone who wants a cold drink buy it in a store and put it in his own refrigerator.

There are various reasons why vending machines are ubiquitous in Japan. From the demand side, Japanese people just like gadgets and don’t always enjoy the face-to-face experience of dealing with store clerks. From the supply side, Japan is a relatively safe country, meaning you can install as many vending machines as the law allows without fear of vandalism. And the law allows a lot. However, if Ishihara and four other Kanto region prefectural governors have their way, vending machine operations will be curbed, at least during the summer peak electrical usage months. According to Sankei Shimbun, the five Kanto prefectures are pushing the central government to implement directives to limit electrical usage of vending machines based on existing ordinances, some of which have been in place since the “oil shocks” of the 1970s.

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