Cash-loving Japan reluctant to switch to app-based salary payments

Listen up folks, here’s what they don’t want you to know - this isn’t about convenience, this is about CONTROL. Digital currency is the Trojan Horse of the globalist surveillance state. Once your money goes straight into a government-approved app, they can track every cent you spend, freeze your account if you say the wrong thing, and tie your “financial privileges” to your upcoming social credit score faster than you can say 'Klaus Schwab.'

Cash is FREEDOM. It’s anonymous, it’s untraceable, and it’s the last barrier between us and full-blown technocratic tyranny. You reckon CBDCs (central bank digital currencies) are about innovation? Yeah, nah... they’re about domination. One “wrong” post, one flagged donation, one protest too many, and boom - you're locked OUT of society.

Japan’s got it RIGHT. They still love cash, and so they bloody should. We ALL should. Because when the grid goes down, or the bureaucrats decide you’re “problematic,” it won’t be your fancy salary app that saves you - it’ll be cold, hard cash in your hand.

I'm a little confused, probably because of age. The article seems to split the options between app payments and cash. But when I worked in Japan, my pay was always paid directly into my bank account. I think I'd still find that method preferable.

Listen up folks, here’s what they don’t want you to know - this isn’t about convenience, this is about CONTROL. Digital currency is the Trojan Horse of the globalist surveillance state. Once your money goes straight into a government-approved app, they can track every cent you spend, freeze your account if you say the wrong thing, and tie your “financial privileges” to your upcoming social credit score faster than you can say 'Klaus Schwab.'

Cash is FREEDOM. It’s anonymous, it’s untraceable, and it’s the last barrier between us and full-blown technocratic tyranny. You reckon CBDCs (central bank digital currencies) are about innovation? Yeah, nah... they’re about domination. One “wrong” post, one flagged donation, one protest too many, and boom - you're locked OUT of society.

Japan’s got it RIGHT. They still love cash, and so they bloody should. We ALL should. Because when the grid goes down, or the bureaucrats decide you’re “problematic,” it won’t be your fancy salary app that saves you - it’ll be cold, hard cash in your hand.

If only we could use emojis on here, and if one existed which managed to combine an eye-roll with hysterical laughter.

experts believe people need to see more benefits from choosing the method for it to grow in popularity.

Its notable that nowhere in the article does it actually identify any benefits.

The poster Jay's comment above is a bit hysterical but I share a lot of the same concerns over cashless systems. There are legitimate concerns about control over cashless systems, how access can be limited, how they impinge on privacy, how they concentrate control among a small number of hands, how that control allows for rent seeking behavior and other potentially harmful things. Not to mention whatever cyber security issues exist with them - trying to make the entire economy run on apps is basically putting our eggs in one basket that AI systems controlled by hostile actors will probably be able to hack and bring down at some point in the near future.

I don't ever want my salary to be paid on an app. I want to pay for most things in cash.

I use digital payment for a LOT of day to day things, but I also like to use cash as well. There are somethings I don't need/want traced back to me so cash is a necessity.

I really love it when the person in front of me in the supermarket checkout queue decides to pay by the "oh so convenient app." Takes forever. Cash is king.

Mad digital paranoia by some.

If only we could use emojis on here, and if one existed which managed to combine an eye-roll with hysterical laughter.

If only you could crack the ancient, complex mystery of how to use the “quote” function.

And by “we”, you mean... both of you?

Me still an old school, I want my salary and tax deduction in papers, other than that I'll pass.

If only we could use emojis on here, and if one existed which managed to combine an eye-roll with hysterical laughter.

I am not sure what is so entertaining about this? Some European countries even included the right to pay by cash into their constitution and they forced the banks to install ATMs even into teeny-tiny villages with very small population.

There are sheeple and there are freedom loving societies. Each country's citizens can decide which group they want to belong to.

I've never received a paycheck here, so I don't know. But, I imagine direct deposit of salary into one's bank account is a thing, as bank-to-bank transfers are so common in Japan. If so, I see no benefit to receiving it in an e-payment app, except by a select few people, such as teens with PT jobs or gig-workers (Uber Eats and such).

Poorly written article that conflates digital payments with how one receives their salary. I'm fine getting mine digitally remitted to my bank.

And for the conspiracy theorists, if you use a bank, you're already trackable. And no government cares about your day-to-day spending, it's the marketers that want your info.

freeze your account if you say the wrong thing, and tie your “financial privileges” to your upcoming social credit score faster than you can say 'Klaus Schwab.'

One “wrong” post, one flagged donation, one protest too many, and boom - you're locked OUT of society.

That's correct, with money in our own wallet or pocket, you can spend as much as you want, with 24 hour access. With app based money, they can just block you for ambiguous reason, while you still have non zero balance. Want to complain? Where to go? Even no counter that you can visit at all.

I do not see the benefit, we already had debit cards, apple and Google pay, so what is the advantage?

Maybe I'm missing something here?

you can load your payment app with cash at a konbini...but isnt it hard to withdraw cash out with the app? i prefer deposits into a bank acct, and charge the payment apps with cash as needed...

Simple TOO MANY SCAMS and TOO MANY HACKERS,

What's wrong with your paychecks being wired to your bank account? I don't know anyone who gets paid via app. Sounds hinkey to me.

05:07 pm JST If only we could use emojis on here, and if one existed which managed to combine an eye-roll with hysterical laughter.

Anyone who was in a an area affected by a natural disaster , such as the Kobe or Tohoku 3/11 Earthqauke knows when the power goes out and is gone for days on end, cash is king when trying to get food and stuff to get you through it. Spain and Portugal just had a nationwide power outage couple of weeks ago. Those who diss cash and are posting smug comments about emojis and hysterical laughter are both ignorant and arrogant at the same time.

I guess you'd have to be using PayPay Bank and the works for this to make any sense.

I personally only pay with PayPay if it's the only choice, and I pay with my regular card through there, so no need to add to the balance. Tapping your credit card is so much faster than that QR code nonsense, especially when you have to scan the code and enter the price yourself.

Plus, if they deposit your pay into PayPay, you can't withdraw it as cash, can you? If you can't withdraw cash from PayPay, I wouldn't want my pay to go in there either.

One other thing about it going into an app is that it can be hacked, frozen at will, and limits it to places where only that app is accepted for payment.

I personally lost all faith in the government here being benevolent when they put a levy on my JP bank account when I lost my job and was temporarily unable to pay my hefty health insurance and city taxes.

Ever since then, I've kept a lot of my money in cash and have hidden it. It feels quite empowering knowing they have no idea I have it and that they can't get their dirty mitts on it.

@Jay

Spot on. Ignore those with normalcy bias.

I use cash or my anonymous Suica card which I charge with cash. That's all. I don't own a credit card, and don't pay using apps.

"Cash is FREEDOM. It’s anonymous, it’s untraceable, and it’s the last barrier between us and full-blown technocratic tyranny. You reckon CBDCs (central bank digital currencies) are about innovation? Yeah, nah... they’re about domination. One “wrong” post, one flagged donation, one protest too many, and boom - you're locked OUT of society."

Exactly, but unfortunately most people tend to think technology is part of Natural law, like the Sun rising from the East, heading West until hackers have a field day with those apps.

"And for the conspiracy theorists, if you use a bank, you're already trackable. And no government cares about your day-to-day spending, it's the marketers that want your info."

Ever heard about Patriotic Act? dig deeper into it and see how it has been abused especially by Joe's last regime.

Stuck too often in supermarket and other shop queues behind people trying to pay with their smartphones.

No phone signal, app working too slow, app not connecting, staff or customer unable to use the app, etc..

Suica and Pasmo seem to work fine, as long as you keep them topped up.

Better/ more user-friendly interfaces, staff training, phone signal environment all need improving.

Why on earth would somebody want their salary on an app?

Seems fishy this kid of report as Japan does direct deposit and has done so far longer than the west when they still issued checks.

The research shows that people who pay for everything digitally actually spend much more than they think. Ofcourse , companies , shareholders, love that. There really is a lot of economic psychology research confirming that. Cash actually provides visual, tactile and numerical feedback to you. We open our wallet, so we automatically start to process what we want, how much we have at hand, and how we actually have to “physically” hand it over. We then receive the “change” and again process the actual cost in cash , time and work we put in. Compare that that Pavlov’s apps. You fill it up. You’ll get that nice satisfying beep, triggering you “yeah” moment. But the other elements have been cut back. Eg. There is no tactile cash feedback, consciously or unconsciously. There is no visual feedback and if it is , it appears less. Spending 1000 on, on an app feels less than actually handing over the cash and seeing what’s left I. Your wallet when you put the change back in. Again something that’s slightly removed from the customer feedback loop. People who use cash have A) more control B) budget better C) visually, tactile and psychologically cued. .(subconsciously) .

There is a reason they make these purchases fast. Open the app. Beep! Done! Now some people are screaming that places should be forced to accept cash. Some research has shown that some consumers spent about 40% more just because it was on an app. That’s a lot over a life time.even worse if they connect it to a credit card.

Japans got it right! Pay yourself in cash and not the apps. I only used PayPay to get the free money from the government then deleted it.

Only BOJ issued banknotes and coins are legal money. So real money for real work, that is the deal in capitalism. It is already a very generous gesture to accept it cashless into bank accounts. If they suddenly want to escalate by paying only a virtual pseudo money substitute, they get only a virtual pseudo work effort substitute. Such easy it is.

To my knowledge PayPay cannot be used for a mortgage, or a car payment which can be automatically paid from a bank account.

NHK absolutely cannot be paid via an app.

Anyone signing up to receive their salary in PayPay app credits has to turn around and send it to their bank account anyway.

NHK absolutely cannot be paid via an app.

Actually, it can, I paid my annual NHK bill via PayPay just the other day. In fact, I pay most of my utility bills with PayPay nowadays, just scan the barcode on the bill and viola. No more going to the konbini or schlepping through the rigmarole of setting up direct deposits.

@descendent

I didn't know that. How about a mortgage or car loan payment?