Tens of thousands of vending machines are vanishing from Japan, as machines that once symbolised the nation’s love of innovation are shunned in a climate of rising inflation and deepening labour shortages, the FT’s Harry Dempsey explains.
The nation’s stock of 2.2mn drinks vending machines is down 23% from its bubble-era peak in 1985, according to the Japan Vending System Manufacturers Association.
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