{"id":418048,"date":"2026-04-26T06:56:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T06:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/418048\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T06:56:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T06:56:12","slug":"inflation-and-shifting-habits-force-japans-ubiquitous-vending-machines-into-reset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/418048\/","title":{"rendered":"Inflation and shifting habits force Japan\u2019s ubiquitous vending machines into reset"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TOKYO, April 26 \u2014 From post offices and parks to stations and even the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan\u2019s vending machines are ubiquitous. But with the rapid pace of inflation cooling demand for their drinks, operators are being forced to rethink the business.<\/p>\n

Last month beverage giant DyDo Group Holdings announced it would remove about 20,000 vending machines \u2014 around seven percent of their stock nationwide \u2014 by January 2027, in order to \u201creconstruct a profitable network\u201d.<\/p>\n

Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage, based in Nagoya, also said in March it would sell its 40,000-machine operation to Osaka-based Lifedrink Co.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strength of the vending machine business has been to sell at list prices,\u201d a spokeswoman for Pokka Sapporo told AFP.<\/p>\n

But \u201ca rise in list prices is pushing more people to look to shops that sell drinks at a discount\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A woman walks past a vending machine on a side street in Tokyo\u2019s Ginza district April 7, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

Tetsuharu Kawaguchi, 31, who works for a food delivery company, said cost was the leading factor in his decision to ditch vending machines \u2014 which stock a host of Japan\u2019s favourite thirst-quenchers from iced tea to canned coffee.<\/p>\n

From a machine, even \u201cwater… ends up being around 130 yen (80 cents). If you go to a convenience store, you can sometimes get it a bit cheaper, and places like drugstores often sell it for quite a low price\u201d, he explained.<\/p>\n

While Japan was long haunted by deflation, it has more recently faced a surge in living costs.<\/p>\n

\"People <\/p>\n

People walking to a metro station pass a vending machine on a side street at the end of the day in Tokyo\u2019s Shinjuku April 13, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

Kazuhiro Miyashita of Inryo Soken, a research institute focused on the beverage industry, told AFP that increased costs for fuel and staff to keep machines stocked were eating into profits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they can curb prices through cost-cutting, they may be able to hold their own against convenience stores.\u201d<\/p>\n

Takayuki Ishizaki of Nomura Research Institute said that growing environmental awareness was also playing a part in the troubling situation for operators.<\/p>\n

It \u201chas led some people to stop buying drinks outside and instead bring their own bottles (to refill)\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A man cycles past a vending machine setup at an intersection in Tokyo\u2019s Bunkyo district on April 14, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

Despite the decline, vending machines \u2014 where ramen noodles, cut fruit, kimchi and crepes are also on offer \u2014 are unlikely to disappear anytime soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately the overwhelming convenience of being able to find one just by walking a short distance practically anywhere (in Japan) is something that can\u2019t really be replaced,\u201d Ishizaki said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe move now is toward being more strategic and selective in terms of placement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A vending machine is setup in a small parking lot on a side street in Tokyo\u2019s Shinjuku on April 13, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

Taisuke Oguro, 27, a hairdresser in Tokyo, is holding out for their survival.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn places where there aren\u2019t any convenience stores, I do think it\u2019s actually pretty handy to have one,\u201d he said. \u2014 AFP<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A woman gets a drink from a vending machine at a major intersection in Tokyo\u2019s Ginza district on April 13, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TOKYO, April 26 \u2014 From post offices and parks to stations and even the summit of Mount Fuji,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418049,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[72,183221,113,61,60,582,97402,183223,183222,183224],"class_list":{"0":"post-418048","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-dydo-group-holdings","10":"tag-economy","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-japan","14":"tag-mount-fuji","15":"tag-nagoya","16":"tag-pokka-sapporo","17":"tag-vending-machines"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418048\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}