The 7 Steps August
1. CONTEXT
Mindmap
anything you
know about thetopic, including
vocabulary. Do
some research
online to help.

Mobile Payment Services
Listening Questions 1
1. What are two examples of mobile payment services?
.

2. QUESTIONS

2. How do mobile payment services work?
.
3. What type of organizations are promoting mobile payment technology?

Read the listening
questions tocheck yourunderstanding.
Look up any new
vocabulary.

.
4. Which prefecture is pushing for a cashless society and in what way?
.
5. Why did the Trade Ministry want to improve mobile paymentinfrastructure?
.
Listening Questions 2

3. LISTEN

1. What percentage of transactions in Japan were mobile payments in 2019?
.
2. Why is cash seen as more convenient than electronic payment?
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3. Why are small and medium sized businesses avoiding the technology?
.
4. Why do Japanese people see mobile payment services as untrustworthy?
.
5. Which 2 companies were hacked in 2019 and how much money was lost?
.

Listen and answer
the questions
using full
sentences. Circle
the number oftimes and % you
understood.

1

Listening 1
2 3 4

5%%%

1

Listening 22 3 45%%%%%%%

Discussion Questions
1. Do you currently use a mobile payment service? Has yourexperience been positive or negative?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of mobile paymentservices?

4. CHECK ANSWERS

TRANSCRIPT 1
From Line Pay to Yahoo and Softbank’s joint venture PayPay, Japan is experiencing a boom inmobile payment systems. By simply downloading an app to your smartphone and either
touching it to a sensor or scanning a QR code, customers can easily and quickly pay for items
such as train tickets, food at a restaurant, and even tax.

Read through thetranscript andunderline theanswers. Checkthem against yourown answers.

5. CHECK VOCABULARY
Read thetranscript andcircle any new
vocabulary you
find. Look themup and add themto your list.

The move away from a traditional cash-based society is being spearheaded by some ofJapan’s biggest companies, banks and even prefectures. Rakuten and NTT Docomo areleading the way in mobile payment service technology, while Mizuho have launched an app thatis both a debit card and a Suica prepaid e-money card. Even more audacious is the “CashlessCity Kanagawa” campaign promoted by the Kanagawa prefectural government from 2019, thatallows residents to pay property taxes and other types of tax via mobile payment.
The surge in mobile payment systems has been directly attributed to the Trade Ministry’s“Cashless Vision,” which was rolled out in 2018. The initiative aims to develop the necessarytechnology, including free Wi-Fi areas and phone charging sites, to allow consumers to pay via
their smartphones. It also aimed to bring Japan in line with other international payment systems
and help with preparations for the 2020 Olympics. From 2019, many retailers have been offering
between 2-5% discounts on purchases using mobile payment, which has attracted more users
dealing with multiple consumption tax increases in the preceding years.
MATCH THE ANTONYMS BY DRAWING LINES BELOW:

6. READ ALOUD

Read thetranscript aloudat least 5 times,
focusing on
intonation andpronunciation.

Attribute toCautious

Spearhead

Clearance

Audacious

Promotion

Roadblock

DeclineSurge

Neglect

Resistance

Unrelated

TRANSCRIPT 211223344557. SHADOWING

Not all businesses see the benefits of investing in this technology. High transaction fees forcompanies, steep installation and maintenance costs, and employee training are roadblocks formany small and mid-sized businesses.

Say the transcript
aloud at the sametime as the audio
without reading
it. Circle how
many times
below.

11

2
2

3
3

4
4

Although mobile payment services have seen huge growth, as of 2019 it still only accounts for
20% of all transactions in Japan. The shift from cash to electronic payments has been met withresistance from citizens and businesses alike. Cash is seen as more convenient and reliable
than other forms of payment. Taking into consideration Japan’s history of natural disasters, cash
can be accepted anywhere and at any time.

55The overall feeling in Japan is that electronic payments are simply not trustworthy. News ofhigh-profile security hacks and criminal scams continue to hurt its reputation. Retailing giant
Aeon’s banking and payment service was hacked in May 2019, causing customers to lose over
22 million yen. In another case in 2019, Seven and i Holdings shut down its “7Pay” service justone month after its release, as over 38 million yen was stolen by hackers outside of Japan. With
these and similar incidents occurring both internationally and domestically, mobile payment
services have a long way to go to gain the trust of the Japanese people.