The first round of digital coupons issued by the city of Fukushima for its residents to help them tackle inflation expired on Feb. 15, with only 45% of residents having purchased them as of the end of January.
To promote digitalization, in addition to the coupons' main purpose of supporting residents’ lives, the municipal government made the coupons available for purchase and use only via smartphone.
However, the fact that fewer than half of the residents benefited from the coupons has led to growing dissatisfaction among elderly people, many of whom don’t own smartphones.