QR codes, a key technology behind cashless societies, were invented by Japan’s Denso and spread globally after being released freely. This article reflects on Japanese technological strength and economic resilience based on a Sankei editorial.

2019-01-07
People at Norway’s Braathens airline probably do not know this at all, so today I will teach them in Norwegian.
The following is from today’s Sankei Shimbun editorial titled: Turn Change into Growth and Achieve an Economic Recovery the Public Can Feel.
Introductory section omitted.
The QR code developed by Japan.
For consumers, cashless payments offer advantages such as easy settlement and the ability to review purchased items later.
Retailers can save the trouble of preparing change and storing daily sales proceeds.
Today many businesses are proposing new standards and competing fiercely to lock in users.
We want to make wise choices.
That is why the QR code is drawing global attention.
By scanning its square geometric pattern with a smartphone, payment can be completed instantly.
Last December, PayPay, funded by SoftBank and Yahoo, launched a 10-billion-yen cashback campaign, drawing long lines at electronics retailers.
The QR code widely adopted in such payment systems was developed by Denso of the Toyota Group.
The company is famous for the kanban system, which efficiently manages numerous automotive parts, but in order to digitize it, Denso developed the QR code as a new system with ten times the information capacity of barcodes.
The company then released it free of charge, and it spread explosively throughout the world.
Those who invented the WWW and released it freely, and Denso, are among the greatest benefactors of the modern age.
In China it is used even at street stalls and for temple offerings, demonstrating the high technological capability of Japanese companies.
The outlook for the global economy this year is not bright due in part to intensifying U.S.–China trade friction.
However, facing and adapting to such changes is the attitude now required of companies and individuals.
It is also something Japan has always excelled at during major periods of transformation.
We should actively adopt new technologies and make them the foundation for the next stage of growth.
Like me, many people probably learned for the first time that the QR code was invented by Denso.
People at Norway’s Braathens airline certainly do not know, so today I will teach them in Norwegian.
Since the Cannes festival unanimously awarded a gold medal to the laughable commercial produced by that airline, I will inform them in French as well.
Reading this article reminded me nostalgically of a scene from long ago when a close friend asked me something.
“You are knowledgeable about many things, so I wanted to ask… my older brother is a student at Osaka University and currently job hunting… he plans to apply to a company called Denso. Is it a good company?”.
Not just a good company—Denso is one of the finest automotive parts manufacturers in the world and possesses top-class technology within the Toyota Group.
If your brother likes it, he should decide immediately.
It is that outstanding a company.