The Pay Phone Situation in Japan
The Japanese government is considering getting rid of public pay phones. Pay phones are considered a "universal service", meaning something that is easily available at an affordable price for all citizens. Current regulations require city areas to have a pay phone every 500 square meters and non-city areas every kilometer. There are about 150,000 pay phones in Japan now, but in the last 20 years, usage had dropped to only two percent of what it used to be. Because of the low usage, the government is discussing reducing the number of pay phones and relocating those phones to evacuation shelters for use in emergencies. Ryota Takeda from the Ministry of International Affairs and Communication said a decision will likely be made by June.
Are there still pay phones where you live now? When was the last time you used a pay phone? I think I have used one two or three times since coming to Japan. I remember using them when I was young to call my parents to pick me up after school events, but not so much after that.
5 comments:
There are not so many left in New Zealand, though probably most towns still have one I think. I used them often in the 1990s when hunting for accommodation, to call taxis, etc, but now cellphones are pretty much universal.
I think home phones meant pay phones were no longer required much and now with mobile phones they get very little use. Vandalism used to be a big problem with pay phones here. I have not used one for years, I think there is still one in our little town.
I think they are extinct in Sweden. Should you find one it is likely the slot for coins or telephone cards is jammed with chewing gum or the cord cut by a vandal's knife.
Also not so many here either, I have seen a couple in Melbourne but haven’t seen anyone using them in a long time. Everyone seems to have mobiles. At Christmas time, the homeless are allowed to use the public phones for free to contact their family.
I remember having a payphone at our highschool, to call home to get picked up or when you forgot your lunch at home. Felix said his school didn't have one - they could use the phone at the office! I don't even recall the last time I used one, though, muse be about 20 years ago now.
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