Internet fax still a long way in Japan
Traditional fax machines are rapidly depleting because of the booming internet fax industry. Well, almost.
As the internet technology overpowers the use of traditional fax machine, Japan still embraces it as one of the most important tools for both business and personal use.
According to an article posted in Washington Post, almost 60% of Japanese still use the old-fashioned fax machine to send party invitations, bank documents and shopping orders. It is still deemed as a reliable tool for communications for the Japanese.
One of the reasons why the people of Japan is not adopting to internet fax is that computers, at the outset, never worked well for the Japanese. This may seem surreal for a nation that adopts high-end technologies in almost everything, from telecommunications, automotive and consumer products.
The country’s complex language is nearly impossible to encode using the computer. Most people, particularly the older generation, find it easier to write a letter by hand than writing it using a keyboard. Official documents in Japan also require seals, known as hanko, which can’t be done using a computer. The Japanese culture is another reason since many employers prefer handwritten resumes because they are said to judge people’s personalities from their writings.
The advent of internet fax greatly contributed to the comforts and ease many businesses now enjoy. The people in Japan however finds comfort with the traditional fax machine. It has been a crucial tool for their businesses that it is impossible for a company not to have one.
Although they have not adopted the internet fax technology right now, the younger generation might be able to change that. As the internet created a smaller world for us to live in and the people adapting to it, then I believe that Japan will in a way embrace internet fax the way many people in other countries do.
