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Starbucks gets fashionable in Japan with contactless keychain

Starbucks' Japanese operations has teamed with a local fashion label in the country to create what's essentially a contactless key chain that coffee lovers can use to pay for their drinks. 

The device, known as "Starbucks Touch the Drip", features the popular FeliCa contactless chip, which is produced by Sony. Beam, the local fashion label, released the keychains last month for $35 each, and they're only available for use in Japan. The country has a long history of consumers using contactless payments at the physical point of sale.

The keychain's contactless chip is associated with a Starbucks prepaid account that consumers load, which is similar to what's available in the U.S. Users "tap" the device at a contactless reader in-store to pay for their drink.

Starbucks said in a press release that each keychain is formed in the shape of a coffee drip and available in five colors. Green represents Starbucks; orange represents the Beam brand; white symbolizes milk; black represents coffee, while brown symbolizes a freshly made latte, according to the announcement.