Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Digital | JAPAN WEB WATCH Jul 16, 2013
Japanese adults spend crazy money on cellphone games
by Akky Akimoto
Over the last decade, people’s behavior during their daily train ride has completely changed. In the past, Japanese were known to be avid readers of paperbacks (bunko) and manga magazines, and would do so even on Tokyo’s notoriously crowded trains. Now, however, it is ...
Digital Jul 16, 2013
A different metaphor for China's firewall
by John Naughton
Two years ago, when it was discovered that a U.S. intelligence agency was pouring millions of dollars into a research project on “metaphor,” some people thought it was a delayed April Fool’s joke. This columnist begged to differ, on the grounds that metaphors are ...
Digital | ON: TECH Jul 15, 2013
Tablet phones and on-the-go iPhone charging, plus handy apps for traveling
by Yukari Mitsuhashi
Really getting to know local cuisine KitchHike is a matching platform that connects travelers with local chefs. But in this case, “chef” refers to anyone who can cook local traditional dishes. While dining out at a fancy five-star restaurant is enjoyable, KitchHike provides the ...
Digital Jul 9, 2013
We are the sum of our metadata
by John Naughton
Over the past two weeks, I have lost count of the number of officials and government ministers who, when challenged about Internet surveillance by Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the National Security Agency (NSA) in the United States, try to reassure their citizens ...
Digital Jul 3, 2013
Porn: Do we really want ISPs to censor?
by John Naughton
Dearly beloved: our subject this morning is online pornography and what to do about it. The fact that there is a good deal of erotic material on the Internet is beyond dispute, though the precise amount is unclear. Let us assume that X percent ...
Digital Jun 26, 2013
Beware: NSA knows the power of your metadata
by John Naughton
“To be remembered after we are dead,” wrote William Hazlitt, “is but poor recompense for being treated with contempt while we are living.” Cue U.S. President “George W” Obama in the matter of telephone surveillance by his National Security Agency. The fact that for ...
Digital | TECH_JAPAN Jun 25, 2013
Finally, 'The Last of Us' is here
by Brian Ashcraft
Finally, ‘The Last of Us’ is here One of this year’s most eagerly anticipated titles, “The Last of Us” is set in a near-future post-apocalypse that’s crawling with zombies. It is around 2030, decades after a fungi outbreak has ravaged America, infecting people and ...
Digital | JAPAN WEB WATCH Jun 19, 2013
Web company IPOs in Japan pick up pace
by Akky Akimoto
What Web services are hot in Japan? One indicator that a company’s business is growing and that it’s expecting more growth is when it lists on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) with an IPO (Initial Public Offering). Today I’ll introduce a few Japanese Web ...
Digital Jun 19, 2013
The NSA has us all trapped
by John Naughton
Watching British Foreign Secretary William Hague doing his avuncular routine in the Commons on June 10, I was reminded of the way establishment figures in the 1950s used to reassure hoi polloi that they had nothing to worry about. Everything was in order. The ...
Digital | ON: TECH Jun 18, 2013
Apps to keep track of everything, Acer's new tablet and a better way to make presentations
by Yukari Mitsuhashi
Keeping track of your assets Money Forward is a personal financial asset management service (in Japanese) that works similar to the U.S.-based service Mint.com. With more than 160 partners including banks, credit-card companies and mobile carriers, the service automatically pulls all your financial information ...
Digital Jun 12, 2013
You're not a customer, you're just a user
by John Naughton
A reader writes: “Dear John Naughton, As you write about the Internet, I wondered if you knew how long it takes Yahoo to get back to people. I have an iPad, but went to the library to print a document (attached to an email). ...
Digital Jun 5, 2013
Do self-driving cars need to cost so much?
by John Naughton
“The best is the enemy of the good,” said the 18th-century French writer Voltaire. It’s a maxim that has a particular resonance for tech designers, because it highlights the intrinsic tension between ambition and pragmatism that haunts them. Many perfectly viable products have never ...