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October 12, 2025
 

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Kazuaki Nagata

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Kazuaki Nagata
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 16, 2015
Toy industry rides video game megahit 'Yokai Watch' to record sales
Thanks to items related to megahit video game "Yokai Watch," the domestic toy market saw the best sales in a decade in fiscal 2014, the Japan Toy Association said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2015
Raw pork liver fans say goodbye to banned sashimi
Fans of raw pork liver savored their last chance to taste the dish on Thursday night as they expressed mixed feelings on the arrival of a new food safety regulation Friday that bans eateries from serving pork sashimi.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 12, 2015
Tokyo companies begin work on Transformer-like robot
Two Tokyo-based firms said Friday they have begun developing a transformable robot that can be operated from inside, both as a humanoid robot and a vehicle.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 8, 2015
Nissan brings new spacious cabs to Tokyo to serve foreign tourists
Nissan Motor Co.'s new wagon-type cabs made their debut in Tokyo on Monday with the aim of giving a more comfortable ride to luggage-toting foreigners and aging Japanese alike.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Jun 7, 2015
NEC develops way to ID everyday objects
Envision a container filled with tens of thousands of metal screws made from the same mold. Is it possible to tell one from another?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2015
'Cool Japan' complex envisioned in Saitama
Publisher Kadokawa Corp. has unveiled a vision to turn Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, into a hub for the "Cool Japan" movement by creating a cultural complex that it claims Japan has never seen the likes of before.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 4, 2015
Tomy, Docomo unveil conversational robot toy
Tomy Co. on Thursday introduced a conversation robot jointly developed with NTT Docomo Inc. that it claims can hold "natural" conversations with people.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2015
METI considers 'kimono day' to revive industry, cash in on tourism
Sometime next year, expect to see colorful kimono-clad commuters winding their way through the morning rush hour in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki Station, the main hub for government workers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2015
Otsuka wants flagship store to be friendlier
Aiming to shake off its image as an expensive members-only store, furniture retailer Otsuka Kagu Ltd. on Friday unveiled its renovated flagship store in Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district, offering a more welcoming atmosphere.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 29, 2015
DeNA, ZMP plan to launch driverless taxi service
As the IT revolution injects extra octane into the auto industry with driverless technology, DeNA Co. said Thursday it will steer toward an innovative new target: robot taxis.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 27, 2015
Shibuya Ward aims to launch same-sex partnership certificates in October
Tokyo's Shibuya Ward aims to begin issuing certificates recognizing same-sex partnerships by around the end of October, the ward's new mayor said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 26, 2015
Docomo set to boost its biometrics lineup
Aiming to liberate users from a hassle of memorizing passwords, NTT Docomo Inc. said Tuesday it will increase its lineup of biometrics-deployed handsets and services because biometric technology for identity recognition will make mobile telephones more convenient.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 22, 2015
SoftBank exec says don't expect 'Galapagos phones' to be around forever
While conventional but feature-rich cellphones are still in demand in Japan, one SoftBank executive says don't expect them to stick around forever.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2015
SoftBank veers from iPhone in shift to embrace all mobile devices
Since the iPhone debuted in Japan in 2008, SoftBank Mobile Corp. has been heavily promoting Apple smartphones, driving the growth of the telecom giant led by billionaire Masayoshi Son ever higher.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 20, 2015
Drone-makers say demand will take off in Japan
Despite a spate of headlines showing drone users to be reckless attention-seekers or outright dangerous, the industry believes the sky is the limit for demand for unmanned copters.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 18, 2015
Japan's 'Galapagos phones' making a comeback
Smartphones have spread rapidly in Japan in recent years, but there still seems to be strong demand for feature phones, or so-called "Galapagos" phones, according to recent data.
JAPAN
May 18, 2015
Tokyo teacher censured for fingerprinting students
An elementary school teacher in Tachikawa, Tokyo, fingerprints 37 students in what he says was a bid to prevent bullying in his classroom.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2015
Sharp to cut 3,500 jobs after latest loss
The troubled electronics maker said it will act to create new profit-driving ventures, but that its LCD business is likely to continue to weigh heavily on the company.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2015
Automakers should invest in future while yen is on their side: analysts
Japanese automakers enjoyed solid sales and profits in fiscal 2014 thanks to the benefits of the weakened yen, and fiscal 2015 looks set to drive further growth.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
May 10, 2015
Robot arm startup taps 3-D printers in quest to make prosthetics affordable
Capable of accurately manufacturing complex products, 3-D printers are having a revolutionary impact on companies in many industries, including a small, Japanese venture looking to make a breakthrough in prosthetic limbs.
University of Tokyo lands its highest spot ever in global higher education ranking
The University of Tokyo in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward
‘Save the Ring’ calls intensify as Osaka Expo’s end nears
Visitors lounge on the grassy hill on the top of the Grand Ring during the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka in May.
Takaichi's PM bid faces further headwinds with coalition split
LDP leader Sanae Takaichi and Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito attend a party leaders' meeting on Friday in Tokyo.
After ruling bloc breakup, CDP and Komeito eye unified PM candidate
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters at the Diet in Tokyo on Friday.
Tokyo named world’s best big city for second straight year
Tokyo was ranked the world's best large city for the second year in a row in the Conde Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
‘Takaichi trade’ starts unwinding as political calculus upended by Komeito exit
Less than a week ago, Sanae Takaichi seemed set to become Japan's first female prime minister.
‘Save the Ring’ calls intensify as Osaka Expo’s end nears
Visitors lounge on the grassy hill on the top of the Grand Ring during the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka in May.
A Japanese comedian walks into an Aussie bar … and stays there
Takashi “Waka” Wakasugi stopped by the Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya Ward last month following his stint at Edinburgh Festival Fringe performing his show “Comedy Samurai.”
Chemistry Nobel winner Kitagawa says downtime helped him think up new material
Susumu Kitagawa speaks to reporters at Kyoto University on Wednesday after receiving the news that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry the same day.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
By Alex K.T. Martin

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