From ChatGPT to Bing and Bard, chatbots powered by artificial intelligence and their remarkable capabilities — translation, coding, storytelling and much more — are making headlines around the globe.

And Japan, which has long struggled to improve its citizens’ English proficiency, has embraced the trend more than many of its developed peers.

As a reporter in Japan working in both English and Japanese, I was keen to test these tools and see which might be best for my line of work, and whether they offer benefits for Japan Times readers.