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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 17, 2013

Teenagers deserting Facebook as mom and dad join social network

Facebook made a startling admission in its earnings announcement this month: it was seeing a "decrease in daily users, specifically among teens." In other words, teenagers are still on Facebook; they're just not using it as much as they did. It was a landmark statement, since teens are the demographic...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Mar 19, 2008

Gaming contest adds Dutch style to Japanese knowhow

UTRECHT, Netherlands From March 8 to 9 I was lucky enough to be involved as a jury member in a fresh initiative called the Japan GameJam. This new concept brings Dutch game designers into the exciting world of Japanese mobile gaming with a two day intensive game design session.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 15, 2007

Who's paying for those free cell phones?

No longer just a simple device for placing calls, the mobile phone is now a must-have item for most people. To promote market penetration, many of these multimedia, high-tech handsets are sold at a discount, or sometimes even given away.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Jan 31, 2001

Castles in the sky

Here's a folk tale for the digital era.
EDITORIALS
Apr 23, 2000

A nation of chatterboxes

People who at first glance seem to be carrying on animated conversations with themselves, complete with bows and gestures and sometimes so loudly they annoy anyone near them, are a common sight nationwide. Of course, they are not conversing with imaginary listeners. As most of us know because we are...
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2000

Japan Telecom on road to survival

With e-commerce blooming and cut-throat competition intensifying in the telephone business, Japan Telecom Co. is shifting its focus from voice to data transmission and enlisting the help of foreign partners, says Haruo Murakami, president of the firm.
Japan Times
Special Supplements
Dec 16, 2020

Technology aims to fix labor shortages

DRONE FUND, established by Kotaro Chiba in 2017, has provided capital to help develop the drone business. It launched the third round of funding to accelerate social implementation of drones and air mobility in May, aiming to raise ¥10 billion. NTT DOCOMO INC. is one of the first companies to invest...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 6, 2018

Rakuten Inc. gets approval to become nation's fourth major wireless carrier

E-commerce giant granted access to a fierce competition for subscribers alongside industry heavyweights who have long dominated the cellular market.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2017

Why we don't need to fear the net neutrality repeal

After net neutrality ends, ISPs are unlikely to do anything that riles consumers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 30, 2013

Summly highlights how smartphones are upending media models

Many this week celebrated the latest tech wunderkind, a British teenager who made a fortune selling an app that boils down news reports, no matter how important or complex, into a pithy 400 characters. But for some of those who prefer heartier servings of news, the development carried at least a whiff...
Jacob Curry puts some finishing touches on a sandwich spread at a Lizzo show.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 23, 2023

The personal chefs feeding today's global tours

Many tours for A-list artists now include a vegan chef and place a priority on physical and mental well-being as well as lessening environmental impact.
A girl holds a sign in a show of support for Gazan children in the besieged enclave, during the Israeli-Hamas conflict, in Amman, Jordan, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 24, 2023

Palestinians trapped in Gaza struggle to contact the outside world

With no 3G mobile service in the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip, residents must either find a rare landline or hope for an Internet connection.
In 2019, Japan tightened penalties for the use of smartphones and other mobile handsets while driving.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 7, 2024

Record high number of distracted drivers causing death or serious injury

In 2023, 25 incidents were fatal and 97 caused serious injury, with about 10% of drivers using mobile phones to talk and 90% looking at screens.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California, on June 5, 2023
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 4, 2024

Apple shifts focus from EV to home robotics as ‘next big thing’

Apple’s pursuit of the "next big thing” has been an obsession since the Steve Jobs era, but it’s hard to envision a product that could match the iPhone.
Transfers usually take place in March at the end of the Japanese business year, but each family's reasons for living apart are different.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Apr 8, 2024

When your job separates the family

Japan's “tanshin funin” system sees married company employees leaving their families behind when they are transferred to faraway posts.
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son in 2019. Son is said to be selling off assets from the Vision Fund’s portfolio as he prepares for possible forays into AI and related hardware.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 10, 2024

SoftBank's Vision Fund lightens asset load as Son pivots to AI and chips

Son has moved on to new obsessions, inspired in part by the success of Arm — which has soared in value to around $106 billion since its market debut.
North Korea's claimed successful separation and guidance control test of individual mobile warheads is seen in this image released Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 27, 2024

In a first, North Korea claims successful multiple-warhead missile test

Such a capability would potentially allow Pyongyang to use a single missile to drop nuclear warheads on a broad swath of targets.
An attendee wears an Apple Vision Pro while holding the Apple iPhone 16 Pro during an event at Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, on Monday. Apple introduced the latest version of its flagship device, the iPhone 16.
EDITORIALS
Sep 13, 2024

The genie is out of the bottle and headed for your phone

The touchscreen smartphone is now humankind's ubiquitous companion, and with each new product release, phone makers unveil new innovations.
Silver Rathalos was among several monsters in the Monster Hunter universe that debuted at an in-person Monster Hunter Now event in Shibuya hosted by developer Niantic on the weekend of Oct. 13.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 16, 2024

Gamers hunt for monsters in Tokyo as Niantic searches for a hit

In Monster Hunter Now, the San Francisco-based company behind Pokemon Go is looking to emulate the success of the immensely popular 2016 game.
Rakuten's sale of 15% stake in its credit card arm to Mizuho Financial Group would give the e-commerce pioneer a one-time gain of ¥159.4 billion in the current quarter.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 14, 2024

Rakuten sells Mizuho 15% of credit card arm for ¥165 billion

The sale would give the e-commerce pioneer a one-time gain of ¥159.4 billion in the current quarter, Rakuten said in a statement Wednesday.
A woman carries firewood she bought at a marketplace in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Oct. 2. Telehealth — the use of technology to provide and access health care services remotely — has been growing around the world but is relatively new in Zimbabwe.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 27, 2024

In Zimbabwe, Starlink’s fast internet gives telehealth a boost

The satellite unit of Elon Musk's SpaceX received the green light in May to operate its internet services in Zimbabwe.
Rakuten Group is targeting the sale of as much as $550 million of subordinated notes with price talk for the deal at around 8.375%.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 4, 2024

Rakuten targets its lowest-cost junk bond sale since 2021

The e-commerce giant is targeting the sale of as much as $550 million of subordinated notes that can be called after five years.
Customers queue at a bank ATM in Lagos. Roughly 93% of total currency in circulation sits outside of banks.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 16, 2024

Nigeria’s dying ATMs leave a cash-shaped hole filled by agents

Roughly 93% of total currency in circulation — or 4 trillion naira ($2.6 billion) — sits outside of banks as of September.
Rakuten Group CEO Hiroshi Mikitani speaks during an interview at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2025

Rakuten’s Mikitani wants to sell bonds to Japanese investors

Market pricing indicates that views on Rakuten are improving after years of losses and a stretched balance sheet.
China's DeepSeek carries far-reaching implications for the global tech industry and supply chain.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 27, 2025

Why is the AI world freaking out over China's DeepSeek?

DeepSeek has far-reaching implications for the global tech industry, upending the widespread belief that the future of AI will require ever-increasing amounts of power.
A person walks past a logo of Samsung Electronics displayed outside a shop in Seoul on Tuesday. Shares in Samsung jumped after its profit for the first three months of 2025 handily beat expectations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2025

Samsung shares jump after profit gets boost from new Galaxy S25

Inventory stockpiling by Chinese buyers who hurried to secure supply of electronics before U.S. President Donald Trump unleashed new tariffs also provided support.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura says he hopes the prefecture's new rule prohibiting older people from using ATMs while talking on phones becomes widely known and eventually accepted as common sense.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 24, 2025

Osaka to ban older people from using ATMs while on the phone to help stop scams

While the ban does not include penalties, the Osaka prefectural government hopes to build public consensus to help prevent scams.
Rakuten Group's stock dropped after the Japanese e-commerce firm reported a 19th straight quarterly loss, fueling concerns about the financial drag from its ailing mobile business.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2025

Rakuten Group shares sink on worse-than-expected quarterly loss

The stock plunged as much as 10% in Tokyo on Thursday, its biggest intraday drop since April 7.
AI is not only transforming the applications we use; it is also reshaping the very process of software development, threatening to render much of today’s tech sector obsolete.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2025

How artificial intelligence will disrupt Big Tech

AI is already starting to cannibalize established giants and also to reshape the profession of software engineering.
Three-quarters of the 317 surveyed Dutch high schools reported that the phone ban has had a positive effect on students' concentration.
WORLD
Jul 5, 2025

Study finds smartphone bans in Dutch schools improved focus

Three-quarters of the 317 surveyed high schools reported that the ban has had a positive effect on students' concentration.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji