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LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Dec 15, 2010

Social gaming frenzy sees two Godzillas play rough

On Dec. 8, the Tokyo-based Internet company DeNA received an on-site investigation by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) due to suspected unfair trade practices. DeNA had allegedly interfered with their third-party game providers' development of games for DeNA's competitor, Gree.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Oct 13, 2010

Unfortunately named Galapagos tablet is proud to be different

A new tablet may be the last gasp of the Galapagos syndrome in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Dec 16, 2009

Hot on grandma's trail in Hokkaido

If you're looking for your grandmother in the farming suburb of Iwamizawa, an hour northeast of Sapporo, your best bet may be to phone the municipal call center.
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2006

Softbank will buy Vodafone K.K.

Softbank Corp. said Friday it has reached an agreement with Vodafone Group PLC to buy 97.7 percent of its Japanese unit for 1.75 trillion yen in a move that will allow it to acquire Vodafone K.K.'s 15 million users and its nationwide mobile communications network.
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2005

Softbank, eAccess to try cell phone market

Japan's telecommunication regulators said Friday they will allow two newcomers into the mobile phone market for the first time in 12 years to prompt more competition in a realm dominated by three top providers.
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2005

Vodafone cuts off users of crime-linked phones

Vodafone K.K. has begun unilaterally terminating services for prepaid mobile phones that have been used in fraudulent billing and other crimes, company officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Aug 26, 2003

Canon looks to blast rivals via download service

The dramatic growth in the market for mobile phones equipped with cameras has witnessed camera makers struggling to survive the onslaught, some by shifting to production of high-quality digital cameras.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2002

Rakuten eyes full shopping via mobiles

Rakuten Inc., operator of Japan's largest Internet shopping site, Rakuten Ichiba, plans to make its full online shopping service available on mobile phones by the end of the year, company officials said Saturday.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2002

Three to launch dual-CPU cell phones

NEC Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. and Matsushita Communication Industrial Co. said Thursday that they will market new third-generation mobile handsets with jointly developed technology in the second half of this year.
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2001

British firm eyes communications technology niche

After forming a partnership with a major Japanese electronics company, nCo Tec ventures Ltd., a venture capital firm based in Britain, is gearing up to promote European ventures involving communications technology in the Japanese market, according to George MacRitchie, a partner in nCo Tec.
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2000

NEC sells British arm in streamlining effort

NEC Corp. said Thursday it has sold its British operation for manufacturing mobile phones to a Canadian electronics firm as part of its effort to streamline production.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2000

DoCoMo makes foray into European market

Fired by the ambition to spread its next-generation multimedia cellular systems across Europe, NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Tuesday that it will acquire 15 percent of Dutch-based cellular operator KPN Mobile N.V. for 500 billion yen.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 4, 2022

KDDI network ‘almost restored’ as Japan assesses outage's full impact

The problem has impacted not only users but also organizations in areas ranging from banking and logistics to emergency services.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2021

Amazon documents reveal company's secret strategy to dodge India's regulators

The revelations could deepen the risks facing the company as it encounters intensifying government scrutiny in one of its fastest-growing markets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 4, 2019

Japan bets on QR code payments to sustain spending

When the baseball season kicked off in Japan this spring, fans of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles were faced with an inconvenience they'd never encountered before: The food and drink stalls did not accept cash.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 13, 2019

Will government pressure slash Japan's intricate web of smartphone fees?

Last August, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga dropped a bombshell remark that rattled Japan's mobile phone industry: "There is room to lower people's smartphone bills by around 40 percent."
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 15, 2019

Defining the Heisei Era

Over the past year, as we counted down to the end of the Heisei Era, The Japan Times presented a monthly 12-part series that looked back at the leading issues of the past three decades
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Sep 29, 2018

Defining the Heisei Era: When Japanese games went global

The Japan Times presents the fifth installment of a monthly 12-part series that looks back at the leading issues of the past three decades.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 27, 2018

Rakuten details carrier plan to reposition against Amazon and SoftBank

E-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. is offering a glimpse into its ambitious plan to build a cutting-edge wireless network to take on Masayoshi Son's SoftBank Group Corp., stay in the lead in mobile payments and win back market share from Amazon.com Inc.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Mar 12, 2017

With blazing speeds and better connectivity, next-generation 5G network may lay 'foundation' for the future

The world of information technology is growing in leaps and bounds — and is predicted to grow even faster as telecommunications firms rush to get ahead before the introduction of a next-generation mobile network that could serve as "the foundation" of an increasingly internet-connected future.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 5, 2016

Line makes splash by launching cut-rate smartphone service

Internet giant Line Corp. on Monday made its foray into mobile phone services, launching low-cost smartphone and SIM card packages that offer subscribers free use of its messaging app.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 22, 2016

Pachinko firm scores with iPhone-cracking digital forensics unit

The hackers at Cellebrite Mobile Synchronization Ltd., the forensics unit of a little-known Japanese pinball company, are fast becoming the go-to guys when law enforcement needs to unlock smartphones. Its group chief has plans to keep the firm on the front lines against terrorism.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 5-YEAR MEMORIAL OF GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE
Mar 11, 2016

Securing post-disaster communication network

Many people had trouble connecting on mobile phones in the immediate aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. Destruction of communication infrastructure silenced some mobile phones, while massive numbers of calls and texts checking the safety of loved ones overwhelmed...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 9, 2016

North Korea steps up telecom surveillance to isolate citizens, Amnesty says

North Koreans caught using mobile phones to call families abroad risk being sent to political prison camps under an increasingly iron-fisted regime that is jamming devices and stepping up surveillance, according to a report from Amnesty International.
BUSINESS
Aug 11, 2014

Microsoft's emerging markets problem: Few want to pay for genuine product

On a trip to Beijing a decade ago, Bill Gates was asked by a senior government official how much money Microsoft Corp. made in China. The official asked the interpreter to double check Gates' reply as he couldn't believe the figure was so low.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Feb 27, 2013

A new crop of smartphones for spring

As spring descends on Japan, we'll all be welcoming warmer temperatures and cherry blossoms in the coming weeks. But spring in Japan typically means new smartphone lineups from Japan's major mobile carriers, too. And while consumers' love for Apple's iPhone is still in full bloom, there are a number...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2012

James Bond can't fix Sony as Japan makers hit lows

Even James Bond and Spider-Man can't rescue Sony Corp.

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