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Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Oct 15, 2017

A crafty way to give the kids a creative workout

It's one of those fleeting parenting moments when my normally nonstop high-volume children are awake, but silent. The reason for this? They are studiously poring over a table covered with a neatly aligned assortment of wood cutouts — a cat, a witch, a star, a moon, a pumpkin — and, unusually quiet...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 11, 2017

Measuring the economics behind a shift to streaming

An article in the Feb. 17 issue of the Asahi Shimbun describes a restaurant in Osaka where diners can watch J. League soccer games. The restaurant has three TV monitors hooked up to Sky PerfecTV, one of Japan's satellite broadcast services. At the end of January, however, the J. League shifted its exclusive...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 16, 2016

Nintendo to release first iPhone Mario game on Dec. 15

Nintendo Co. will release "Super Mario Run" worldwide for Apple Inc.'s iPhone and iPad on Dec. 15 in U.S. time zones, a highly anticipated launch that has a high bar for success after this summer's "Pokemon Go" phenomenon.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2016

AT&T agrees in principle to buy Time Warner for $85 billion

AT&T has reached an agreement in principle to buy Time Warner for about $85 billion, sources said on Friday, paving the way for the biggest deal in the world this year. The agreement would give the telecom company control of the cable TV channels HBO and CNN, the film studio Warner Bros. and other coveted...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 21, 2016

Nintendo releases video of new game crossover product Switch

Nintendo on Thursday released the name and a video image of its yet-to-be launched video game product.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 17, 2016

Emoji: The evolution of emoticons

The ideograms that were once eyed with skepticism have transformed into a universally accepted part of daily communication.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 9, 2016

SoftBank rolls out Giga Monster data plan against MVNO rivals

In an apparent bid to prevent customers from jumping ship to budget mobile phone services, SoftBank Corp. said Thursday it will cut monthly rates for its smartphone data plans.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2016

The making of a Chinese consumer society

China's transformation into a consumer society is good news for the future of the global economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 4, 2016

'Pokemon Go' launches in Rio just ahead of Olympics

The creators of "Pokemon Go" said the blockbuster mobile game has been released in Brazil just in time for the Rio Olympics, which start on Friday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 2, 2016

Pokemon mania is taking over Russia, and the Kremlin is nervous

More than a million people in Moscow are playing "Pokemon Go," the mobile game that's dominating download charts in three dozen countries. The number is especially impressive because the game isn't supposed to be available in Russia.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jul 26, 2016

As Japan grays, retailers covet youthful masses in Vietnam

These days, Thu Huong no longer shops at the fresh produce market near her home, opting instead to hop in a taxi and head off to Aeon Co.'s 9-month-old mall in Hanoi. There, as she shops for her family of five, she can bask in the air-conditioning and enjoy free Wi-Fi.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2016

NTT Docomo app update will allow police to track phone's location

Mobile carrier NTT Docomo said Wednesday that users who update its app, which currently enables users to track down lost phones, will thereby allow the carrier to provide location information to investigative authorities without informing them.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 22, 2016

Cellphone cease-fire signals change

The Japanese mobile phone industry recently came under fire from the government for using ambiguous price-setting schemes and excessive handset discounts that stole customers from rivals but penalized loyalty.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 22, 2016

Samsung launches new campaign against Apple with Galaxy S7, virtual reality gear

Samsung Electronics Co. showed off virtual reality hardware alongside its latest Galaxy S7 smartphones, in its latest attempt to breathe life into its premium line and wrest ascendancy back from Apple Inc.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Oct 17, 2015

Localization: Has Japan lost the plot?

Japan once ruled and defined the global gaming industry. In the arcade age, Japanese developers gave us "Pac-Man," "Space Invaders" and "Donkey Kong." In the era of physical consoles: "Metal Gear Solid," "Snatcher," "Final Fantasy" and "Silent Hill." Japan's creative use of technology, physical design...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 17, 2015

Secret strategies of world's most lucrative apps

A few months ago, Yoshiki Watabe, a producer at Japan's DeNA Co., was looking to draw attention to the company's hit mobile game. He introduced a spiky-haired hero armed with an outsized sword — then gave players a mere four days to bring down an evil mega-corporation.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 24, 2015

The A-Z on Japan's new SIM card vending machines

On Friday, two SIM card vending machines were launched at Narita International Airport aimed at making travel easier for Japan's increasing number of inbound tourists.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 9, 2015

Apple boasts new music streaming to bolster lead in tunes segment, preps News app, ups OS ante

Apple Inc. showed off a new streaming-music service that will give users access to a vast inventory of songs for $9.99 a month, seeking to regain ground against upstarts that have lured listeners by offering unlimited access to music.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2015

Yahoo weighs options for Japan stake; revenue misses estimates

Yahoo! Inc. CEO Marissa Mayer outlined plans to explore options for the company's stake in its Japanese unit, heartening investors dismayed by another report showing disappointing sales and profit.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Apr 22, 2015

North Korea's solar panel boom brings power to the people

In a country notorious for a lack of electricity, many North Koreans are taking power into their hands by installing cheap household solar panels to charge mobile phones and light up their homes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 20, 2015

Sony unveils flagship Xperia Z4 smartphone in Japan

Sony Corp. unveiled the latest version of its flagship smartphone on Monday, with the product set to debut in Japan this summer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 5, 2015

Message trumps the medium at JMAF

When Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase "The medium is the message" in the mid-1960s, the ensuing dialogue on media theory encouraged an approach that persists to the present day: to examine new types of technology through the societal and cultural changes that they engender.
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Dec 22, 2014

Rewinding some of Japan's top YouTubers

YouTube highlighted 14 of the Internet's best Japanese vloggers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 18, 2014

Engineer mobility at Samsung is a lesson for troubled Sony

Samsung Electronics Co. is giving Sony Corp. a lesson in quick decision-making by moving engineers from its smartphone unit less than a month after posting a profit slump in the business.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 17, 2014

Sony hikes expected annual loss as smartphone business falters

Consumer electronics maker Sony Corp. is running out of ways to reverse its declining fortunes as the Tokyo-based company's smartphone business struggles to compete.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2014

Amazon surge in Japan lifts Yamato's express deliveries

As more Japanese use mobile phones to shop online, Asia's biggest parcel shipper is ready.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2014

New digital technology wave replacing labor

People scrambling to keep up with digital technologies need to know that the world we are entering is one in which the most powerful global flows will be ideas and digital capital — not goods, services and traditional capital.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
May 19, 2014

Robots, video, skincare and even nail art — all enhanced by your smartphone

Robotic fun

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