Tag - apps

 
 

APPS

A boar captured in a project to connect farmers and young hunters
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2023
Efforts underway to help license holders get hunting experience
Crop damage and and dangerous animal encounters are on the rise in Japan, but active hunters are dwindling.
Students at Koshino Junior High School in Fukui Prefecture engage in a discussion with virtual transfer student Himawari-chan (on screen) during a lesson on disaster prevention on Sept. 19.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 19, 2023
Classroom avatar creating constructive conflict in small schools
Teachers say the Himawari-chan avatar encourages spontaneous thinking by speaking from the perspective of a student.
Elon Musk, owner of X, attends an event in Paris on June 16.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 6, 2023
Musk to integrate xAI with social media platform X
The billionaire also said xAI released its first AI model, a bot named Grok, after making it available to all X Premium+ subscribers.
Rakuten Viber CEO Ofir Eyal says the messaging app has found favor with microbusinesses, which can use it for engaging with customers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2023
Rakuten Viber on course to become the Philippines' 'super app'
In Japan, messaging app Viber trails far behind the Line app, but in the Philippines it boasts a user penetration of 71%.
A poster for Uber displayed at a Tokyo subway station reads: "Meeting inbound demand together with Japan's taxis." It also notes that its service is used in 71 countries.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 26, 2023
Japan weighs allowing ride-hailing amid taxi industry opposition
The taxi industry is opposed to any change, arguing that allowing ride-hailing is just a temporary fix that will take jobs from taxi drivers.
An increasing number of middle-aged men are using currency trading apps to buy and sell the yen to get short-term profits.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 26, 2023
Middle-aged salarymen exploit volatile yen with smartphone trades
Smartphone traders amplify volatility in currency markets by seizing on intraday moves, departing from a previous focus on interest rate differentials.
Fuji TV quoted tech journalist Yo Mikami as saying there is a chance that the suspect opened one of the victim's eyelids so he could unlock the smartphone.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 15, 2023
Two men arrested in Tokyo over alleged theft using Face ID
A 27-year-old Tunisian man allegedly used the victim’s smartphone to send ¥500,000 to the bank account of his 25-year-old friend.
A screenshot of the Nigetore app (left) five minutes after the start of practice evacuation using a 15-minute setting for “preparation time.” On the right, two screenshots show the outcomes of drills and a map indicating an evacuation route with tsunami inundation areas highlighted.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Sep 11, 2023
Tsunami evacuation app offers realistic quake preparation experience
Personal tsunami evacuation drill app Nigetore allows users to choose their own evacuation routes and evaluate their success.
A statue of Pokemon character Pikachu is seen during the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 26, 2023
Pokemon game that’s all about sleep hits 10 million downloads
Pokemon Go made billions of dollars getting people to roam the great outdoors. Now the company is trying to get people to go to bed.
A participant operates the "Flappy Bird," a self-made flying machine, during an event in Hong Kong in May 2014. Vietnam first caught the attention of global gamers in 2013 after Hanoi developer Dong Nguyen created, Flappy Bird, a simple but addictive game app.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 7, 2023
A decade after Flappy Bird, Vietnam becomes gaming powerhouse
Moving beyond outsourced software and sneaker factories, Hanoi views mobile games as a crucial part of its emerging tech sector.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 12, 2023
TikTok content under scrutiny with Taiwan election heating up
TikTok’s Chinese ownership and its status as the fastest-growing app is drawing scrutiny as campaigning gets underway.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 11, 2023
Meta's Twitter rival Threads surges to 100 million sign-ups faster than ChatGPT
Now the fastest-growing online platform to hit the milestone, Threads has been setting records for user growth since its launch Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 7, 2023
Meta’s Threads app draws millions seeking a Twitter alternative
Meta’s apps in the past have competed indirectly for user attention with Twitter by courting news publishers, politicians and other high-profile people.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 6, 2023
Instagram unveils Threads app, a threat to Musk’s Twitter
The app is the most serious threat yet to Elon Musk’s struggling social-media site.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 4, 2023
Japanese app aims to help detect pain in cats
Since its release last month, 'Cat Pain Detector' has racked up 43,000 users, mostly in Japan but also in Europe and South America.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2023
Former Trump national security adviser concerned over Japan app market expansion
Robert O'Brien voiced concern over Tokyo's plan to require major app store operators such as Apple Inc. and Google to allow users to download apps outside of their selling platforms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 2, 2023
Musk says Twitter will limit how many tweets users can read
Executive Chair Elon Musk said the move was intended to discourage 'extreme levels' of data scraping and system manipulation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2023
Japan to open up Apple and Google app stores to competition
The regulations will oblige Apple and Google to allow users to download from app stores other than the ones on their proprietary platforms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 12, 2023
Reddit blackout begins as forums protest charges for developers
The protest is expected to last at least 48 hours, although some groups have signaled they will stay dark for longer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jun 3, 2023
Mute, unfollow, delete: Experts’ tips for mindful social media use
Don't be afraid to change things up on your social media feeds — if only to see what effect the difference has on you.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores