Commentary / Japan Aug 6, 2019
Japan lags in AI use and internet literacy
by Takamitsu Sawa
The speed of change in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is extremely high, and Japan is falling behind.
Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Jun 8, 2019
Yummy Sake Collective: A new pairing of blind tasting and AI tech
by Melinda Joe
Yummy Sake Collective has a solution for people who struggle to identify what sake they like: An AI-powered app, used in conjunction with a blind tasting, to help determine flavor preferences.
Books / Reviews | ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES Mar 23, 2019
William Gibson's 'Idoru': Tokyo sci-fi becomes full-blown reality
by Stephen Mansfield
Satirical yet eerily plausible, William Gibson's "Idoru" is a complex sci-fi novel set in post-quake Tokyo that addresses the often negative impacts technology has on our lives.
National Mar 23, 2019
Otsu turns to AI in bid to help teachers detect signs of school bullying
The city of Otsu will begin next month the country's first attempt to use artificial intelligence to help teachers detect signs of serious school bullying. AI will be used to analyze some 9,000 historical bullying cases reported by local elementary and junior high schools over ...
National Mar 16, 2019
Meteorological Agency starts development of AI-based system to predict windy events in Japan
The system is also expected to help self-driving cars avoid accidents caused by strong wind, including tornados and downbursts.
Commentary / Japan Feb 25, 2019
In the age of AI, think tanks must evolve
by Kuni Miyake
Think tanks must further develop international coordination and work together to make the best use of AI while not allowing the abuse of such technologies.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Feb 23, 2019
Artificial intelligence debate raises more questions than answers
by Michael Hoffman
"The human race, version 2" — a thought to inspire hope or fear, maybe a little (or a lot) of both. "We today," says Komazawa University economist Tomohiro Inoue, whose thought it is, "will soon be 'the former human race.'" The propulsion forward comes from ...
Asia Pacific / Science & Health Feb 12, 2019
AI system made in China spots childhood disease as well as or better than doctors
An artificial intelligence program developed in China that combs through test results, health records and even handwritten notes diagnosed childhood diseases as accurately as doctors, researchers said Monday. From the flu and asthma to life-threatening pneumonia and meningitis, the system consistently matched or out-performed primary ...
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Feb 2, 2019
Facial recognition technology: What would George Orwell say?
by Mark Schreiber
This coming June, British author George Orwell's dystopian novel, "Nineteen Eighty-Four," marks the 70th anniversary of its publication. In the United States, Penguin has announced plans for a special 75,000-copy reprint. According to The New York Times, the publisher noted that, sales of the ...
Books / Reviews | RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN Jan 26, 2019
Androids, infertility and ethics collide in Kazufumi Shiraishi's dystopian 'Stand-in Companion'
by Nicolas Gattig
Kazufumi Shiraishi's novella "Stand-in Companion" offers an interesting male perspective on infertility, plumbing the frustrations of a childless couple and the self-accusation and unspoken blame that can eat away at a relationship.
Commentary / World Jan 21, 2019
How will AI change domestic politics?
by Kuni Miyake
Political stability and economic prosperity in the future seems likely to depend on who can control the anger and frustration of the critical mass of the unemployed.
Commentary / World Dec 18, 2018
Lies, damned lies, and artificial intelligence
by Diane Coyle
As algorithmic decision-making spreads, it is exposing social and economic inequities that were long hidden behind "official" data.