Tag - computers

 
 

COMPUTERS

Prime Minister Yoshio Mori declared in September 2000 that Japan must “grab the historic opportunity of the IT revolution."
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Sep 6, 2025
Japan Times 2000: Prime minister pitches ‘e-Japan’ as way of life
Japan must “grab the historic opportunity of the IT revolution,” Prime Minister Yoshio Mori declared as the final Diet session of the century opened in September 2000.
Under a notice published Friday, the U.S. Commerce Department said it was revoking waivers for Samsung and SK Hynix to use U.S. technologies in their Chinese operations.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 30, 2025
Samsung and SK Hynix lose U.S. waiver on chip gear for China use
The semiconductor companies had been operating in China under regulations that allow them to import chipmaking equipment without applying for a new license each time.
Under a new agreement, the U.S. will receive 433.3 million shares of common stock — representing 9.9% of the fully diluted common shares in Intel — according to a statement from the company.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2025
U.S. takes nearly 10% Intel stake, clinching unorthodox deal
Under the agreement, the U.S. will receive 433.3 million shares of common stock — representing 9.9% of the fully diluted common shares in the firm.
A Phoenix quantum computer made by Atom Computing, in Berkeley, California. Japan is advancing in quantum research but lags in commercialization. To compete globally, it must shift from a research-focused approach to one driven by industry, investment and real-world applications.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 9, 2025
Japan needs to take the quantum-technology leap
Policymakers must focus on specific sectors, test new ideas through public-private partnerships and present practical examples.
Recent incidents by the world's most advanced artificial intelligence models of lying, scheming and even threatening their creators highlight a sobering reality: more than two years after ChatGPT shook the world, AI researchers still don't fully understand how their own creations work.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2025
AI is learning to lie, scheme and threaten its creators
More than two years after ChatGPT shook the world, AI researchers still don't fully understand how their own creations work.
A U.S. government statement this month showed how the Trump administration is seeking to change the ways the U.S. limits China's access to state-of-the-art semiconductors needed to develop AI.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
May 24, 2025
How the U.S.-China chip conflict is evolving under Trump
The Trump administration is seeking to change the ways the U.S. limits China's access to state-of-the-art semiconductors needed to develop AI.
Singaporean Ambassador to Japan Ong Eng Chuan says his country hopes to “collaborate closely” with Japan in the area of quantum computing technology.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 20, 2025
Singapore envoy eyes stronger cyber and digital links with Japan
Quantum computing is one particular area of interest as Japan develops its technical capability via a collaboration with Intel.
Huawei Technologies has unveiled its first in-house operating system for personal computers.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 20, 2025
Huawei unveils in-house operating system to replace Windows
The rollout of HarmonyOS on the company's new laptops comes as China pushes to replace American technologies amid rising geopolitical tensions.
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella (left) returns to the stage after a pre-recorded interview with Elon Musk was played following the announcement that Grok AI, by Musk's artificial intelligence start up xAI, will be available on Microsoft's Foundry Models, during the Microsoft Build conference opening keynote in Seattle, Washington, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 20, 2025
Microsoft is bringing Elon Musk’s AI models to its cloud
Grok 3, which Musk’s AI outfit introduced earlier this year, will be available on Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, the company said Monday.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visits the Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI technology in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
May 19, 2025
Ishiba to revamp strategy to industrialize quantum tech
Quantum technology is "expected to become a new industrial pillar of our country, and also important for economic security," the prime minister told reporters.
The Osaka city board of education organized classes in which elementary school students disassembled devices slated for disposal and learned about the recycling of the rare metals contained in them last November.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 6, 2025
Disposal questions arise as student learning devices need replacing in Japan
The Osaka city board of education organized classes in which elementary school students disassembled devices slated for disposal.
A quantum computer developed by Fujitsu and Riken shown on Tuesday in Wako, Saitama Prefecture
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2025
Fujitsu and Riken develop world-leading quantum computer
Competition is intensifying in Japan and abroad for making quantum computers smaller and improving error detection methods.
Increased reliance on AI and digital technology is weakening cognitive skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving, as people depend more on machines for tasks that once required mental effort.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 25, 2025
‘Use it or lose it’ — a grim mantra for the AI age
In sum, “excessive dependence on AI without concurrent cultivation of fundamental cognitive skills may lead to underutilization and subsequent loss of cognitive abilities.”
An electronic dictionary section at a mass retailer in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in 2005
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 13, 2025
Electronic dictionary market shrinking in Japan
Sales of electric dictionaries are falling in Japan amid declining birthrates and widespread use of smartphone apps.
Jins' new device, called the "Jins Assist," allows users to click and move the cursor of a computer via head movements.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2025
Eyeglass company Jins' new device lets people use a PC via head movements
Weighing only 4 grams, Jins' device can help people with hand or arm disabilities navigate a computer through small head movements.
Futures markets for computing power, driven by increasing demand from AI and other sectors, could help stabilize price volatility and create new investment opportunities, similar to how oil futures manage fluctuations in the energy market.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 25, 2025
Computing power is going the way of oil in markets
One of the purposes of futures markets is to draw financial investors into the production process of commodities.
Tokyo police have arrested the president of a computer retailer in the capital for allegedly having Chinese students studying in Japan buy MacBooks using a student discount at Apple Stores for the purpose of reselling them overseas.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 20, 2025
Police arrest computer retailer head over MacBook student discount scheme
Zhao Zhicheng, 35, allegedly had students from China studying in Japan buy the Apple computers at a discount for the purpose of reselling abroad.
Microsoft's Majorana 1 quantum computing chip
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 20, 2025
New Microsoft chip signals quantum computers in 'years, not decades'
Quantum computing holds the promise of carrying out calculations that would take today's systems millions of years.
Core machinery orders, excluding orders for ships and power equipment, totaled ¥899.6 billion ($5.77 billion) in November, the Cabinet Office said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 20, 2025
Japan's core machinery orders up 3.4% in November
Orders totaled ¥899.6 billion ($5.77 billion), the Cabinet Office said, marking a second consecutive month of growth.
Most of the grant funding for U.S. President Joe Biden's ambitious Chips and Science Act has been awarded, and the initiative has spurred more than $400 billion in planned company investments. But much of the job remains unfinished — and broader upheaval in the chip industry will only add to the challenges.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jan 18, 2025
Biden’s chips team hands off $52 billion program to a skeptical Trump
Before the election, Donald Trump described the Chips Act as "so bad” and suggested tariffs would be a better solution.

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Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’