NEWSWORTHY
As state subsidies decline, Nagoya University turns to crowdfunding to support student activities
Amid cuts in government subsidies for national universities, Nagoya University has turned to crowdfunding to support student activities and educational projects. So far the university has raised roughly ¥5 million — more than the targeted amount — for five projects, including the development of a ...
Japanese and South Korean firms look to tap global hearing aid market
Litalico Inc., a Japanese social enterprise, will use a South Korean startup's technology to tap the global hearing aid market and provide hearing aids at a much more affordable price. Litalico has acquired an equity stake in Olive Union Inc., which has developed a wireless ...
Figurative and literal lifesavers
Keep your ears open for BoCo Bone-conduction earphones, a relatively new development in personal tech that allows users to listen to devices without blasting the eardrums, is finally being made small enough to be worn like earbuds. Up until now, virtually all bone-conduction earphones have ...
Sing on key with Yamaha This December Yamaha is finally releasing to the public something that vocaloid fans have been waiting for: the Vocaloid Keyboard. Designed as a keytar, the Vocaloid Keyboard allows musicians to play singing voices, including that of the turquoise-haired character Hatsune ...
Pediatric cancer center seeks donations to build more clean rooms
The National Center for Child Health and Development in Tokyo is using crowdfunding to create two additional clean rooms needed to treat pediatric cancer. The center is aiming to raise ¥15 million by Sept. 8. Donations will be returned if the center fails to reach ...
Crowdfunding project kicks off to create manga promoting Okinawa history, culture
An Okinawa resident, originally from the U.S., is calling for donations to publish a manga book and an animated film through crowdfunding to promote the unique history and culture in the prefecture, which historically had been the independent Ryukyu Kingdom until the late 1800s. The ...
Kanagawa woman finds success in crowdfunding matchmaking quest
A Kanagawa woman who started a crowdfunding project last year to bankroll her search for a husband is on course to reap the ultimate dividend. After meeting 11 suitors in the space of a month through the formal Japanese matchmaking tradition of omiai, 27-year-old Tomoko ...
Fans send message to SMAP in newspaper ad before group's breakup
Thousands of fans of SMAP, one of Japan's most popular pop groups that is set to break up as the year ends, placed a newspaper advertisement on Friday pledging to keep rooting for their idols. The eight-page ad, which included messages such as "We love ...
Crowdfunding offers freedom to filmmakers
It's not easy making indie movies in Japan. The big studios only want commercial projects with proven fan appeal, usually based on hit manga, novels or TV dramas. Given the need, government funding schemes are paltry, with much of the money going to films ...
Kanagawa woman, 26, taps crowdfunding to raise money for her spouse search
From tech products to movies, the recent advent of crowdfunding has allowed companies and creators to make their dreams a reality. But 26-year-old Tomoko Takebe has a more personal goal in mind — to find herself a husband. "I'm totally serious," Takebe, who has raised over ...
Crowdfunding effort hopes to bring West African baseball aspirants to Japan
A Japanese organization that helps cultivate professional baseball talent from West Africa has launched an online crowdfunding campaign to bring a group of players from Burkina Faso, Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire to Japan for a six-week course of training and exhibition games this summer. The ...
Hokkaido women prove you don't need to marry a farmer to become one
Aspiring female farmers have traditionally had only two routes into the business in Japan — being born into a farming family or marrying a farmer. The country's male-dominated society has ingrained barriers that make it difficult for women to lease farmland or obtain a loan ...
