Culture Feb 9, 2021
Amid a global chess boom, shogi eyes its own winning moves
by Joel Tansey
The game has seen a surge in interest during the pandemic, with children and adults alike dusting off their boards or joining online communities.
Art Jul 23, 2019
The art of play: Japan's history of fun
by Jeff Michael Hammond
"Styles of Play: The History of Merrymaking in Art" at the Suntory Museum of Art delves into various amusements,with over 100 exhibits, ranging from the Muromachi Period (1392-1573) to the Edo Period (1603-1868).
Business / Corporate Jul 3, 2019
Pokemon Go developer releases new Harry Potter mobile game in Japan
One of the developers of the smash-hit mobile game Pokemon Go jointly released Tuesday a new Harry Potter game for smartphones in Japan, featuring augmented reality technology that blends "wizarding" with the real world. The Japanese version of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was released by ...
Business / Corporate Jun 7, 2019
by Masumi Koizumi
A Japanese startup is betting that its "touchable" 3D technology will have a vast array of applications, potentially allowing smartphone shoppers to evaluate the fabric of clothes they want to buy online and gamers to feel virtual objects. Founded in 2014 as a technology transfer ...
Business / Corporate Jun 3, 2019
New Dragon Quest smartphone game, inspired by Pokemon Go, to be released this year
Square Enix Co. said Monday it will release a new smartphone game title in its popular role-playing Dragon Quest series this year, enabling players to locate and battle monsters in real-world locations. Dragon Quest Walk, to be available in Japanese on Apple's iOS or Google's ...
National Feb 14, 2019
Japan to make unauthorized downloads of all copyrighted work illegal
Steps will be taken to make it illegal to download without the permission of copyright holders all works including manga, computer games, books and other writings after a government panel adopted the policy Wednesday. In a report to the Cultural Affairs Agency, the panel called ...
Business / Tech Dec 15, 2018
'Pokemon Go' maker Niantic is seeking a $3.9 billion valuation: source
Niantic Inc., the company behind the popular mobile game "Pokemon Go," is looking to catch a $3.9 billion valuation, according to a person familiar with the matter. The San Francisco-based company is planning to raise at least $200 million in a round led by venture ...
Asia Pacific / Offbeat Nov 13, 2018
Taiwan grandpa catches 'em all playing 'Pokemon Go' on 15 phones
Chen San-yuan turns heads as he cycles through a suburb of Taipei, Taiwan's capital. The reason why? Attached to the front of his bicycle are 15 mobile phones which Chen, 70, uses to simultaneously play the augmented-reality game "Pokemon Go." The smartphone-based game requires players to "catch" ...
National / History | Defining the Heisei Era Sep 29, 2018
Defining the Heisei Era: When Japanese games went global
by Jason Coskrey
The Japan Times presents the fifth installment of a monthly 12-part series that looks back at the leading issues of the past three decades.
Business / Tech Aug 26, 2018
'Super Mario' creator says gaming industry should put steady subscriptions ahead of in-game charges
by Yuji Nakamura and Yuki Furukawa
The legendary video game designer who created "Super Mario" and "Donkey Kong" has a word of advice for today's industry: Stop nickel-and-diming users. Shigeru Miyamoto, 65, said Nintendo Co. is exploring different ways of charging people for games, shunning the free-to-play model, which has become ...
Business / Tech Jun 2, 2018
Apple set to debut phone-to-phone augmented reality, sources say
Apple Inc. will in the coming week debut tools to let two iPhone users share augmented reality while limiting the personal data sent to its servers, two people familiar with the matter said. Augmented reality (AR) allows viewers to see virtual structures superimposed on their ...