Business / Social Issues Jun 24, 2020
Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd. said Wednesday it will open its first store in the country with sign language ability for hearing impaired customers. ...
Asia Pacific / Science & Health Dec 6, 2019
China fossil find dating back 125 million years reveals how mammals became good listeners
Modern mammals, including humans, owe their keen sense of hearing to three tiny bones in the middle ear that were absent in their reptile ancestors, but the point at which this transformation occurred has remained unclear. Scientists have now identified the transitional stages in the ...
National Jun 27, 2019
Japan plans phone relay service for those with impaired hearing, catching up with rest of G7
The government plans to launch a telephone relay service to enable people with hearing disabilities to chat online via sign language, government officials said Thursday. Japan will be the last of the Group of Seven advanced countries to launch such a service for people who ...
Digital | ON: TECH Jun 16, 2019
Little AI things for life adjustments
by Chiho Komoriya
A portable breathalyzer that offers drinking advice, an app that will sort out all your photos, and a hearing aid that can translate 27 languages — all with a little help of AI.
Film Nov 13, 2018
Deaf filmmaker Emilio Insolera flexes his superpowers with 'Sign Gene'
by Kris Kosaka
Emilio Insolera's "Sign Gene" gave the world its first deaf superheroes. But after writing, directing, producing and starring in the film himself, you might argue that Insolera is the one with the superpowers. And the filmmaker says he can thank a stint in Japan for ...
Business / Corporate Aug 27, 2018
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 ...
National | GENERATIONAL CHANGE May 8, 2017
Entrepreneur taps Skype, tablets to offer sign language service across Japan
by Sayuri Daimon
Imagine you're a hearing impaired person who wants to hire a sign language interpreter. The process is antiquated and lengthy. You have to send a fax to a local municipal government to make a reservation two weeks in advance, and officials then look for ...
National / Social Issues Nov 4, 2015
Deaf community hopes 2020 Olympics a 'game-changer' for better social inclusion
by Noriyuki Suzuki
Peggy Prosser was sitting in front of a travel agent in Japan when she was abruptly informed that she would not be able to fly back to the United States to visit her family because she is deaf. When Prosser sat down with him, she ...
National Oct 22, 2015
Japan to allow those with hearing aids to drive taxis and buses
The National Police Agency will revise the ordinance of the road traffic law to allow people who use hearing aids to obtain taxi or bus driving licenses in Japan.
World / Science & Health Jul 9, 2015
Gene therapy for deafness is moving closer to reality, with new research on Wednesday showing the technique for fixing faulty DNA can improve responses in mice with genetic hearing loss. Separately, a clinical trial backed by Novartis is under way to help a different group ...
National / Social Issues May 21, 2015
Tokyo's Kita Ward adopts hearing and speaking aids to help legislators with disabilities
by Atsushi Kodera
The Kita Ward Assembly, where deaf-mute Tokyo author Rie Saito was elected in the quadrennial unified elections in April, has become the first legislature in the nation to develop a system that allows lawmakers with hearing or speech impediments to participate in sessions in ...
National / Politics Apr 27, 2015
Unified elections help diversify representation in Tokyo
by Tomoko Otake
Liberal Democratic Party-backed candidates lose three of five key mayoral races in the final wave of unified elections as voter turnout sinks to another record low.