NEWSWORTHY
Will government pressure slash Japan's intricate web of smartphone fees?
Last August, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga dropped a bombshell remark that rattled Japan's mobile phone industry: "There is room to lower people's smartphone bills by around 40 percent." In the wake of the remarks by the government's top spokesman, a bill aimed at facilitating ...
KDDI rolls out new 'price down' smartphone plans for Japan amid government push for lower rates
The move is in response to government pressure to cut consumers’ bills.
The Diet enacted a legal revision Friday aimed at lowering mobile phone fees and spurring competition in the country's saturated telecoms market. Amid criticism that Japan's carriers charge too much compared with those in other countries, the bill passed by the Upper House to amend ...
Japan's Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank and Rakuten get mobile phone 5G bands ahead of 2020 launch
The telecom ministry allocated Wednesday 5G frequency bands to Rakuten and three mobile carriers that will enable users to send and receive data 100 times faster than 4G.
KDDI set to launch smartphone payment service, joining rivals SoftBank and Docomo
The au Pay service will utilize QR codes and loyalty points, and be available through its electronic money app, which is reloadable via bank accounts or other sources.
Drones retain their buzz at Japanese trade show, with industrial uses expected to bolster growth
With the market for business-use unmanned aircraft looking promising in coming years, a large-scale drone expo that kicked off Wednesday showed more companies are eager to get involved with the industry. Companies ranging from the small to the powerful are showing off their business solutions ...
Japan's top three mobile carriers and Rakuten apply for 5G band allocation
The country's three major mobile carriers and e-commerce operator Rakuten Inc. have applied for the allocation of a mobile phone frequency band to introduce next-generation 5G wireless services, the communications ministry said Tuesday. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will review plans by NTT ...
Japan mobile carrier KDDI in talks to invest in kabu.com brokerage, source says
KDDI Corp., Japan's second-largest mobile carrier, is considering taking a nearly 50 percent stake in online brokerage kabu.com Securities Co. as it eyes making financial services a new source of revenue, sources close to the matter said Thursday. With the country's telecommunications market facing saturation, ...
Buoys, fisheries and aquaculture join the internet of things
Combining technology and data, the "internet of things" matches supply and demand, increasing the chances of unwanted fish being returned to the sea alive and making seafood more sustainable.
Defining the Heisei Era: When communication in Japan went mobile
The launch of a pager known as the Pocket Bell marked the birth of texting and mobile communications in Japan.
KDDI to start using drones to search for missing hikers on Mount Fuji
Mobile phone carrier KDDI Corp. said Thursday it plans to start using drones to support rescue operations and search for missing hikers on Mount Fuji from next summer, aiming to eventually expand the service to other areas. KDDI successfully conducted a trial in conjunction with ...
