NEWSWORTHY
Line and China's Tencent link up to push cashless payments in Japan
Line, Japan’s messaging app giant with 78 million users, is stepping up its bid to become a major cashless payment platform by targeting Chinese tourists.
Japan's IT firms enthusiastically open doors to overseas tech workers
The dozens of young Chinese engineers looked nervous, but eager, as they presented their work in English during a hack-athon in September at the high-rise Roppongi Hills complex in Tokyo. But while the event hosted by Mercari Inc., maker of a popular flea market app, ...
Toyota and Line to offer voice-controlled AI navigation next summer
Toyota Motor Corp. and messaging app provider Line Corp. said Monday they will offer an artificial intelligence platform featuring voice commands for navigation services in Toyota cars in Japan by next summer. The services will use Line's Clova (Cloud Virtual Assistant) Auto system, a cloud-based ...
Vissel Kobe suspend Shunki Takahashi for one month for leaking news about Andres Iniesta
Vissel Kobe have suspended defender Shunki Takahashi for a month for leaking news about teammate Andres Iniesta's absence from the lineup ahead of a recent J. League match, the club said Friday. The team has confirmed that the 28-year-old defender told a friend, via instant-messaging ...
Payments via QR codes slowly becoming more widespread in Japan
The number of restaurants, convenience stores and other shops accepting payments with smartphones using QR codes is rising in Japan, although the pace of growth is slow. Major information technology firms are working to promote a cashless payment system and banks are also joining the ...
In fintech bet, Line to launch overseas cryptocurrency exchange
The firm sees a key role for financial services in its growth strategy, and plans to integrate them into its messaging app used by 75 million people in Japan.
Japan's automakers chase IT tie-ups in race for driving's future
The race to transform the global auto industry has reached full throttle. Facing what has been touted as a once-in-a-century transformation, domestic carmakers are rushing to transition from conventional manufacturers into tech-driven "mobility companies" focused on CASE (connected, autonomous, shared and electric) technologies. Toyota Motor Corp. ...
Line, Marui and KDDI look for slice of the securities industry
Companies in telecommunications, retail and other sectors are entering the securities industry in Japan, aiming to provide young people with financial services that can be conveniently used with credit cards or smartphones. Earlier this year, mobile phone carrier KDDI Corp., messaging app provider Line Corp. ...
Japan's Line and multiple IT firms plan new disaster drill that incorporates gaming
Messaging app provider Line Corp. and multiple information technology-related firms are planning to team up with local governments and research institutes to launch a new kind of disaster drill that includes a gaming experience, company officials involved in the project said Sunday. The idea of ...
Line Corp. and Nomura Holdings Inc. are considering providing joint securities services to clients who use Line. The two companies said Wednesday that they are planning to establish a joint venture by the end of May to offer mobile and online brokerage services and investment ...
Over 20% of Japanese teens without a fixed-line phone at home have never used one: survey
More than 20 percent of junior high and high school students who do not have a fixed-line phone at home have never used one, according to an internet survey compiled by MMDLabo's research center. The survey found that 23.8 percent of these young people have ...
Japan's Line to launch cryptocurrency exchange as nation reels from Coincheck hack
In the wake of the Coincheck theft — one of the world’s biggest cyberheists — Line Corp. says it plans to launch its own exchange.
