Business Jun 18, 2019
Ministry plan will see Japan's mobile phone carriers slash cancellation fees in fall
Under the approved plan, major mobile phone operators will be obliged to cut cancellation charges by 90 percent to ¥1,000 or less.
Business Jun 11, 2019
Japan plans to cut mobile phone contract penalties to ¥1,000
The government plans to impose new regulations on mobile phone operators to cut cancellation penalties by about 90 percent to ¥1,000 ($9) or less to make it easier for users to switch mobile carriers and spur competition, officials said Tuesday. The move is expected to ...
Business / Corporate May 30, 2019
In latest snub for Huawei, Japan's SoftBank chooses Nokia and Ericsson for 5G network
Huawei Technologies Co., which together with ZTE Corp. was a 4G vendor for the Japanese company, wasn’t selected despite participating in earlier 5G trials.
Business / Corporate May 24, 2019
Amazon Japan halts direct sales of Huawei products after Trump's blacklisting of Chinese firm
Amazon Japan has suspended direct online sales of Huawei Technologies Co. products after Washington last week blacklisted the Chinese communications giant, sources close to the matter said Friday. The e-commerce titan's move came as major Japanese mobile phone service operators such as KDDI Corp. and ...
Business / Corporate May 10, 2019
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 ...
Business / Corporate Apr 5, 2019
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.
Business / Tech Mar 27, 2019
Sony to conduct tests on remotely driven cars with NTT Docomo
Sony Corp. and NTT Docomo Inc. said Wednesday they will start conducting joint tests in Guam this summer on remotely driven cars using next-generation 5G services. The New Concept Cart SC-1 developed by Sony will be tested at Docomo 5G Open Lab GUAM — NTT ...
Business Mar 13, 2019
Drones retain their buzz at Japanese trade show, with industrial uses expected to bolster growth
by Masumi Koizumi and Kazuaki Nagata
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 ...
Business / Corporate Feb 26, 2019
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 ...
Food & Drink Jan 5, 2019
Buoys, fisheries and aquaculture join the internet of things
by Rob Gilhooly
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.
National / History | Defining the Heisei Era Dec 22, 2018
Defining the Heisei Era: When communication in Japan went mobile
by Tim Hornyak
The launch of a pager known as the Pocket Bell marked the birth of texting and mobile communications in Japan.