Tag - tech

 
 

TECH

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attends a session of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 18.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 9, 2024
OpenAI’s Sam Altman returns to board after probe clears him
Altman was cleared of any wrongdoing that would have mandated being fired, according to a report based on a monthslong investigation.
University students participate in a job hunting seminar in Yokohama on March 1. Japan is ranked last among 38 countries in the OECD for its proportion of female graduates in STEM fields.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 8, 2024
More Japanese universities adding female admission quotas for STEM fields
The trend comes amid concerns over the nation's low level of female participation in fields related to science, technology, engineering and math.
An event for female coders in New York in 2013. Women’s full participation is key to ensure technologies like AI help bridge the gender gap.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2024
Now is our chance to govern AI for women’s empowerment
The pace of AI development may seem relentless, but there's still time to create safeguards to ensure that innovation doesn't perpetuate gender inequality.
A chip taken from a smartphone. The U.S. is urging the Netherlands to stop ASML from servicing and repairing sensitive chipmaking equipment that Chinese clients purchased before limits on sales of those devices were put into place this year.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 7, 2024
U.S. urges allies to squeeze China further on chip technology
Washington's latest push is partly aimed at plugging holes in export controls it has levied over the past two years.
An unmanned robot navigates across a street during a demonstration of Uber Eats' robot delivery service in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 6, 2024
Uber Eats Japan begins deliveries with self-driving robots
The company has rolled out the service in Tokyo's Nihonbashi area and plans to introduce it in other places as well.
Bitcoin showed its boom-or-bust character Tuesday with volatile price swings.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 6, 2024
Record surge marks new revival for Bitcoin
The cryptocurrency has experienced a breathtaking rebound this year amid strong demand from new U.S. exchange-traded funds.
The U.S and Japan are working together to secure a stable semiconductor supply chain and maintain their leading position in this critical technology amid concerns over China.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 5, 2024
Semiconductors are back to center stage in the Japan-U.S. alliance
It is impossible to overestimate the importance of semiconductors to the 21st century. They’re everywhere and in every digital item.
Takeshi Idezawa, president of LY (right), receives administrative guidance from a communications ministry official at the ministry on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2024
Ministry urges Line app operator to boost data protection after breach
The communications ministry cited the app provider's reliance on a South Korean firm for operations and lack of countermeasures against cyberattacks.
The EU hit Apple with a €1.8 billion fine ($1.9 billion) on Monday for violating the bloc's laws by preventing music streaming services from informing users about subscription options outside of its App Store.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2024
EU fines Apple €1.8 billion over curbs on music streaming services
The European Union found Apple had violated law by preventing music streaming services from telling users about subscription options outside its App Store.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hold a joint news conference during a trilateral summit at Camp David, Maryland, on Aug. 18. The summit dealt with security and economic security coordination.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Mar 5, 2024
The U.S.-Japan gap: a challenge in economic security cooperation
While such ties appear to be progressing, the two countries’ interests in the field are not necessarily fully aligned.
Under the watch of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China has expanded state control of strategically critical areas from semiconductor manufacturing to quantum computing.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 5, 2024
China vows to mobilize nation as it fights U.S. for tech supremacy
The central government will increase spending on scientific and technology research by 10% in 2024.
Seoul says that North Korean hackers have broken into South Korea manufacturers of chipmaking equipment.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 4, 2024
North Korea broke into South Korean chip firms, Seoul's spy agency says
The hackers reportedly employed techniques that minimize malicious codes and use existing tools within the servers, making them difficult to detect.
TSMC's new factory in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2024
Japan in the midst of a semiconductor plant construction rush
The government set aside ¥4 trillion between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2023 for subsidies for helping companies build semiconductor plants.
High tides in Funafuti, Tuvalu, in February. About 40% of the main atoll and capital district Funafuti is already underwater at high tide, and the tiny nation is forecast to be submerged by the end of the century.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 4, 2024
Tuvalu preserves history online as rising seas threaten existence
"We cannot outrun the rising tides, but we will do what we can to protect our statehood, our spirit, our values," minister Simon Kofe said.
Elon Musk arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington to participate in the A.I. Forum in September of last year.
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2024
Elon Musk sues OpenAI and Sam Altman for violating the company’s principles
Musk sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, accusing them of breaching a contract by putting profits ahead of the public good.
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West President Masaaki Moribayashi (center) bows at a news conference in Osaka on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Feb 29, 2024
NTT West president to resign over customer information theft
NTT West has been slapped with administrative guidance by the communications ministry for insufficient supervising.
Advantest’s stock price has climbed 44% this year already, hitting record highs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 29, 2024
Japan’s Advantest taps American to become next CEO
Douglas Lefever will become chief executive officer as of April 1, in a rare example of a foreign citizen taking the helm of a major Japanese corporation.
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms, arrives following a break during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington on Jan. 31.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 27, 2024
Mark Zuckerberg meets with Kishida to discuss AI
The Meta Platforms CEO is in Japan as part of an Asia tour, during which he will also travel to South Korea and India.
Japan is aiming to reverse the trend of people marrying later in life, or not at all, as depopulation progresses throughout the country.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 27, 2024
AI plays cupid as Japanese authorities try to boost marriage rate
Some systems being used recommend partners based on an applicant's internet browsing history.
Chris Marchese (center), Director of NetChoice Litigation Center, speaks to the press outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Monday. In a case that could determine the future of social media in the United States, the U.S. Supreme Court was asked today to decide whether a pair of state laws that limit content moderation are constitutional.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2024
U.S. Supreme Court torn over legal bid to restrict social media moderation
Republican-backed laws in Florida and Texas are being challenged by tech industry trade groups whose members include Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals