Tag - tech

 
Menu
Search
 
July 12, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

TECH

Many Japanese companies like Toto have quietly shifted from consumer-facing products like toilets to specialized, high-value industries such as semiconductor materials, proving that Japan's innovation remains strong despite its lower global visibility.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 21, 2025
Japan’s toilet jokes are on you. Innovation is flourishing.
One of the most surprising stories in corporate Japan in recent months has been the emergence of semiconductor materials as a significant profit driver at Toto.
About 80% of children in Australia between the ages of 8 and 12 used at least one social media platform in 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 21, 2025
Underage social media users show large Australian breaches
About 80% of children in Australia between 8 and 12 used at least one platform in 2024, a watchdog report has found.
The scramble to take Fuji Soft private is rooted in the value of the software company’s trove of human resources and real estate.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2025
KKR wins control of $4.4 billion Fuji Soft after Bain clash
KKR aims to acquire the remaining shares in the software company through a squeeze-out process.
Resonac Holdings CEO Hidehito Takahashi
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 19, 2025
Resonac explores deal structures for possible JSR takeover
A deal would be a key step in the chemicals maker’s ambition to corner the Japanese artificial intelligence semiconductor materials market.
Murata Manufacturing President Norio Nakajima
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 19, 2025
IPhone parts maker Murata eyes supply chain shift toward India
The company sees growing demand in India and is running simulations for what it would take to dial up its pace of investment there.
The rapid advance of artificial intelligence and technology threatens traditional human life and values, but finding a balance between innovation and preserving human connection may offer a path forward for humanity's future.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2025
Does humanity have a future in the virtual and AI age?
The virtual age and artificial intelligence are making traditional ways of life seem increasingly obsolete, and this will only grow with AI's spread.
A statue of of a bull in Pudong's Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2025
Xi's new corporate champions showcase his priorities and control
The tech champions present at a meeting with the Chinese president suggest that he is rallying troops from the business sector to fight a geopolitical battle.
The panic over Nvidia’s stock drop following China's DeepSeek AI breakthrough has subsided. Nvidia’s stock has rebounded, fueled by Elon Musk’s xAI and its latest chatbot, Grok-3, which benefits from an enormous Nvidia GPU stockpile.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2025
Nvidia revival marks the end of the great DeepSeek AI panic
Despite competition from other chipmakers and concerns over U.S. export restrictions, Nvidia remains central to AI development due to its CUDA software platform.
Chinese President Xi Jinping
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 18, 2025
Xi’s embrace of China tech CEOs spurs hope of big economic shift
Developing national tech champions is core to Beijing’s plan for boosting the economy as it deflates a bubble in the property market.
The Grok-3 artificial intelligence chatbot has "more than 10 times” the computing power of its predecessor, billionaire Elon Musk said in a presentation alongside three engineers from xAI, his AI startup, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 18, 2025
Musk debuts Grok-3 AI chatbot to rival OpenAI and DeepSeek
Grok-3 beats its rivals across math, science and coding benchmarks, the chatbot's developer says.
While DeepSeek's low-cost AI has attracted businesses, security experts warn that patching these vulnerabilities can be expensive and still less secure than Silicon Valley's more expensive models.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2025
The DeepSeek AI revolution has a security problem
The AI model that shocked Silicon Valley by doing more with less might be doing too little on safety. That could hurt its business prospects.
A giant screen shows news footage of Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands with DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng during a symposium on private enterprises, at a shopping complex in Beijing on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 18, 2025
China's tech rally rests on 'hot money'
Hong Kong tech shares have surged 31% since the middle of January to hit three-year highs on Monday while President Xi Jinping sat down with top tech leaders in Beijing.
Screens display web pages of the Chinese artificial intelligence chatbot DeepSeek. South Korean authorities said on Monday that DeepSeek would not be available on local app stores, pending a review of the Chinese AI startup's handling of user data.
WORLD
Feb 17, 2025
Chatbot vs. national security? Why DeepSeek is raising concerns
Governments from Rome to Seoul are cracking down on the chatbot, saying they need to prevent potential leaks of sensitive information.
Tokyo Koon stands at the forefront of tackling the so-called 2025 issue, also known as the “Magnetic Tape Alert.”
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Feb 17, 2025
The race to save 20th-century history
Analog recordings are at risk of disappearing as old tech breaks down and spare parts run out.
Hedge funds have been piling into Chinese equities at the fastest pace in months as bullishness on the DeepSeek-driven technology rally adds to hopes for more economic stimulus.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 16, 2025
DeepSeek drives $1.3 trillion China stock rally as funds pile in
DeepSeek’s breakthrough in artificial intelligence is helping drive a rotation of stock funds back into China from India.
Chinese President Xi Jinping
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 14, 2025
Xi to chair symposium attended by Jack Ma and other Chinese business leaders, sources say
Xi rarely chairs symposiums about the private sector, and the event underscores the numerous challenges currently facing China.
Sydney-based Minotaur Capital outperformed the global stock market in its first six months while slashing research costs by using AI.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 14, 2025
Hedge fund startup that replaced analysts with AI beats the market
Minotaur Capital, which has no analysts on staff, returned 13.7% in the six months ending January versus 6.7% for the MSCI All-Country World Index.
Washington plans to renegotiate some aspects of its CHIPS Act after assessing and changing current requirements, according to the sources.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 14, 2025
Trump prepares to change U.S. CHIPS Act conditions, sources say
The extent of the possible changes, and how they would affect agreements already finalized, was not immediately clear.
Artificial intelligence is fast becoming 'a new tool in the toolkit of scammers' preying on individuals looking for love online.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 14, 2025
Got a digital crush this Valentine's? Beware of scams, says Meta.
At a Feb. 12 briefing, Meta outlined a recently disrupted romance scam that originated in Cambodia and targeted people in Chinese and Japanese languages.
This is the 12th straight year that labor unions of major electronics firms have demanded pay scale hikes.
BUSINESS
Feb 13, 2025
Japan electronics unions demand wage hike of ¥17,000
The focus is on whether employers will agree to raise pay significantly as in recent years to ensure that wages rise faster than prices.
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
Air India crash report to offer peek into last seconds
Members of the Indian Army's engineering arm prepare to remove the wreckage of an Air India aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 14.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.
NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya holds a board that reads "Japanese First" in Tokyo on July 2. In a joint statement on Tuesday, eight human rights nongovernmental organizations described the far-right party's stance as "hate speech."
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
“Giselle” lead Yuriko Kajiya (center), performing with Connor Walsh as Albrecht, is one of six Japanese dancers at Houston Ballet.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER