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July 09, 2026
 

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TECH

Literary translation is one of humanity’s most crucial tasks — one that should never be left to the machines.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2026
Lost in AI translation: What’s at stake? Our humanity.
Literary translation is one of humanity’s most crucial tasks — one that should never be left to the machines.
Humanoid robots are making rapid progress, but their widespread deployment remains limited by safety, power and performance challenges.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2026
The era of humanoid robots is here: Governments must seize the moment
The reality is that most people overestimate what robots can do at this point in their development.
A U.S. judge has ordered South Korean game developer Krafton to reinstate the head of one of its video game studios after ruling that he had been improperly removed as part of a takeover plan hatched by ChatGPT.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 17, 2026
U.S. court rules against South Korean gaming firm over AI-hatched takeover plan
Krafton’s CEO had largely followed the advice of ChatGPT during a $250 million dispute with the leaders of the Subnautica game maker Unknown Worlds Entertainment.
Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia, speaks during a keynote address at the Nvidia GTC conference in San Jose, California, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 17, 2026
Nvidia expects to make $1 trillion from AI chips through 2027
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced plans to push deeper into central processing units — Intel’s home turf.
Generative AI is advancing so rapidly and unpredictably that governing it will require urgent collaboration across disciplines rather than leaving decisions to technologists or economists alone.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2026
Those who most need to understand AI don’t get it
Too often, discussions about AI are overly specialized or siloed between technologists, economists and other disciplines
The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, known as Rengo, holds a meeting late last month to call for robust wage hikes in this year's shuntō spring offensive.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 15, 2026
Japan electronics unions to accept pay scale hike of ¥12,000 or more
The hike is intended to help sustainably realize robust pay increases outpacing inflation.
Houses are surrounded by floodwaters after Hurricane Florence hit in Duplin County, North Carolina, in September 2018.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 14, 2026
AI ‘scientists’ help human ones answer urgent climate questions
Like millions of other people, climate scientists are finding a role for large language models in coding, communication and other parts of their workflow.
A poster warns of online scam threats in the Raffles Place financial business district in Singapore.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Mar 13, 2026
Singapore turns tide in evolving fight against scams
Singapore’s high incomes, hyperconnectivity and public trust in institutions have long made it a prime target for scammers.
In Japan, through data collection and analysis, Aioi Nissay focuses on telematics insurance products whose premiums vary based on driver characteristics.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 13, 2026
Aioi Nissay to use driving data in Uzbekistan to reduce traffic accidents
The company aims to begin selling onboard equipment and offering related services in the Central Asian country by the end of March next year.
A drone used by JR East to inspect railway equipment during transportation disruptions
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2026
JR East to monitor Yamanote Line pantographs with AI
The railway operator also plans to use drones to inspect wires and other infrastructure, aiming to reduce the time required to resume operations by 30% after service disruptions.
Many Japanese companies — from Toto, a toilet manufacturer, to Fujikura — are quietly becoming key suppliers in the artificial intelligence supply chain but often fail to communicate their transformation effectively to investors and global audiences.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 11, 2026
From toilets to fiber optics, Japan’s unlikely AI players
Japanese firms often struggle to tell their success stories, particularly if they’re diversified or in niche industries.
A person visits the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 26, 2025.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 11, 2026
China pins hopes on society-wide AI push to add jobs, rejuvenate economy
Policymakers and company executives play down growing global fears that artificial intelligence could stunt employment.
The Los Angeles Superior Court building. A landmark trial being heard there over social media addiction is a critical test for thousands of similar cases, with potentially billions of dollars at stake, and it could ultimately force media companies to change how they interact with youths, one of their key audiences.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 10, 2026
Meta and Google pivot in addiction trial to accuser’s history
Lawyers for Meta have indicated they plan to demonstrate that her psychological trauma came from turmoil in her family and school life rather than social media.
A customer holds newly purchased iPhone 17 Pro at one of the Apple’s stores in Mumbai, India.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2026
Apple now makes about 25% of iPhones in India after China pivot
Even though the gap has narrowed, electronics assembly and component manufacturing still costs more in India than in countries including China and Vietnam.
AI developer Anthropic has filed a lawsuit to block the Pentagon from placing it on a national security blacklist.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 10, 2026
Anthropic sues to block Pentagon blacklisting over AI use restrictions
Anthropic said in its lawsuit that the supply-chain risk designation was unlawful and violated its free speech and due process rights.
Anthropic’s latest Claude upgrades strengthen its enterprise ambitions but leave partners supplying expertise with unclear financial rewards, underscoring the missing revenue-sharing model in today’s AI economy.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2026
Anthropic’s partners are making a deal with the AI devil
A better and more ambitious strategy for Anthropic would be create a marketplace where partners earn a commission when their apps are used.
Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant speaks during an interview in Sydney on Dec. 10.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 9, 2026
Australians reach for VPNs and find porn sites blocked as age restrictions take effect
Last December, Australia became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media.
Integral AI, which has worked with Denso since 2021 to help teach industrial robots new skills, is holding discussions with other major Japanese companies to pitch them on how artificial intelligence can advance manufacturing processes.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 9, 2026
Former Google AI researcher sets up AI robotics startup in Tokyo
The startup is holding initial discussions with Toyota, Sony Group, Honda, Nissan and Mitsui Chemicals to pitch them on how AI can advance manufacturing processes.
A cargo ship is seen off coast city of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on Feb. 25.
WORLD
Mar 9, 2026
Why have 1,000 ships at times lost their GPS in the Mideast?
Many vessels listen only to the original civilian GPS signal available since the 1990s and are unable to tap into newer and stronger frequency bands.
Brain-computer interface scientist and National People's Congress delegate Yao Dezhong during an interview in Beijing on Saturday
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 8, 2026
China could see widespread use of brain-computer tech in 3-5 years, expert says
Recent high-profile trials have enabled paralyzed patients and amputees to regain partial mobility and operate robotic hands or intelligent wheelchairs.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
Long-stalled maglev line finally gets green light from Shizuoka Prefecture
Environmental concerns relating to the construction of Central Japan Railway’s high-speed maglev line had contributed to years of delays for the project.
Violence toward ambulance crews in Tokyo higher in 2025 and rising this year
A bloodstained helmet worn by an ambulance crew member who became involved in a case of violent abuse against the crew
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.

Podcast

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

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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