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November 22, 2024
 

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Yuki Furukawa
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Sep 22, 2019
How virtual streamers like Kizuna Ai became Japan's biggest YouTube attraction
Kizuna Ai, the most popular streamer in Japan, is an anatomically exaggerated, perpetually adolescent girl in frilly thigh-high socks and a pink hair ribbon. She's also an entirely virtual character, given life by the actions and voice of an invisible actress.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 5, 2019
Elite Ushio lights the way to next-gen computer chips in Japan
Chipmakers have spent two decades pouring investment into a revolutionary new technique to push the limits of physics and cram more transistors onto slices of silicon. Now that technology is on the cusp of going mainstream, thanks to a secretive Japanese company that's mastered the skill of manipulating...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 20, 2019
How an obscure rubber company in Japan became a linchpin of the tech industry
When Japan decided to pick a fight with South Korea last month, it dug deep into the supply chain to impose sanctions on three obscure materials made by a handful of Japanese companies few have ever heard of.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 12, 2019
After 600% rally, pioneering tech firm Minebea Mitsumi prepares to shape post-smartphone future
Yoshihisa Kainuma has made a career out of being in the right place at the right time.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 12, 2019
The obscure firm making iPhones better: Japan's Lasertec masters extreme ultraviolet lithography
After two decades in development, chipmakers are making a costly bet on a technology that will cram even more transistors onto silicon. Their success may hinge on a little-known company in Yokohama.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 28, 2018
Sony bumps ups 3D camera sensor output as smartphone-makers show interest
Sony Corp., the biggest maker of camera chips used in smartphones, is boosting production of next-generation 3D sensors after garnering interest from customers including Apple Inc.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 14, 2018
Huawei freezes orders from Japanese supplier after CFO arrest
The surprise arrest of Huawei Technologies Co.'s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou is about to impact one of the Chinese company's suppliers in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 8, 2018
Signpost's cashierless kiosk in Tokyo signals a real challenge to Amazon in 'smart store' sector
Amazon.com Inc. is betting that stores of the future won't have any clerks or registers. A company in Japan thinks it can get there first.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2018
Japanese tech CEO behind popular 'Monster Strike' in search of new hit
Five years ago, Koki Kimura pulled off an unthinkable turnaround to save his company. Now, he's trying to do it again.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2018
Nintendo bets on new cast of characters in first built-from-scratch mobile game
Nintendo Co.'s two-year old experiment in mobile gaming is heading for uncharted territory with Dragalia Lost, its first smartphone title featuring original characters rather than its established stars.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 25, 2018
Maverick Harvard MBA shakes up a century of Panasonic's corporate culture
Panasonic Corp. has carefully cultivated a culture befitting its 100-year history, with many employees starting the day doing calisthenics and singing the corporate anthem. Now, Yasuyuki Higuchi is supposed to shake up those traditions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 27, 2018
Rakuten details carrier plan to reposition against Amazon and SoftBank
E-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. is offering a glimpse into its ambitious plan to build a cutting-edge wireless network to take on Masayoshi Son's SoftBank Group Corp., stay in the lead in mobile payments and win back market share from Amazon.com Inc.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 26, 2018
'Super Mario' creator says gaming industry should put steady subscriptions ahead of in-game charges
The legendary video game designer who created "Super Mario" and "Donkey Kong" has a word of advice for today's industry: Stop nickel-and-diming users.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 15, 2018
Sony's catch-up plan to break into pro camera market
Eight seconds — that's how long a cowboy needs to stay on a bucking bronco to qualify for a rodeo score. For photographers, that's barely enough time to take just a few blurry, often unusable pictures.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jun 20, 2018
Construction app offers fix for Japan's supertight labor market
One of Yosuke Kobayashi's biggest headaches has been finding enough workers to build hotels, restaurants and bath houses for his construction company.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2018
Sharp's lens unit CEO sees path to defying smartphone slowdown
The mobile phone industry may be in a midst of a slump, but a unit of Sharp Corp. is forecasting growth thanks to the race by smartphone makers to wow customers with high-quality photos.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 27, 2018
Nintendo hands over Switch to 46-year-old president who grew up playing the Famicom
Shuntaro Furukawa grew up playing the Family Computer, eventually realizing every teenager's dream of joining the company that made the genre-defining console. Now, as the next president of Nintendo Co., he has the chance to build a new franchise atop a hit product — the Switch.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 22, 2018
Pawnshop Sou launches IPO to tap Japan's luxury item boom
The resale of Hermes bags, brand-name jewelry and other luxury items is a thriving industry in Japan, with one critical bottleneck: Building inventory is tough.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 19, 2018
Driverless drift: Robotics firms are developing virtual 'Fast and Furious'-style sims to boost safety
Self-driving cars will rarely have to deal with a pack of drivers who think they are in a "Fast and Furious" movie, but training them to do so might just be what it takes to reach true autonomy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 19, 2018
After Daifuku's 1,200% stock surge, departing Japan chip CEO aims for more
Masaki Hojo, who built Daifuku Co. into the world's largest maker of machines for handling chip materials, is once again challenging market expectations even as he prepares to make his exit from the company.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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