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July 02, 2026
 

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TECH

Hisashi Matsumoto, Japan's digital transformation minister
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2026
Sakura Internet formally selected as government cloud provider
The decision makes Sakura Internet the first domestic service provider for the government cloud.
Toshiba plans to start negotiations with Mitsubishi Electric and chipmaker Rohm to merge their power semiconductor businesses, as international competition over the sector heats up.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 28, 2026
Japan firms weigh merging power chip businesses
Toshiba said it will start negotiations with Mitsubishi Electric and chipmaker Rohm to merge their power semiconductor businesses.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2026
Japan to promote research and development for dual-use technology
The policy direction reflects the fact that various countries are advancing the military application of advanced technologies.
SoftBank’s latest bet on OpenAI comes on top of more than $30 billion the company has already injected into the startup.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 28, 2026
SoftBank secures record $40 billion bridge loan for OpenAI stake
The loan is SoftBank’s largest-ever borrowing denominated solely in dollars.
Japan was the first country in the world to adopt 3G, but this month, it cuts off access to the obsolete wireless network for good.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 28, 2026
With the end of 3G, Japan’s beloved flip phones go dark
More than 500,000 users and their retro phones will lose access to the network from March 31.
SMIC, China's largest chipmaker, has been heavily sanctioned by the U.S. government over alleged ties to the Chinese ‌military.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 27, 2026
China’s top chipmaker has supplied chipmaking tech to Iran military, U.S. officials say
The officials said SMIC, which had been heavily sanctioned by the U.S. government over alleged ties to the Chinese ‌military, began sending ‌the tools to Iran roughly a year ago.
A photo provided by the U.S. Central Command shows LUCAS drones, made by SpektreWorks. After years of criticism and financial risk, Palantir, Anthropic and small startups are generating rewards from their investments in defense tech.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 26, 2026
Tech startups’ role in U.S.-Israeli war on Iran shows changing shape of conflict
For the first time, military-industrial pillars like Lockheed Martin and Boeing are being joined by rising technology giants Palantir, Anthropic and Anduril.
Tim Rowe, the founder and executive chair of Cambridge Innovation Center, at CIC Tokyo on March 6.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 25, 2026
Global startup hub chief calls for more government support from Japan
The founder of Cambridge Innovation Center said boosted policy support is key to reach the country’s goal of ¥10 trillion a year in investments by 2027.
Many high school textbooks to be used from fiscal 2027 have descriptions about generative AI.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2026
High school textbooks to teach various aspects of generative AI
A total of 220 textbooks for 11 subjects have passed the second round of screenings conducted under the current curriculum guidelines.
The U.S. health care sector has been expanding as baby boomers retire, Social Security rolls rise and medical advances extend lifespans.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 25, 2026
Health care can’t be the only job in town — but it is
Health care is a labor-intensive industry that’s become more central to the economy as baby boomers retire.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company is focusing its efforts on AI agents and a new artificial intelligence model called Spud, as it moves to discontinue its Sora AI video generator.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 25, 2026
OpenAI discontinues support for Sora and winds down Disney deal
In a note to staff about the changes, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company is focusing its efforts on AI agents and a new artificial intelligence model called Spud.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government approved a draft revision to the drone law at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2026
Government approves bill to expand no-fly zones for drones in Japan
While the designated no-fly zones have not changed since the law entered into force in 2016, drones’ maximum speeds, ranges and load capacities have drastically improved.
Chinese President Xi Jinping during the closing session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of People in Beijing on March 12
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 24, 2026
Xi renews push to develop new high-tech city outside Beijing
The Chinese leader said the development zone, located some 100 kilometers southwest of the capital, should drive growth through reform and innovation.
The government in Hong Kong has announced a further crackdown on dissent, empowering police ​to demand people provide passwords ‌or decryption methods for electronic devices without a court order.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 24, 2026
Hong Kong police given new powers to obtain phone and computer passwords
The city government has announced the new police powers as amendments to the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.
Sony has focused on expanding its portfolio of intellectual property assets while trimming consumer electronics.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2026
Sony is said to near $1 billion home entertainment deal with TCL
The companies have made progress on their negotiations and are seeking to announce a transaction as soon as this month.
The Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association is calling for social media platforms to adopt stricter regulations toward those engaged in illegal postings.
JAPAN / Media
Mar 23, 2026
¥3.2 billion lost in advertising revenue due to illicit postings on YouTube
Given a sampling of only 300 social media accounts for its illegal streaming survey, the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association called its results “only the tip of the iceberg.”
Elon Musk-owned X's Grok AI chatbot stirred outrage earlier this year over it generating images of naked women and girls without their consent.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 22, 2026
French prosecutors suspect Musk encouraged deepfakes row to inflate X value
The social media network’s Grok AI chatbot stirred outrage earlier this year over it generating images of naked women and girls without their consent.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright (left), SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (center), and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, following a groundbreaking ceremony at the Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 21, 2026
SoftBank planning massive $500 billion data center in Ohio
SoftBank is seeking to build the AI computing complex at a former uranium enrichment complex owned by the U.S. Energy Department.
Traders view the time-saving benefits of AI as increasingly essential for navigating markets whipsawed by a war that has upended energy supplies and left at least 4,000 dead.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 21, 2026
Traders overwhelmed by Iran news are turning to AI for help
Many say the time-saving benefits of AI are essential for navigating markets whipsawed by a war that has upended energy supplies and left at least 4,000 dead.
Attendees wait in line outside the Situation Room by Polymarket pop-up bar in Washington on Friday
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 21, 2026
Polymarket’s latest pop-up is a sports bar for watching the news
The Situation Room, as Polymarket is calling it, is a place where users can bet on the outcomes of elections, sports and military conflict.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized that the government will promote reforms of regulations and systems that fit the artificial intelligence era.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.

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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