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July 01, 2026
 

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TECH

Experts say entrenched gender bias, particularly the stereotype that women are polite and gentle, and suited to service work, explains why female voices are more often used in automated voice guidance systems.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Mar 19, 2026
Why do female voices dominate automated guidance in Japan?
One common explanation points to the stereotype that women are naturally suited to supportive or caregiving roles.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is developing a "Generative AI Platform," which will allow government employees to create AI applications to assist with their work.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2026
Tokyo government builds infrastructure to expand use of generative AI
Authorities in the capital aim to boost efficiency in public services and address growing concerns over labor shortages through AI.
NTT Global Data Centers is working on 34 projects to double its capacity to 4 gigawatts within as little as two years, CEO Doug Adams said, as it races to meet surging global demand driven by the AI boom.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 19, 2026
NTT Global Data Centers plans to double capacity in AI boom
The business’s revenue is expected to keep growing at more than 20% a year.
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.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
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.
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.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
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."
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.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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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