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July 02, 2026
 

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TECH

Chinese analysts say Beijing has become increasingly concerned that any Western equipment could be hacked by foreign powers.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 15, 2026
China tells its firms to not use U.S. and Israeli cybersecurity software: sources
Amid trade and diplomatic tensions between China and the U.S., Beijing has been keen to replace Western-made technology ​with domestic alternatives.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will allow Nvidia to export its second most powerful AI chips to China after the company was previously barred from doing so.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 14, 2026
U.S. gives green light to Nvidia H200 chip exports to China
Under a new rule, Nvidia can export but will need to certify that there are enough chips in the U.S., while Chinese customers must demonstrate “sufficient security procedures.”
An app called “Are you dead” targeted at people living alone has gone viral in China, with surging downloads and widespread commentary on social media.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 14, 2026
‘Are you dead?’ Chinese app for single living goes viral
The surge in popularity has prompted the developer to introduce a subscription fee and change the app’s name for a global ​audience.
The autonomous driving bus in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture
JAPAN / Society
Jan 14, 2026
Self-driving bus runs on public roads in greater Tokyo for first time
A University of Tokyo team is testing a Level 4 vehicle on a bus route for students, hoping to address Japan’s driver shortage.
Fujitsu CEO Takahito Tokita says the firm's shift away from annual spring hiring of graduates is designed to pay appropriate compensation to people with high abilities from the beginning, rather than paying based on seniority.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 13, 2026
Fujitsu CEO vows to keep raising wages, with annual graduate hiring set to end
Wages at Fujitsu are high in the Japanese electronics industry, but CEO Takahito Tokita says the company needs to pay more amid an intensifying global race for talent.
The chat window for chatbot Grok on a laptop
WORLD
Jan 13, 2026
U.K.’s Starmer escalates threats against X, calling Grok ‘shameful’
The prime minister vowed to enforce a law that bans the sexualization of people’s images without consent.
Nexperia’s headquarters in Nijmegen, Netherlands. The Dutch chipmaker is at the center of a fight over technology with China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 12, 2026
Europe and China’s feud over chips is reaching a breaking point
Since a Dutch court intervened in chipmaker Nexperia’s ownership in October, the standoff with China has threatened to disrupt auto production in Europe and around the world.
Some tech titans like Elon Musk envision an AI-driven future of “socialism from above,” where machines generate abundance while the means of production remain in the hands of a wealthy few.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2026
Artificial intelligence, robots and Silicon Valley’s top-down socialism
The architects of AI are open about the fact that they are creating systems whose success in generating material abundance could also obliterate large swaths of the labor market.
Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia, talks about partnering with Mercedes Benz during the Nvidia Live event at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 12, 2026
Nvidia and Tesla chase same self-driving goal via varying paths
While Tesla and Nvidia are fundamentally different companies, their dynamic underscores how unsettled the autonomous vehicle arms race remains.
As part of efforts to boost security of user data as ‍online fraud and data breaches increase in the world’s second-largest smartphone market, India is proposing requiring smartphone makers to share their source codes with the government, prompting behind-the-scenes opposition.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 12, 2026
India mulls forcing smartphone makers to give source code in security overhaul
The plan is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to boost security of user data as ‍online fraud and data breaches increase in the country.
Malaysia’s tech regulator said on Sunday that the country suspended access to Elon Musk’s chatbot Grok over AI-generated pornographic content.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 11, 2026
Malaysia suspends access to Musk’s Grok AI
On Saturday Indonesia became the first country to deny all access to the tool, which has been restricted to paying subscribers elsewhere.
X CEO Elon Musk boards Air Force One to depart for Philadelphia from Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, last March.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 11, 2026
Musk says X to make algorithm open source in days
The company has also been working to incorporate more artificial intelligence into its recommendation algorithm for X, using Grok, Musk’s AI chatbot.
Fujitsu's physical AI system, which allows robots to move autonomously and in coordination with one another, is showcased at the CES tech show in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The robots are made by external manufacturers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 9, 2026
Fujitsu showcases automotive software tech at CES
Fujitsu’s AI can help mitigate the costs and labor needed for developing programs for software defined vehicles.
Gwanghwamun square in central Seoul on Thursday. South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics reported a preliminary operating profit of 20 trillion won ($13.8 billion) in the three months through December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 8, 2026
Samsung’s profit triples after AI supercharges memory market
South Korea’s largest company reported a preliminary operating profit of 20 trillion won ($13.8 billion) in the three months through December, up 208%.
Commuters pass a billboard advertising AI employees at a London Underground station. As artificial intelligence spreads, many people are asking whether it will take their jobs.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2026
Six unresolved AI questions heading into 2026
We were promised tools to cure disease and solve climate change, but 2025 mostly delivered AI slop and a spammier internet.
A screenshot of Loverse app shows an AI-generated woman, characterized as a 25-year-old hair and makeup artist Miyu, registered as a female companion.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 7, 2026
Swipe right for AI romance
An app called Loverse aims to give users the closest depiction of the real thing — complete with all its unpredictability.
The Capmind voice memory assistant earbuds are displayed during CES Unveiled ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 7, 2026
From music to mind reading: AI startups bet on earbuds
Startups have for a while tried to beef up headphones beyond their basic functions, such as listening to music and making phone calls.
Amazon is using an experimental artificial intelligence tool to duplicate independent sellers' product listings, sometimes without their knowledge, then make purchases on behalf of Amazon customers.
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2026
Amazon AI tool blindsides merchants by offering products without their knowledge
While Amazon’s strategy could generate sales an independent seller might not otherwise get, it raises questions about who bears responsibility when something goes awry.
Waseda University professor Shigeki Sugano discusses AIREC, an AI-driven humanoid robot project at the university's laboratory in Tokyo in February. Japan is leveraging artificial intelligence and robotics to address demographic and other challenges, particularly elderly care.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 6, 2026
Japan’s long return to artificial intelligence
Japan’s re-engagement with artificial intelligence is commonly framed as “catching up.”
According to the National Police Agency, police nationwide provided advice to victims of stalking using loss prevention tags in 592 cases between January and November last year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 6, 2026
Misuse of loss-prevention tags for stalking on rise in Japan
According to the NPA, police gave advice to victims of stalking via electronic tags in 592 cases between January and November 2025.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
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.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
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.

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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