Gaming industry treads precarious path as it brings in-game purchases to PC and console titles
Free, it turns out, can be a great business. When Shigenori Suzuki played video games in high school, he spent a few hundred dollars a year on titles like "Final Fantasy." Now the 42-year-old Tokyoite plays free games including Sony Corp.'s "Fate/Grand Order" — but ...
Start-up SkyAlert's early warning app sudden hit in Mexico after massive killer temblors
Since two massive earthquakes hit Mexico in September, claiming more than 460 lives, an early warning start-up called SkyAlert has doubled its users to 5.8 million, making it one of the country's most downloaded apps. SkyAlert has also found a market selling alarms to small ...
Nagano counselors trial online consultations for troubled teens via Line messaging app
Counselors in Nagano Prefecture were seen typing nonstop in September between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., as they replied to high volumes of consultation requests received via the Line messaging app. None of the 10 counselors had ever provided counseling via text-only social media. They ...
Christian newspaper taps manga and games in bid to nurture young fans, flock
Smartphone games, manga and cosplay events might seem incompatible with the solemn practice of religion, but a Christian newspaper in Japan is deploying such secular entertainment in an attempt to draw new followers to the faith. Christ Newspaper (Kirisuto Shimbun) is aiming to attract young ...
Japan launches a free smartphone app for foreign travelers amid record-breaking tourism boom
The Japan National Tourism Organization on Thursday launched a free smartphone app that allows travelers from abroad to look up destinations, restaurants and train routes as well as free Wi-Fi spots. The app also includes listings of tax-free shops, ATMs and hospitals that provide services ...
Gotta find a toilet now? There's an app for that
A bathroom emergency can quickly turn into an embarrassing experience. But now there's an app with an "emergency" button to help you find the nearest bathroom when medicine just won't do the trick. Lion Corp., maker of the diarrhea medicine Stoppa, says the @Toilet app will ...
Yahoo Japan's new gaming platform turns the browser into a console
Yahoo Japan Corp., operator of the nation's second-most popular website, has announced a new web-based gaming platform called Game Plus. The new service, which started Tuesday in Japan with 39 games, offers titles through cloud streaming and those built on HTML5. Yahoo Japan is partnering ...
Researchers develop app that boosts memory in people with cognitive decline
A brain training computer game developed by British neuroscientists has been shown to improve the memory of patients in the very earliest stages of dementia, and could help such patients avert some symptoms of cognitive decline. Researchers who developed the "game show"-like app and tested ...
Can Fukuoka live up to the tech startup hype?
Three foreign members of the Fukuoka tech entrepreneur community discuss whether the city's efforts to style itself as an international startup hub are paying off.
Liberating young minds with technology
Education in Japan, within the nexus of business, science and internationalization, is currently developing progressive initiatives. One such trend is to move university teaching out of brick-and-mortar classrooms and into the online sphere. This could be, in its more modest form, simply supplementary resources for ...
Japan venture develops case to curb kids' smartphone addiction
A Japanese venture has developed a smartphone case designed to help parents protect their children from becoming addicted to the mobile devices. The Kobe-based company Momo Ltd. plans to begin selling the smartphone case in late August. Called the Otomos, it allows parents to set ...
