Kagawa passes Japan's first ordinance to tackle gaming addiction
A local assembly has passed Japan's first ordinance aimed at reducing internet and video game addiction among young people, by recommending that screen time be limited to one hour per day. The ordinance, passed Wednesday by the Kagawa Prefectural Assembly, has triggered controversy — with ...
Docomo to launch Japan 5G services March 25, pipping SoftBank to post
NTT Docomo Inc. said Wednesday it will launch smartphone services based on superfast 5G technology on March 25, two days ahead of its rival SoftBank Corp. NTT Docomo said it plans to offer the 5G service allowing data transmission of up to 100 gigabytes at ...
Vanishing YouTube videos: Google expects AI errors as coronavirus empties offices
YouTube could see a jump in videos erroneously taken down for content policy violations as the company relies more on automated software during the coronavirus pandemic, Alphabet Inc's Google warned on Monday. Google said in a blog post that to reduce the need for people ...
Japan's government adopts bill to tighten rules on personal data
The government on Tuesday adopted a bill requiring companies to obtain consent from users when handing over personal data, such as internet browsing history, to third parties. The bill, approved at a Cabinet meeting, requires consent when it is clear that the data can be ...
Shizuoka politician apologizes for making ¥8.8 million selling pricey virus masks
A Shizuoka Prefectural Assembly member apologized Monday for having sold thousands of face masks on internet auction sites as concerns grew over panic-buying and chronic shortages of the products amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Hiroyuki Morota, a 53-year-old independent lawmaker, admitted he had auctioned off face ...
Sesame oil? Granite baths? Sea lettuce? COVID-19 rumors spread like a virus in Japan
In a nation gripped by fear amid the outbreak, rumors swirling online that appear to have little or no scientific justification have gained traction.
YouTube content that attempts to find real Japanese opinions
A lot has changed over the past decade insofar as Japanese content on YouTube is concerned, with creators moving away from uploads that simply record personal experiences to posts that give viewers real insight into the lives and opinions of Japanese people. No longer are ...
Tech firms can track your COVID-19 searches
Facebook, Google, Amazon and others have their fingers on the pulse of public sentiment about the coronavirus.
Line says more than 4,200 accounts worldwide hacked this month
A total of 4,225 registered accounts on the messaging app Line have been hacked this month and some were used for phishing scams, according to Line Corp. Line said 4,073 accounts in Japan, 81 in Taiwan, two in Thailand and 69 in other parts of ...
Japan's transplant services work to maintain donor-patient anonymity in age of social media
One of the most important rules in donating organs or bone marrow is to maintain the anonymity of the donor and recipient, including from each other. But with more people using the internet and social media, there are cases in which identities may be revealed, ...
Google's British users will lose EU data protection, sources say
Google is planning to move its British users' accounts out of the control of European Union privacy regulators, placing them under U.S. jurisdiction instead, sources said. The shift, prompted by Britain's exit from the EU, will leave the sensitive personal information of tens of millions ...
China's mobile internet giants teaming up against Google's Play app store
China's Xiaomi, Huawei Technologies, Oppo and Vivo are joining forces to create a platform for developers outside China to upload apps onto all of their app stores simultaneously, in a move that analysts say is meant to challenge the dominance of Google's Play store. The ...
