Disaster Preparedness

Water Tech Solution Brings Warmth and Hygiene to Noto Peninsula Evacuees

As reported earlier by SoftBank News, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has been conducting various initiatives to restore communications on the Noto Peninsula following the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck on January 1, 2024. Further to it…

Behind the Scenes: SoftBank Corp.’s Initiatives to Restore Communications on the Noto Peninsula

As reported earlier by SoftBank News, on January 1, 2024, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, and immediately after that SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has been urgently working to restore comm…

SoftBank Corp. Working to Restore Communications in Quake-hit Noto Peninsula with Drone System and Other Means

On January 1, 2024, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The earthquake and its aftershocks severely disrupted transportation, power and water supplies and communications. In response, SoftBan…

HAPS Alliance Holds First In-person Only Member Meeting to Accelerate its Mission of Connecting the Unconnected

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), which is developing a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) business to offer telecommunication services from the stratosphere, is also a founding and executive member of the HAPS Alliance, an industry associa…

Trapped by an Earthquake, Saved by a Drone. Demonstration Shows How it Can be Done

In partnership with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has been researching and developing drone systems to locate people lost in the mountains or buried under rubble caused by natural disasters like earthquake…

32 Companies and Organizations from 10 Countries Attend HAPS Alliance’s First In-person Meeting to Further Foster an Ecosystem that Connects the Unconnected

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) and its subsidiary HAPSMobile—which are both developing a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) business to offer telecommunication services from the stratosphere—are also founding members of the HAPS Alliance,…

Visiting Japan? How to Stay Connected and Informed if a Disaster Strikes

While Japan was closed to tourism for approximately two years due to the global spread of COVID-19, in June 2022 it reopened its doors to guided tours in limited numbers. In September 2022, Japan began to further relax entry restrictions i…

10 Ways to Maximize Your Smartphone’s Battery Life

Battery life is vital when using a smartphone. Sometimes it’s essential to conserve battery power, especially when you forget to charge up your smartphone or bring a portable charge on the go. Persistent heat can also drain battery life an…

How SoftBank Corp. is Making its Network Disaster-resilient

Eleven years ago on March 11, 2022, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck the Tohoku region of Japan. In the aftermath of this tragic event, many valuable lessons were learned, including how mobile phones are a lifeline that people use to…

Growing the HAPS Ecosystem: HAPS Alliance Holds its First Public Event

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) and its subsidiary HAPSMobile—which are both working to provide stratosphere-based telecommunication platforms with a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) business—are also founding members of the HAPS Allianc…

Unlocking the Power of the Stratosphere: HAPS Alliance Holds its First Member Meeting

HAPSMobile, a SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) subsidiary that is working to provide stratosphere-based telecommunication platforms through its High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) business, is a founding member of the HAPS Alliance, an indus…

HAPSMobile’s Stratospheric Test Flight Opens A New Chapter for the Internet

HAPSMobile Inc., a SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) subsidiary launched in 2017 with the mission of bridging the digital divide, marked two major milestones on September 21, 2020. First, the solar-powered, unmanned aircraft “Sunglider” took fl…

SoftBank Demonstrates “Drone Wireless Relay System” for Disaster Recovery and Locating Persons Trapped Under Debris

When typhoons, earthquakes, landslides and other types of natural disasters strike, mobile phones serve as an important lifeline for people to get information and to stay in touch with their family, friends and colleagues. SoftBank Corp. (…

How to Stay Informed and Connected in Japan in the Event of a Disaster

Japan has seen typhoons of increasing intensity in recent years. Typhoon Hagibis and Typhoon Faxai caused especially widespread damage, flooding and outages in the Kanto region and other parts of Japan in the fall of 2019. Japan is also pr…