IoT

Sit Down but Don’t Pedal: A New Mobility Option Comes to Japan

With its extensive network of rail lines, trams, monorails and buses, Japan is well known for having a wide array of public transportation choices. There is still room for improvement, however, and new and complementary mobility options to…

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…

SoftBank Corp. and Cubic Telecom Team up to Redefine the Connected Vehicle Landscape

Technological advancements are transforming different industries, and the automotive industry is no exception. While mechanical hardware continues to be important, advanced software in vehicles is helping owners enjoy a better in-vehicle e…

SoftBank World 2023 Exhibition Features Latest Technologies that Utilize AI

For the first time since 2019, SoftBank World, SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) largest event for enterprise customers, returned as an in-person event in Tokyo in October 2023. From October 4 to 6, SoftBank World 2023 featured keynotes, pane…

100 Showers with 100 Liters of Water: Water Tech Solution Comes in Handy for Emergencies

After a natural disaster occurs, ensuring the availability of lifelines like water, electricity, gas and communications is of critical importance. In the Turkey-Syria Earthquake of February 2023, the Japan International Cooperation Agency …

Can AI be Utilized to Produce High-quality Caviar in Japan? SoftBank Corp. is Working with Partners to Find Out

Caviar is renowned as one of the world’s top luxuries. The delicacy is made from the salted eggs, or roe, of sturgeon. The most prized caviar comes from sturgeons native to the Caspian Sea, but they have become greatly endangered due to ov…

SoftBank Corp. Helps Kyoto Prefecture’s Kameoka City Utilize IoT to Realize its Goal of Eliminating Litter

Kameoka City, located in Japan’s Kyoto Prefecture and about 20 minutes away from Kyoto Station by rapid train, is a municipality rich in history and natural beauty. The City is also a pioneer in safeguarding the environment. In 2012, it wa…

SoftBank Corp.’s BOLDLY Rolls Out New Autonomous Bus Demonstration to Address Mobility and Healthcare Challenges

Situated in the western part of Japan’s island of Shikoku, Iyo City is bordered by a sandy beach and mountainous terrain. The city has approximately 35,000 residents spread across an area close to 200km2. Against this backdrop of natural b…

SoftBank World 2022: SoftBank Corp. Seizes Opportunity to Speed up Japan’s Digital Transformation

In delivering the keynote speech at this year’s SoftBank World in Tokyo, Junichi Miyakawa, President & CEO of SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), pulled no punches. At the online event for enterprise customers, he noted Japan continues to lag be…

Keywords Explained: Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS)

Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) is a system of Japan-developed satellites that stay in orbit over specified areas for extended periods of time, unlike other satellites that orbit the Earth. High-precision positioning information can b…

How Digital Twin Technology Can Predict the Future of a Parallel World

When you step out on your day off, the city is less crowded than usual. The cinema is showing that new movie you wanted to see. On the way home, you stop by at a relaxing café. After that, you browse through a bazaar with foodstuffs you wa…

SoftBank Corp. and Konica Minolta Team Up to Digitally Transform Japan with AI-powered Imaging Analytics

In recent years Japan has been coming to grips with various challenges, such as a shrinking workforce and an increase in natural disasters driven by climate change. Digitalization and digital transformation (DX) are garnering attention as …

After Successful Trial, SoftBank Corp. Signs Agreement with Tokyo Metropolitan Government for Emergency Drone Deliveries

When a natural disaster or other type of emergency strikes, roads and other often-used logistics routes may not be readily accessible. For this reason, local governments in Japan are increasingly looking at drones as a way to deliver emerg…

(Video) SoftBank Corp.'s BOLDLY Successfully Operates Autonomous Bus in Winter Conditions

BOLDLY Inc., a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) that develops operation systems and provides services for autonomous driving mobility previously featured in SoftBank News, continues to make great progress. From December 15 to 19,…

Inside Look: SoftBank Corp.’s Next-generation Battery Lab is Helping to Usher in a New Generation of Drones and More

Located in Tochigi Prefecture’s Utsunomiya City, approximately 100km north of Tokyo, the hexagonal complex pictured above is the Battery Safety Testing Center and Utsunomiya Test Center of ESPEC CORP. a world-leader in environmental test c…

(Video) SoftBank Corp.'s Precision-controlled Drones Helping to Transform Local Businesses and Create Opportunities

As reported in a previous article, last year SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) teamed up with EAMS ROBOTICS Co., Ltd. and Uhuru Corporation to conduct a trial for delivering fish caught right out of the ocean with an autonomous drone and SoftBa…

Solving Local Problems with Digital Solutions: “Setouchi Tech LAB” Opens in Hiroshima Prefecture’s Fukuyama City

On December 1, 2021, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) opened its “Setouchi Tech LAB” in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture. The facility was established as a base to promote digital transformations (DX) in the city and surrounding region. Fuk…

e-kakashi’s Science-based Approach to Agriculture is Raising Yields While Helping Make Farming Sustainable

The AI-powered “e-kakashi,” an agriculture science and technology solution from SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), made business news headlines in October with its launch of an advanced terminal called the “TED Portable IoT Gateway” that collec…

SoftBank Wins Two CEATEC AWARD 2021 Category Awards for its Non-Terrestrial Network Solutions and Smart City Platform

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) won two CEATEC AWARD 2021 Category Awards on October 18, 2021, the day before the full launch of CEATEC ONLINE 2021. CEATEC is one of the largest international exhibitions of IT technology and electronics in As…

SoftBank Corp. and JR-West Leverage Automated Driving and Platooning Technologies in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Trials

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a new mode of public transportation that is attracting attention around the world. How is it different from regular bus services? BRT transit systems use dedicated corridors and stations to deliver fast and relia…

SoftBank Corp. and WOTA Use Digital Technologies to Address the Problem of Aging Water Infrastructure

Access to clean drinking water and sanitation is essential to daily life, and the infrastructure that enables it is often taken for granted. However, according to the United Nations, worldwide, one in three people do not have access to saf…

More Than a Telecom Carrier: SoftBank Corp.’s New Brand Movie Shows its Bold Vision for the Future

Since assuming the post of President & CEO of in April 2021, Junichi Miyakawa has been communicating his vision to transform SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) from a telecommunications carrier into to digital transformation (DX) company. To eff…

SoftBank's Autonomous and Precision-controlled Drone Helping to Revitalize Local Fishing Industry and Tourism

On August 31 and September 1, 2021, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) teamed up with EAMS ROBOTICS Co., Ltd. and Uhuru Corporation to conduct a trial for delivering fish caught right out of the ocean with an autonomous drone and SoftBank’s high…

Introducing SoftBank Corp.'s High-precision Positioning Service That Provides Centimeter-level Accuracy for Industrial IoT

In the IoT era, where autonomous vehicles, drones, robots and other mobile systems will always be connected to the Internet, highly precise positioning technologies will be indispensable. “ichimill,” an IoT service from SoftBank Corp. (TOK…

SoftBank's Executive Briefing Center: A Brand New Approach to Marketing Technology

To market more of its products, services and technologies, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has taken a leaf out of literature. It has adapted the writer’s Golden Rule of Show, Don’t Tell and come up with the counter-intuitive Show, Don’t Sell.

SoftBank Corp. the Only Japan-listed Company in the Information & Communication Category to be Chosen as a “Digital Transformation (DX) 2021 Stock”

The pace of digital transformations (DX) at companies across industries has proceeded at a rapid pace in Japan and other countries thanks to advances in digital technologies, and SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has been at the forefront of th…

BOLDLY's Autonomous Driving Business Addresses Japan's Challenging Demographics

More than most countries, Japan urgently needs to introduce autonomous driving vehicles ASAP. Beset by a falling birth rate and an aging population declining in numbers yearly, the country's workforce too is shrinking. One government agenc…

SoftBank and Nikon Utilize Light to Broaden the Potential of Telecommunications

On March 18, 2021, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) and Nikon Corporation jointly held a press conference to unveil a new technology they developed for optical wireless communications. With the successful demonstration of their “tracking optic…

Bringing AI and IoT Solutions to Make Indonesia's “Lippo Village” a Model Smart City in Southeast Asia

Lippo Karawaci CEO John Riady and SoftBank Corp. Vice President and Head of Global Business Strategy Hidebumi Kitahara announce their cooperation in Jakarta PT Lippo Karawaci Tbk, the largest listed property company in Indonesia, and SoftB…

How SoftBank is Using Data-driven Agriculture to Solve the Global Food Problem

Installing an e-kakashi device With an aging population of farmers and a labor shortage, among other issues, Japan is facing an agricultural crisis. Other countries are facing similar problems as well. On the other hand, the use of robotic…

Making Highways Smart with 5G Technology

Starting from December 2018 through to March 2019, in Japan's Aichi Prefecture SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) conducted testing of its “Smart Highway” concept, which uses 5G to improve the driver experience. Some of Japan's expressways have …

SoftBank World 2019 Event Envisions a Digital Japan

On July 18 and 19, SoftBank World 2019 showcased presentations from about 80 IT industry leaders along with 86 exhibits from companies with leading-edge technologies and solutions. The annual event held by SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO:9434) and i…

How Technology is Helping to Uphold a Legacy of High-quality Green Tea

Whether relaxing at home or entertaining important guests, nothing is more refreshing than green tea in Japan. Although popular since ancient times, in recent years green tea plantations have come up against a major issue: a lack of succes…