“It’s no exaggeration to say that AI is the key technology of our time. We’re now at a crossroads on how we can incorporate it to drive growth across industries.” So remarked Junichi Miyakawa, President & CEO of SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434…

In the field of mobile telecommunications, the first generation (1G) system was introduced in the 1980s. Since then, generations have evolved approximately every 10 years, with 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G using new frequency allocations. Looking ahe…

On April 1, 2024, WeWork Japan, a leading flexible office provider in Japan, began anew as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434). WeWork Japan (registered under the WWJ Corp. company name) has since continued to focus o…

Looking for a unique nightlife experience in Tokyo? Located in the heart of Shibuya, one of Tokyo’s top entertainment districts, CLUB THE PEPPER, offers an unforgettable mixture of dining and entertainment with music and dancing robots. Wh…

High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) is an innovative technology that uses uncrewed aircraft positioned in the stratosphere, approximately 20 km above the Earth's surface, to provide stable, high-speed and wide-area connectivity. As a tec…

In the latter half of fiscal 2024*, MONET Technologies Inc.—a joint venture with SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), Toyota Motor Corporation and other Japan-based automotive manufacturers—plans to launch an autonomous mobility service that will…

Looking for a way to bring photos and videos on your smartphone to life, but are hesitant to use 3D glasses or VR goggles? Starting September 6, 2024, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) will offer a new service in Japan to meet this need. Called…

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is aiming to build a “Ubiquitous Network” that combines ground-based terrestrial networks and non-terrestrial network (NTN) solutions, including satellite- and stratospheric HAPS-based platforms, to seamlessly …

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) unveiled new uniforms to be worn by crew at ‘SoftBank’ and ‘Y!mobile’ stores providing communication services. The new uniforms, which will be used across Japan from January 2025, were designed to embody warmth…

In October 2024, Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture will witness the grand opening of what will be the largest startup support hub in Japan, SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) “STATION Ai.” Positioned as a core facility for the prefecture’s strategy t…

On August 7, 2024, a delegation of 13 Malaysian government officials and related personnel, including an Undersecretary at the Ministry of Communications, visited SoftBank's Takeshiba headquarters in Tokyo, where they learned about SoftBan…

An advanced antenna technology that suppresses radiowave emissions in a specific direction to prevent interference Technology reduces signal strength in specific directions to boost communication precision Nullforming, also known as nullst…

Two employees from SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) received top honors as engineers at companies participating in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Network (APN) community. In June 2024, Yoshiyuki Hirao was recognized as one of the “2024 …

Due to the spread of telecommuting and other workstyle changes, what people need from offices and buildings has dramatically changed in recent years. Greater comfort for employees and support for diversified workstyles are some requirement…

Anticipating an era where people coexist with AI, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is advancing initiatives to deploy distributed AI computing infrastructure across Japan. While previously it was common to establish data centers in major urban…

On August 6, 2024, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa presented earnings results for the first quarter (April - June 2024, Q1) of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025 (FY2024). At the press conference held in To…

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is envisioning a future where every vehicle is part of a connected network. Before this vision is realized, however, society will need to grapple with the reality of both connected and non-connected vehicles dr…

Following a downturn during the pandemic, Japan’s hotel and tourism industry has seen a rapid recovery of late. Both visitors from abroad and locals have driven demand, with some tourists keen on venturing to Japan’s outlying regions. This…

Cubic Telecom, a global leader in software-defined connected vehicle (SDCV) solutions, officially joined SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) group of companies on March 6, 2024. Working with the world’s leading automotive, transportation and ag…

Atsushi Horiba is Lead Independent External Director at SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) and also Chairman and Representative Director & Group CEO at his own company, HORIBA, Ltd., a global provider of precision instruments and systems. He bri…

While Japan is well known for having a wide array of public transportation options with its extensive train and bus network, other modes of mobility like bike sharing have emerged to fill in the “one last mile” gaps. OpenStreet Co., Ltd., …

As technology advances, AI is increasingly becoming part of our daily lives. While many are familiar with AI in the traditional sense, newer terms like AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence) are enteri…

Following full-fledged commercial rollouts around the world, 5G brought ultra-high speeds, ultra-low latency and massive simultaneous connections to the masses. 6G is expected to bring even more wireless communication advancements and inno…

League of Legends (LoL) is a multiplayer online video game that boasts over 100 million users worldwide. First developed by the US game company Riot Games in 2009, LoL is a quintessential title for esports that sees major competitions arou…

Kajima Corporation and BOLDLY Inc., an autonomous driving systems development and service subsidiary of SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), have been conducting Level 2 autonomous driving bus operations – which sees hands-free driving under cert…

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is developing an uncrewed solar-powered aircraft for High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) stratospheric-based wireless communication systems. Unlike a satellite, it requires energy to maintain a consistent alt…

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) held its 38th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) on June 20, 2024, at Tokyo Garden Theater in the Ariake area of Tokyo. President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa chaired the meeting, and after reviewing SoftBa…

To enable a society that coexists with AI, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is building out next-generation social infrastructure such as generative AI computing platforms and AI data centers, and developing homegrown large language models (LL…

While it has been about four years since SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) launched commercial 5G services, SoftBank and the telecommunications industry are already looking ahead to 6G, a mobile communications technology expected to see commerc…

While Japan’s service sector is widely lauded for its high standards of politeness, punctuality, efficiency and attention to detail, one issue front-line workers are contending with is “customer harassment” in which retail workers or call …

For foodies seeking some good eats in Tokyo, sushi or ramen might immediately spring to mind, but a range of other culinary delights are on offer. Japan’s gastronomic capital has been experiencing a bakery boom of late, and bagel shops – s…

Quantum computers, with their computational capabilities that have the potential to far surpass what traditional computers can achieve, are at the vanguard of information technology. Given their potential, quantum computers could profoundl…

From April 3 to 4, 2024, a pioneering trial took place at Fukuoka PayPay Dome (now MIZUHO PayPay Dome FUKUOKA) to demonstrate a new way to experience baseball game viewing with augmented reality (AR). Get a first hand look at how this adva…

Ginga Miyata, an engineer at SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), was selected for the 2023 Japan AWS Jr. Champions, a program that chooses young engineers in their first to third working year who have demonstrated a certain degree of technical s…

Liquid condensation, a phenomenon where droplets form around a glass filled with a cold drink, or on windows during a cold or humid day, is a common sight in daily life. Did you know, however, that smartphones are also prone to condensatio…

On May 9, 2024, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa presented earnings results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 (FY2023). At the press conference held in Tokyo, Miyakawa said that for FY2023, revenue (6,08…

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) was selected for inclusion in the top 10% of companies worldwide in S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook 2024. On April 9, 2024, the research and rating firm hosted an award ceremony in Tokyo where SoftBank rec…

In 2001 the red shopping bags shown above were distributed in cities across Japan and became a common sight. Each bag held an ADSL modem, which made it possible for consumers to connect to high-speed Internet using their existing home tele…

Since 2010, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has been using high-quality paper shopping bags with a plastic finish at its ‘SoftBank’ stores and other retail outlets. The luxurious white bags displaying the ‘SoftBank’ logo have been a common si…

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced that from April 19, 2024, the “Leitz Phone 3” will be available exclusively at select ‘SoftBank’ brand outlets in Japan. The newest and third smartphone to be fully supervised by Leica Camera AG – a c…

As previously documented by SoftBank News, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), first launched its 3G services in Japan on December 20, 2002, through its predecessor J-PHONE Co., Ltd. After approximately 22 years of service, SoftBank’s 3G service…

In March 2024, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced it is aiming to further enhance its call centers for mobile, fixed-line and Internet communication services in Japan by using generative AI. To achieve this goal, it is launching a join…

While the latest global wireless standard 5G is still continuing to see adoption, 6G is not too far away on the horizon. But what is 6G? And how might it change the way we communicate and live? When the term 6G comes up, many might associa…

On March 13, 2024, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) launched its "Private 5G (Dedicated Type)" service that enables enterprises, local governments and other organizations to build customized 5G networks on their premises with dedicated base st…

As a company that provides telecommunications and IT services as its main business, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) believes that contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) not only helps solve social issues in various situation…

The formation of the AI-RAN Alliance, a new collaborative initiative aimed at integrating AI into cellular technology to further advance radio access network (RAN) technology and mobile networks, was one of the top stories of Mobile World …

The Republic of Rwanda has mandated the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to accelerate its socio-economic development, and has already made significant progress in integrating it into its society. One symbol of the cou…

2024’s World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting was held from January 15-19 in Davos, Switzerland, and this year’s program featured AI House Davos, a new initiative that brought leaders in industry, civil society, government, the investin…

On February 26, 2024, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) held its first Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) briefing for investors. At the event in Tokyo, three SoftBank executives–Junichi Miyakawa (President & CEO), Masato Ikeda, (Vice Pre…

As reported earlier, in September 2023 MONET Technologies Inc.—a joint venture with SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), Toyota Motor Corporation and other Japan-based automotive manufacturers—Toyota Motor Corporation, Hoei Kotsu, Studio Ghibli a…