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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…
MEC is short for Multi-access Edge Computing, a technology that can speed up data processing and optimize and accelerate communications by utilizing servers in close proximity to smartphones and IoT devices where data is generated. Achievi…
Around the world, the automotive industry and its customers are grappling with a number of challenges, such as a supply chain squeeze and high prices. Japan’s automotive market is no exception. In recent years, the country has seen lower v…
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…
MFA, which stands for multi-factor authentication, is an authentication method that requires users to combine two or more verification methods that differ in nature. They are typically based on knowledge (something you know, like a passwor…
As reported in June 2021, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to virtually zero by the year 2030 to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. On August 31, 2022, SoftBank announced an additional targe…
Earlier this year, the editors of PayPay Inside-Out and SoftBank News teamed up to learn more about the state of cashless payments around the world by checking with PayPay employees, who hail from more than 40 countries and regions. As the…
What’s this floating object in the sky? It’s a tethered balloon equipped with a base station. To commercialize the stratospheric-based telecommunications platform called “HAPS” (High Altitude Platform Station), SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434)…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434)’s division in charge of R&D for advanced technologies—including 5G, 6G, and autonomous driving—marked a new beginning as the SoftBank Research Institute of Advanced Technology on April 1, 2022. To learn more ab…
On August 4, 2022, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa presented earnings results for the first quarter (June - April, Q1) of the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2023 (FY2022). At the press conference held in Toky…
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…
Walking through a grocery store, you may have noticed foodstuffs that show the “Halal Certified” mark. “Halal” means “permitted” in Arabic, and when a food product is halal certified, it means that it’s been prepared in accordance with Isl…
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…
In late June this year, temperatures in Japan reached sweltering record highs. And, amidst a power shortage, the Japanese government called on households and businesses to reduce their energy consumption for the first time in seven years. …
RAN stands for Radio Access Network, a part of the wireless communication system that runs behind the scenes of mobile phone services. An intermediary for mobile phone services A RAN organizes communication data received from smartphones a…
On June 23, 2022, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) opened Japan's first virtual mobile carrier store with shop crew avatars that can serve customers* in ZEPETO, Asia’s largest metaverse platform that has approximately 300 million users. * Acco…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) held its 36th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) on June 23, 2022, at Tokyo Portcity Takeshiba. President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa chaired the meeting, which was attended by approximately 50 shareholder…
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…
One June 5, 2022, Pepper—the world's first social humanoid robot capable of recognizing faces and basic human emotions—celebrated eight years since first coming to life in 2014. It wasn’t a normal birthday, however. Pepper marked the occas…
“Millimeter wave” refers to radio waves with wavelengths of 1 to 10 millimeters and frequency between 30 to 300 gigahertz that can be used for high-speed communications. Millimeter wave: a radio wave suitable for 5G’s high-speed, high-volu…
The Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS professional baseball team and SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) are collaborating to bring Fukuoka PayPay Dome—home stadium of the HAWKS—to the metaverse so fans can enjoy sports and entertainment in entirely new way…
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…
How can conflicts of interest between SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) and its parent company SoftBank Group Corp. be managed and prevented? What do external directors consider when faced with a decision on succession planning? What is exactly…
On May 11, 2022, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa presented earnings results for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2022 (FY2021). At the press conference held in Tokyo, Miyakawa also gave forecasts for th…
From left: Junichi Miyakawa (SoftBank Corp. President & CEO and HAPSMobile President & CEO) and Andrew Gauci (Lendlease Managing Director of Japan and Head of Telecoms & Data Infrastructure Asia) commemorate joint venture at SoftBank Corp.…
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 …
As part of its 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan, in 2016 the Government of Japan proposed an aspirational vision, called Society 5.0, that it defined as "a human-centered society that balances economic advancement with the resolution …
An extensive and efficient network of trains and buses often comes to mind when Japan’s transportation infrastructure is mentioned. To avoid crowded trains and get to locations between stations and bus stops, however, bike-sharing is gaini…
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…
Japan is facing considerable demographic challenges—including a low birthrate and an aging population—that are causing labor shortages and posing a threat to economic growth. Against this backdrop, in 2019 the Japanese government created a…
More than two-thirds of the world’s population—5 billion of us—now subscribe to mobile services according to the GSMA, an industry organization that tracks all things mobile. It’s hardly surprising, then, that 4G networks are straining to …
On March 16, 2022, OYO Japan held a virtual press conference to announce it will re-launch under a new brand name, “Tabist.” OYO Japan’s President and Chief Executive Officer Ryota Tanozaki unveiled the new brand and company name that will…
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…
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,…
NTN, short for “Non-Terrestrial Networks,” is a term that refers to communication networks that use objects in the sky or space, such as High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS)-based networks in the stratosphere or satellite-based networks. …
On February 16, 2022, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) and Cameo, a US-based leading marketplace connecting the world's talent directly with their biggest fans, announced a commercial partnership that will expand Cameo's global network to Japa…
The Institute for AI and Beyond held its 2nd International Symposium virtually on February 12, 2022. Among the topics discussed were the strides deep learning has made over the past decade, what we can expect to see in the future, and the …
Ten years ago today, on February 24, 2012, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) launched “SoftBank 4G” services in Japan. After the first generation of mobile phones was introduced the 1980s, a new mobile communication standard has been introduced…
At SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), ongoing technology research is key to advancing new business areas related to AI, robotics, as well as the core telecommunications business. To learn more about this and SoftBank’s vision for future technol…
When talking about the group companies of SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), one would be remiss not to mention PayPay Corporation. Jointly formed by SoftBank Corp. and Yahoo Japan in 2018, in collaboration with India’s largest digital payment …
According to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 5.7 million tons of food was discarded in 2019. With Japan’s population of 126 million, that roughly translates to the equivalent of one bowl of rice per person, per day…
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…
On February 3, 2022, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa presented earnings results for the nine months ended December 31, 2021 (Q1-Q3) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021 (FY2021). Continued progress toward …
Launched in 1996, “Yahoo! JAPAN” was Japan’s first commercial Internet search engine 26 years ago, on January 31, Yahoo Japan Corporation was established. Formed as a 60:40 joint venture between the current SoftBank Group Corp.—the parent …
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…
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…
Approximately a year has passed since SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) completed its relocation to its new headquarters in Tokyo Portcity Takeshiba, a state-of-the-art smart building. Over that time, the way SoftBank employees work has greatly…
Expo 2020 Dubai, the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East and Africa region, opened its doors on October 1, 2021 and will run until March 31, 2022. Originally scheduled to be held approximately a year earlier to commemorate the 5…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced in November 2021 that it is planning to issue its first-ever Sustainability Bond before the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. Expected to be worth approximately 30 billion yen (about 250 m…
What does converging AI with 5G technology make possible? The short answer is the transformation of an enterprise’s operations and processes into digital formats to make it more competitive and responsive in a changing technology world. Ka…
