Sustainability

Envisioning the AI Age: Interview with Yasuko Kosaihira, CEO of Findability Sciences’ Joint Venture with SoftBank Corp.

Findability Sciences Inc., a US-headquartered global provider of AI and big data solutions, established a Japan-based joint venture called Findability Sciences K.K. with SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) in 2017. On April 1, 2023, Yasuko Kosaih…

SoftBank Corp.’s 37th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders: Utilizing AI to Provide Next-generation Infrastructure

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) held its 37th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) on June 20, 2023, at Tokyo International Forum. President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa chaired the meeting, which was attended by approximately 750 sharehold…

SoftBank Corp. Launches Private 5G Service that’s Custom-built for Enterprises

Approximately three years after it began offering commercial 5G services to consumers, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) launched its “Private 5G” service for enterprises in Japan on March 29, 2023. SoftBank’s Private 5G is a managed service th…

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…

SoftBank Corp. Participates in Natural Capital Credit Consortium to Help Revitalize Japan’s Carbon Credit Market

On December 15, 2022, a press conference was held in Tokyo to announce the establishment of the Natural Capital Credit Consortium ("NCCC"), an alliance that brings companies, municipalities, and academic researchers together to revitalize …

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,…

Bringing Meaningful DX to Companies in Japan: Interview with INCUDATA’s President

Digital Transformation (DX) is a term that continues to gain traction in the business world. While more companies are setting goals to promote DX so they can enhance their competitiveness, many companies are still finding it difficult to i…

SoftBank Corp. Subsidiary Launches “HELPO” for Consumers to Offer Convenient Online Health Consultations

What do people usually do when they feel run down or a bit feverish? Chances are that many may feel reluctant to visit a hospital or clinic if their condition is not too serious. Getting an in-person health consultation can often be an ard…

SoftBank Corp. and Group Company ASKUL Team Up to Help Small Businesses Solve their Problems with Digital Solutions

ASKUL Corporation President & CEO Akira Yoshioka and SoftBank Corp. Representative Director & COO Yasuyuki Imai unveil “Biz-Raku,” a new business for small and medium-sized enterprises As reported by SoftBank News in May 2022, SoftBank Cor…

SoftBank Corp. Q2 FY2022 Earnings Summary: Gain on PayPay Consolidation Drives Upward Revision of Full-year Profit Forecasts

On November 4, 2022, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa presented earnings results for the six months ended September 30, 2022 (Q2) for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2023 (FY2022). At the press conference h…

Japan’s Digital Transformation Minister Kono Taro Goes for a Ride on SoftBank Corp.-backed Autonomous Bus Service

Sakai Town is a community located 70 kilometers north of Tokyo that has a population of approximately 24,000, with 29% classified as elderly. As the town lacks a railway station, residents were facing serious mobility challenges. As report…

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. and Mapbox Japan Bring AI-powered Coaching and 3D Maps to “Tour de Tohoku 2022,” a Bicycle Event to Support Earthquake Recovery Efforts

On September 18, 2022, Yahoo Japan Corporation, a SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) group company, and Kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co., the Sendai-based publisher of a major newspaper in Japan’s Tohoku region, held Tour de Tohoku 2022, a bicycle e…

SoftBank Corp. Sets Net Zero Target for 2050

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…

One Step Closer to Commercializing Sky-based Connectivity: SoftBank Corp. Successfully Conducts Test with Tethered Balloon Base Station

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.’s HAPSMobile and Lendlease to Study Business Potential of HAPS in Australia

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.…

SoftBank Corp. Unveils Program to Help Students Develop AI Literacy and Skills

While AI is becoming indispensable to many aspects of modern life, employers are struggling to find people with the necessary AI skills. Japan is not alone in facing this conundrum. Although the number of AI software system developers in t…

New Video Shows Actions SoftBank Corp. is Taking to Achieve the SDGs

September 17 to 26, 2021 is Global Goals Week, an annual week of action, awareness, and accountability for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), achieving the SDGs is a top management p…

SoftBank Corp.’s LGBTQ Inclusion Initatives Awarded Highest Rating for Fourth Year in a Row

A central tenet of SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) human resource policy is “creating a strong organization by combining the capabilities of diverse individuals.” With the belief that the promotion of diversity is key to company growth, Sof…

Crosstalk: Taking a Business-based Approach to Sustainability

In May 2020, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced it was making the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a top managerial priority. To learn more about how SoftBank’s business activities are contributin…

SoftBank Corp. Places Priority on SDGs to Help Realize “A World Where All Things, Information and Minds are Connected”

Building on its past efforts to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN), SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced the promotion of SDGs as a top managerial priority on May 11, …