| May 18 | Facebook hires new head in Japan |
| There's a change at the top at Facebook….in Japan, where the company has hired former McDonalds and Boston Consulting Group marketing exec Atsushi Iwashita as its new Managing Director. (thenextweb.com) |
| May 16 | Docomo to lower prices of new smartphones |
 NTT Docomo Inc. said Wednesday it will set the prices of upcoming new models of its popular smartphones lower than for existing models. (Yomiuri  ) |
| May 14 | Japan's DoCoMo to use mobile data to monitor traffic jams |
 NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest mobile carrier, will use location data from its 61.5 million subscriber devices to build a platform that monitors traffic conditions across the country. (pcworld.com ) |
| May 10 | Line reports sharp spike in first-quarter sales |
 Line Corp., a privately held smartphone messaging company based in Tokyo, said Thursday that sales climbed 92 percent to ¥5.82 billion in the first quarter. (Japan Times ) |
| May 09 | Docomo phones rampant in crimes |
 The Metropolitan Police Department has made an unusual request to NTT Docomo Inc. to more strictly screen mobile phone rental companies before signing contracts with them, to prevent the phones' use in crimes, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. (Yomiuri ) |
| May 09 | 3-D printers causing manufacturing revolution |
 Three-dimensional printers, which are capable of creating solid objects in a way comparable to printing letters and illustrations on paper, are sparking a revolution within the manufacturing industry. (Yomiuri ) |
| May 06 | New mobile standard available for users in 2 years |
 Japanese telecom companies are developing an extremely high speed mobile technology to be introduced in years to come. (NHK ) |
| May 06 | Race to turn 'big data' into gold heating up |
 If used widely, "big data," the massive amount of electronic information that has been generated with advances in computing and Internet technology, could create a market worth tens of trillions of yen. (Yomiuri ) |
| May 06 | Live chatrooms prey on young, runaway girls |
| Live chats, a type of real-time webcast, have rapidly become pervasive in offering adult content at a low cost. However, the arrest of three men in February revealed that sites hosting such chats are breeding grounds for child pornography, particularly targeting runaway girls. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 28 | NTT DoCoMo customer data leaked in U.S. after hacker attack |
 The personal information of NTT DoCoMo Inc. customers in the U.S. has been leaked online after the server of its American unit was hacked, possibly by the LulzSec group, company officials admitted Saturday. (Japan Times ) |
| Apr 28 | App planned to help ID bank notes for blind |
 The Finance Ministry and the Bank of Japan plan to offer a free smartphone application that will allow the visually impaired to identify the value of bank notes through sound from November. (Japan Times ) |
| Apr 26 | A Google Glass rival emerges from an upstart in Japan |
 Japanese entrepreneur Takahito Iguchi wants people to see the world through other people's eyes. But as a less ambitious jumping off point, he'll kick it off with a world that looks like a Japanese manga cartoon. (gigaom.com ) |
| Apr 25 | Car TVs: Big in Japan (but no longer for export) |
 In Japan, it's not unusual for drivers to tune in to their favorite TV show while behind the wheel. And the popularity of "digi-navi," the Japanese term for navigation systems capable of receiving digital TV transmissions, has created a growing captive audience for TV-on-wheels. (Wall Street Journal ) |
| Apr 23 | Japan police want to block nefarious Tor use |
 Police in Japan are hoping to catch crooks using anonymising Internet services by stopping people "abusing" the Tor network which supports anonymous Internet use. (techweekeurope.co.uk ) |
| Apr 22 | IT industry sees gold in Net campaigning |
 Last week's legal green light to online campaigning for this summer's House of Councillors election has provided a golden business opportunity to information technology companies offering services that will help candidates get their message safely out to voters. (Yomiuri ) |
| Apr 21 | Only 6.7 pct of Japanese use e-book readers: Jiji survey |
 Only 6.7 pct of Japanese are using electronic book readers, a Jiji Press survey in March revealed. (Jiji Press ) |
| Apr 18 | 70 pct of harmful web sites in Japan had ad revenue |
| Some 70 pct of Web sites with illegal or harmful content in Japan were having advertising revenues, a National Police Agency report showed Thursday. (Jiji Press) |
| Apr 17 | 35,000 application software for smartphones found dangerous |
| More than 35,000 software applications targeting smartphone users in Japan have been found to be dangerous due to concerns such as misuse of personal information, a study by Netagent Co., a Tokyo-based information security company, showed Wednesday. (Kyodo) |
| Apr 16 | Tokyo court rules against Google autocomplete |
 The Tokyo District Court has ordered Internet giant Google to remove its auto-complete search results that link a man to crimes he says he did not commit. (NHK ) |
| Apr 16 | Sony backed ISP in Japan offers double the speed of Google Fiber |
| If you thought Google Fiber with its 1Gbps speeds was fast, think again. A Japanese ISP, which is backed by Sony, is now offering plans with 2Gbps download and 1Gbps upload speeds in Tokyo and six districts surrounding it. (ubergizmo.com) |
| Apr 12 | Sony unveils smaller 4K TVs |
 Sony has unveiled new ultra high-definition televisions, priced lower to help them achieve market liftoff. The TVs use so-called 4K resolution technology, offering images 4 times sharper than conventional high-definition products. (NHK ) |
| Apr 11 | Hacker to be served with arrest warrant anew over kindergarten threat |
 Police will serve a man who has been indicated over a series of online threats with an arrest warrant anew on a charge of threatening by e-mail last August to attack a kindergarten in Tokyo, informed sources said Wednesday. (Jiji Press ) |
| Apr 10 | One year of support left for Windows XP and Office 2003 |
 Windows XP users have one full year left of extended support by Microsoft before the plug is pulled. A year from now Microsoft will no longer be offering updates, for security issues nor any other reasons. (hexus.net ) |
| Apr 08 | Messaging app Line's kawaii characters get their own cartoon series in Japan |
| Line's animated characters, which helped it become one of Asia's top messaging apps with more than 120 million users, now have their own cartoon series. (techcrunch.com) |
| Apr 07 | The rise of the bitcoin: Virtual gold or cyber-bubble? |
| A currency surging in value at a breathtaking rate over the past week belongs to no nation and is issued by no central bank. It can be used to buy gold in California, a hamburger in Berlin or a house in Alberta. When desired, it can offer largely untraceable transactions. (Washington Post) |
| Apr 06 | One in three uses smartphone in Japan |
| One out of three people uses a smartphone in Japan, with the rate almost doubling over the last year, a survey by Central Research Services Inc. showed Friday. (Jiji Press) |
| Apr 05 | NTT East site hacked |
 NTT East Corp. said Thursday the exclusive Web site for members of its Flet's Hikari optical broadband service has been hacked. (Jiji Press ) |
| Apr 05 | Japanese web portals hacked, up to 100,000 accounts compromised |
 Two of Japan's major Internet portals, Yahoo Japan and Goo, were hacked earlier this week, with Goo warning that as many as 100,000 user accounts were compromised, including financial details. (techworld.com.au ) |
| Apr 01 | Computer beats active 'shogi' pro for first time |
 A computer programmed to play "shogi," also known as Japanese chess, defeated an active professional player in a public match for the first time ever Saturday. (Japan Times ) |
| Mar 29 | Japan police to launch national cyber crime force |
 Japan will launch a 140-strong nationwide police task force next week to fight cyber attacks, including those from abroad, the National Police Agency said Thursday. (phys.org ) |
| Mar 28 | Internet access criminals hit record high in Japan last year |
 The number of people police took action against in Japan last year on suspicion of violating a law banning illegal access to computer networks rose from 40 to 154, the highest since the law took effect in 2000, the National Police Agency said Thursday. (Kyodo ) |
| Mar 28 | Google adds street views of Japan nuclear zone |
 Concrete rubble litters streets lined with shuttered shops and dark windows. A collapsed roof juts from the ground. A ship sits stranded on a stretch of dirt flattened when the tsunami roared across the coastline. There isn't a person in sight.
(AP ) |
| Mar 28 | Chat app Line releases safety guide for girl teens after string of incidents |
 Line, the chat app that is exploding in popularity in Japan and other Asian countries, has published an online safety guide for teens after a string of incidents in which it was used to maliciously target young women. (networkworld.com ) |
| Mar 26 | Japan: Where the iPad is changing lives |
 Applications unique to Japan are blossoming here thanks to Apple's (AAPL) iPad. In the absence of a popular home-grown alternative, domestic app makers have come up with some unusual -- sometimes inspiring -- approaches. (Fortune) |
| Mar 20 | OS 6.1.3 fixes lock screen bypass, improves maps in Japan |
 Apple on Tuesday released iOS 6.1.3, a minor update to the operating system that powers iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. Included in the update is a fix for a recently discovered means of breaking past the lock screen, along with Maps improvements for Japan. (macworld.com) |
| Mar 18 | Fujitsu says smartphones can take your pulse |
 A smartphone that can take the pulse of a user just by looking at his or her face was unveiled in Japan on Monday. (Global Post) |
| Mar 18 | Pulp fibers to be developed into display screens |
| A Japanese paper maker and a chemical company have jointly developed transparent paper from pulp fiber. The new material is expected to be used in tablet computer displays. (NHK) |
| Mar 18 | Panasonic eyeing withdrawal from plasma TV operations |
| Panasonic Corp. is considering withdrawing from plasma television operations possibly in fiscal 2014 as part of efforts to focus more on profitable products, corporate sources said Monday. (Kyodo) |
| Mar 18 | ASAHI Net LTE service launched - from only 785 yen/month |
| ASAHI Net, Inc. (TSE 1st Section, Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, President: Kimiya Yamamoto) started to offer the ASAHI Net LTE service on 4th March 2013. (asahi-net.jp) |
| Mar 13 | Apple quietly updates Maps in Japan |
 Apple this week quietly made behind-the-scenes changes to its mapping service in Japan, fixing a handful of shortcomings. Chief among them are changes to pronunciation during turn-by-turn navigation, a key feature introduced in Apple's own mapping service in iOS 6. (CNET ) |
| Mar 08 | From Line to puzzles and dragons, Japan rocks the world at app monetization |
 New data from AppAnnie paints an interesting picture of amazing smartphone growth in Japan and Asia, along with some huge successes for Japanese social apps and games. (techinasia.com ) |
| Mar 08 | Dominos Japan gives you an augmented reality pop singer in box |
 The latest tech-powered promo from Dominos Japan harnesses the popularity of the country's biggest virtual idol Hatsune Miku via a new iPhone app. The free app allows users to order directly from Miku, view special Miku uniform designs created by the Dominos staff, check your order status in real-time, and even take photos with the virtual idol. (dvice.com ) |
| Mar 07 | World's smallest phone launched in Japan |
 It may look like a toy, but Japanese phone firm Willcom has unveiled the world's smallest mobile phone. (Daily Mail ) |
| Mar 05 | January's domestic PC shipments hit record low |
 Domestic shipments of personal computers in Japan plunged to a record low in January. (NHK ) |
| Mar 02 | Microsoft's tablet computer finally coming to Japan in search of sales |
 Microsoft Corp.'s first-ever tablet computer will hit the Japanese market in two weeks, the company said Friday, hoping to break the iPad's domination. (Japan Times ) |
| Mar 01 | Over 1,000 targeted cyber-attacks hit Japanese entities in 2012 |
 A total of 1,009 targeted email cyber-attacks hit Japanese companies and other institutions last year, the National Police Agency said Thursday. (Japan Times ) |
| Mar 01 | Japan court rejects Samsung claim against Apple |
 A Japanese court Thursday rejected a claim by Samsung that Apple stole its technology, in the latest round of a global legal battle between the smartphone giants over patents. (AFP ) |
| Mar 01 | Amazon Japan taking preorders for new tablet |
 Amazon Japan K.K. has started taking preorders for its new Kindle Fire HD 8.9 tablet computer.
(Yomiuri ) |
| Feb 26 | Largest carriers in China, Japan, Korea agree on NFC 'roaming' |
| The largest mobile operators in China, Japan, and Korea have agreed on common standards for touch-card technology, clearing the way for travellers across East Asia to user their phones for travel and payments. (cio.com) |
| Feb 23 | TDK humidifier identified as cause of nursing home fire that killed 4 |
 The president of electronics company TDK Corp said Friday that a TDK humidifier which was subject to recall was likely the cause of a fatal fire at a Nagasaki nursing care home for people with senile dementia. (Japan Today ) |