Tootfinder

Sony unveils a cheaper, Japan-only PlayStation 5 Digital Edition for ~$350, a ~25% discount, following a similar move by Nintendo with the Switch 2 (Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/f6edb22a-0b19-4073-9e28-ec29b096dde3

Sony launches cheaper Japan-only PlayStation 5 console
Region-locked version at 25% discount in move to boost domestic sales

🍚 Race to secure 2025 rice crop heats up, lifting prices
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/17/japan/new-rice-crop-competition/
🆓

Race to secure 2025 rice crop heats up, lifting prices
Competition to secure new-crop rice is intensifying, pushing up the provisional payments that agricultural cooperatives advance to growers.

iOS und Android: Neue Nintendo-App erlaubt auch Shopping
Der japanische Spielekonzern betreibt schon seit 2020 in Japan eine eigene Shopping-App. Die landet nun auch im Westen – inklusive EU.
https://www.

U.S. plans to ask visitors to disclose 5 years of social media history

The proposal would affect travelers from countries on the visa waiver program,
including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Japan and South Korea
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration

U.S. plans to ask visitors to disclose 5 years of social media history
The proposal would affect travelers from countries on the visa waiver program, including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Japan and South Korea.

From predator to plate: Japan's bear crisis sparks culinary craze - The Japan Times
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/08/japan/japan-bear-crisis-sparks-culinary-craze/

When I build my time machine, the first thing I will do is travel back to the 90s in Japan and kill all the people who made those horribly broken support websites that couldn't be properly archived and all the drivers are now lost

Kimi Onoda, Japan's new Minister of State for Economic Security, is a 43 year old half-Irish ex-game industry PR femcel with an extensive history of defending her exclusive attraction to anime boys on twitter

I think I've met more interesting western #expats in a week in #Malaysia than I do in a year in #Japan.

Robo-Buddhism
https://uwm.edu/letters-science/event/robo-buddhism-kokoro-technology-and-spirituality-in-japan-today/

A 17-year-old in Japan allegedly asked ChatGPT for ways to bypass the security of the Kaikatsu Club internet cafe chain and used it to launch malware that stole over 7 million pieces of personal data.
Japan teen arrested for alleged ChatGPT-assisted cyberattacks
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/new

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #Roadhouse
Soul Dog:
🎵 Soul Dog
#SoulDog
https://h-a-f.bandcamp.com/track/japanese-dog-soul

Two years ago, I was in South Korea—definitely the highlight of that year. The food was amazing, the winter vibes were perfect, and everything was so affordable.
But for a long time, I’d had Japan on my list. I’ve been checking plane tickets now and then, only to watch the prices climb higher by the minute. Even though flying to Tokyo is just an hour or two longer than flying to Seoul, it’s nearly twice as expensive. So, I decided to go back to South Korea instead.
This time, I’l…

Japan faces bottlenecks in data center construction due to labor shortages and more; DC Byte says Japan's capacity has tripled to 6.8 GW in the past five years (Tsubasa Suruga/Nikkei Asia)
https://asia.nikkei.com/business/techn

Bottlenecks in data center construction threaten Japan's AI ambitions
Labor shortages, rising costs and outdated building processes delay construction

Japan: Drohnen vergrämen Bären mit Hundegebell und Feuerwerkskörpern
Die zunehmende Anzahl von Bären in Japan stellt ein Problem für die Bevölkerung dar. Die Stadt Hida setzt Drohnen ein, um Bären fernzuhalten.

Dental hygiene key to predicting mortality, Japanese researchers find - The Japan Times
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/05/japan/science-health/elderly-dental-hygiene/

Jun Togawa - “An Army of Bugs” (1984)
Japanese avant-garde musician singing quite theatrically about bugs 🐛 🐞
#music #Japan
https://www.y…

Heikle Provokation - China-Kampfjets sorgen vor Japan für Schreckmoment #News #Nachrichten

Japan is building the world's largest liquefied hydrogen carrier — a massive 40,000 cubic meter vessel set to revolutionize clean energy transport by the 2030s.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Japan Suiso Energy are teaming up on this groundbreaking ship, which will run on both diesel and hydrogen fuel. It features specialized tanks and advanced insulation to keep the super-cold liquid hydrogen stable during ocean voyages.

Japanese companies to build world’s largest liquefied hydrogen carrier
Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Japan Suiso Energy will construct a 40,000 cubic meter vessel designed to meet global hydrogen demand in the 2030s.

plant_pol_kato: Kato plant-pollinator web
A bipartite network of plants and pollinators from Kyoto University Forest of Ashu, Japan, from 1984 to 1987. Edge weights represent frequency of interactions.
This network has 772 nodes and 1206 edges.
Tags: Biological, Food web, Weighted
https://networks.skewed.d…

🌟 Astrocytes are superstars in the game of long-term memory
#memory

Astrocytes are superstars in the game of long-term memory
Why are we able to recall only some of our past experiences? A new study led by Jun Nagai at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan has an answer. Surprisingly, it turns out that the brain cells responsible for stabilizing memories aren't neurons. Rather, they are astrocytes, a type of glial cell that is usually thought of as a role player in the game of learning and memory.

Unser heutiger Ausflug führte uns zunächst zum Tempel Horyu-ji - einem der ältesten buddhistischen Tempel in Japan aus dem 7. Jahrhundert. Er ist zugleich der Tempel mit einigen der ältesten erhaltenen Holzbauwerken der Welt. Dazu zählt die Pagode und die Haupthalle, die noch aus der Gründungszeit des Tempels stammen. #Horyuji
Nach dem schon regnerischen Aufenthalt dort ging es zum Freizeit…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2025/dec/02/fading-japan-showa-era-in-pictures

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #Roadhouse
Soul Dog:
🎵 Soul Dog
#SoulDog
https://h-a-f.bandcamp.com/track/japanese-dog-soul

Kirschblütenvorhersage 2026: https://wanderweib.de/tipps-kirschblueten-kalender-vorhersage-japan/

"Historisch wird in Japan kein wirklicher Unterschied zwischen der Wahrnehmung der #Farben #blau und #grün gemacht. Eventuell könnte dies das an der Insellage und dem umgebenen Meer liegen, das meist wie eine Mi…

Japan prepares for threats – defense budget rises to historic high #shorts: https://benborges.xyz/2025/12/26/japan-prepares-for-threats-defense.html

In the closing days of the Biden administration, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology Anne Neuberger warned,
“China is targeting critical infrastructure in the United States.”

That sounds like the sort of thing the U.S. government might want to do something about.
But apparently not;
On Dec. 3, the Financial Times reported that the Trump administration had
“halted plans to impose sanctions on China’s Ministry of State Security

What Trump lets China do for buying U.S. soybeans
The president is buddy-buddy with Xi and won’t let cyberattacks or saber-rattling get in the way.

In talks with Xi and Takaichi, Trump looks to strike a delicate balance (Jesse Johnson/The Japan Times)
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/25/japan/trump-xi-taiwan-china-us-japan-analysis/
http://www.memeorandum.com/251125/p69#a251125p69

Urban Flexitarians Are Driving Japan’s Vegan Tuna Boom, Says New Report https://plantbasednews.org/news/alternative-protein/urban-flexitarians-japan-vegan-tuna-boom/

Urban Flexitarians Are Driving Japan's Vegan Tuna Boom, Says New Report
According to a new in-depth report by Future Market Insights, Japan’s vegan tuna boom is driven primarily by urban flexitarians

@… fedibird.comに引っ越してきた人は、
このURLにアクセスするとMastodon Japan Serverのローカルタイムラインのようなものがみられるので（ドメインタイムラインという機能）

Japanese media giant Nikkei reports Slack breach exposing employee and partner records https://therecord.media/japan-nikkei-slack-breach

I was very excited (as folks could tell) and honored about having given the keynote at @… this year in Nara, Japan. Thanks everyone for their very kind reception of the talk! Thanks for inviting me!
I was talking about Wikipedia and the Semantic Web - 20 years of co-development and the future, sketching out how the two have and keep influencing each oth…

Here's an interesting take on disappearing bookstores. In Japan, some stores are leasing bookshelves.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/27/japan/society/japan-bookstore-shelves-lease/

European 'kei cars' are on their way. Big in Japan, these smaller, lighter cars with reduced safety requirements were introduced to support the country's automotive industry. Now, they should come to the rescue of the EU's car industry, too.
Or will Asian manufacturers quickly take the lead?

I told you - she's one of dem Good Billionaires!
#AllBillionairesAreEvil

Taylor Swift Breaks Political Silence To Throw Support Behind Restoring Shōgun To Throne Of Japan
NEW YORK—In a heartfelt social media statement to her fans, singer–songwriter Taylor Swift broke her long-standing political silence Monday to support restoring an all-powerful shōgun to its rightful place on the throne of Japan. “Hey guys, Taylor here—I’m writing this post because I’ve been inspired by recent events to speak up about why we need to install an all-powerful military dictatorship in Japan’s imperial palace,” said the famously apolitical pop star, admitting that i…

Japan Review 40 published https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20136358/japan-review-40-published

A Japanese court orders Cloudflare to pay a ~$3.2M fine to four major Japanese publishers for its role in hosting servers for manga piracy sites (The Japan Times)
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/20/japan/crime-legal/cloudflare-manga-piracy/

Japanese court orders Cloudflare to pay ¥500 million over manga piracy
Four major publishing firms accused Cloudflare of copyright infringement for its role in hosting sites that distribute pirated copies of manga titles.

Sources: Micron plans to invest $9.6B in Japan to build a production facility for next-gen HBM memory chips beginning in 2026, with shipments expected in 2028 (Ryo Mukano/Nikkei Asia)
https://asia.nikkei.com/business/tech/s…

Micron to invest $9.6bn in western Japan to make AI memory chips
US company's decision enables Japan to secure domestic access to key components

New toy: Font coverage analyzer (alpha)
blueset.github.io/font-coverage/

When Russia and Japan Went to War - Sarah Paine - YouTube
#russie #histoire

This CSO letter submitted today has a single #China/#HongKong entity, China Labour Bulletin.
Which self-dissolved in mid-2025...
https://foejapan.org/en/issue/20251205/27117/

Call for the Suspension of Irresponsible Nickel Development in Palawan, the Philippines — More Than a Decade Without Effective Environmental Measures, Leaving Community Rights at Risk — International Petition (8,411 Signatories from 36 Countries; 90 Organizations from 40 Countries) Submitted to Sumitomo Metal Mining | Friends of the Earth Japan
Ahead of Human Rights Day on December 10, an international petition calling for the suspe...

Ukraine's Deaflympians top the Deaflympics table 🏅🏆
@… https://channels.im/@alojapan/115660110549364623

Gives the tragedy of the Russian aggression of Ukraine its full depth. :-(

Trotz DMA-artigem Gesetz: Epic bietet „Fortnite“ weiter nicht in Japan an
Apple setzt in Japan die Öffnung seiner iOS-Plattform und seines App Store um. Epic-Boss Tim Sweeney reicht das aber noch nicht: "Fortnite" bleibt draußen.

Meanwhile, in Japan:
A bicycle won a professional wrestling championship!
The bicycle named: "HyperMi Dramatic Dream", which was 'modified' by Hyper Misao (A wrestler) ran over Shoko Nakajima (another wrestler) and long enough to get the 3 count.
HyperMi Dramatic Dream became the 1799th DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion.
Their reign would be short-lived, as Mahiro Kiryu would pin the bicycle to regain the championship.

Japan ermahnt OpenAI wegen Urheberrechtsverstößen KI-generierter Anime-Videos
Sora 2 erzeugt KI-Videos auch mit Anime-, Manga- und Spielcharakteren. Die japanische Regierung will das nicht länger dulden und stellt OpenAI zur Rede.

Japan frustrated at Trump administration's silence over row with China (Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/bf8b5def-db4d-43ac-91cf-bea5fcfa3189
http://www.memeorandum.com/251207/p42#a251207p42

Japan Ruling Party Proposes Cutting Subsidies for Solar Projects | Financial Post
https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/japan-ruling-party-proposes-cutting-subsidies-for-solar-projects

plant_pol_kato: Kato plant-pollinator web
A bipartite network of plants and pollinators from Kyoto University Forest of Ashu, Japan, from 1984 to 1987. Edge weights represent frequency of interactions.
This network has 772 nodes and 1206 edges.
Tags: Biological, Food web, Weighted
https://networks.skewed.d…

🤑 Nearly Half of Young Japanese Workers Spend Big on Fandom Activities
https://www.tokyoweekender.com/japan-life/news-and-opinion/young-japanese-workers-spend-big-on-idol-fandom/

Nearly 50% of Young Japanese Workers Are Investing in Idol Fandom Activities
A recent survey suggests that Japanese 20-somethings are increasingly turning to fandom culture for motivation at work.

Japan Review 40 published https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20136359/japan-review-40-published

Bank account: "Did you just book hotels in Japan?"
Me: "oh i did"
Seems like I'm going to japan, next year!
#japan #travel #asia

Japans neuer Raumtransporter dockt an die ISS an
Fünf Jahre lang war Japan auf andere Raumtransporter angewiesen. Jetzt kann die Jaxa wieder selbst Versorgungsgüter zur ISS bringen.
https://www.

Was in Japan übrigens so nebenbei zum Thema gemacht wird:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DSqy86IAJPZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Japan Daily on Instagram: "For the first time in Japan, foreign nationals have begun driving local bus routes under the Specified Skilled Worker program to address severe labor shortages. Tokyo Bus launched the initiative on December 23 in Tokyo and Okinawa, hiring five drivers from the Philippines after long-term training. The company says even higher wages have not attracted enough domestic drivers, making outside talent necessary. New drivers initially operate with support from Japanese staff and are expected to work independently after several months. Industry leaders hope the move will stabilize bus services and ensure passenger safety. Public understanding and continued training will be important as Japan adapts to workforce shortages in essential public services. @YAHOO"
85 likes, 11 comments - japandaily_jp on December 24, 2025: "For the first time in Japan, foreign nationals have begun driving local bus routes under the Specified Skilled Worker program to address severe labor shortages. Tokyo Bus launched the initiative on December 23 in Tokyo and Okinawa, hiring five drivers from the Philippines after long-term training. The company says even higher wages have not attracted enough domestic drivers, making outside talent necessary. New drivers initially ope…

iPhone-Regulierung: Warum Apple mit Japan besser klarkommt als mit Europa
In Japan tritt am 18. Dezember ein Gesetz in Kraft, das dem Digital Markets Act (DMA) in Europa stark ähnelt. Trotzdem ist Apple entspannt. Woran liegt das?

Samsung’s profit triples after AI supercharges memory market - The Japan Times
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/08/companies/samsung-profit-triples/

Japanese regulators' plan to cull the smallest listings on the Tokyo Stock Exchange is spurring a record number of startup buyouts in Japan, while IPOs slump (Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-20/de…

Deals for Startups Reach Record in Japan Before Listing Curbs
A plan to cull the smallest listings on the Tokyo Stock Exchange is spurring a record number of buyouts of young companies in Japan, reflecting Tokyo’s push to create more billion-dollar startups to better match the country’s global standing in scientific research.

The $550 Billion Shadow Budget: Trump's Japan Deal and the Disappearing Appropriations Clause (Scott Levy/Just Security)
https://www.justsecurity.org/123478/trump-japan-deal-appropriations-clause/
http://www.memeorandum.com/251030/p142#a251030p142

https://finimize.com/content/ransomware-snarls-muji-and-loft-online-orders-in-japan
Ransomware Snarls Muji And Loft Online Orders In Japan

OpenAI launches its Sora app on Android, including in the US, Canada, and Japan; the app got 1M downloads in the five days after its September iOS launch (Emma Roth/The Verge)
https://www.theverge.com/news/813533/openai-sora-android-launch

OpenAI launches its Sora app on Android
OpenAI has launched Sora on Android, giving more people access to its AI-generated video feed.

Washington's cap-and-invest auctions have raised billions now funding transit, heat pumps, and clean energy projects. Japan is activating multi-trillion-yen green finance for resilience and transition. China commissioned a 1 GW floating solar farm paired with aquaculture.
Policy meets practice, at scale.
Sign up for the For People And Planet climate solutions digest:

Weekly Climate Solutions Digest
Welcome First light of the year rises thin and tender, and somewhere a wren stitches the cold air with a single bright note. It feels like a cue to pay attention to what is being quietly built. This week gathers a clear theme of capacity made real. Money meets materials,

I think I got uninvited to be a guest on a podcast run by an expat in #Japan because she didn't like a post where I called convenience store #food #unhealthy & the same as eating fast food.

Freitag: Millionen für deutsches Raketen-Start-up, Japan gegen OpenAIs KI-Videos
Finanzierung einer Weltraumrakete Kritik an Anime-Videos von Sora 2 Lyft expandiert international Sprachbedienung von Windows 11 Datenschutz-Podcast

Apple unveils iOS changes in Japan to comply with local law, including alternative app stores and payment options, a new fee structure, and new default controls (Juli Clover/MacRumors)
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/12/17/japan-app-store-feature-updates/

Japan App Store Gets Alternative Marketplaces, Third-Party Payments and More
Apple today introduced several changes to the App Store in Japan to meet the requirements of the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA) that goes...

🛀 Japan Unveils Human Washing Machine, Now You Can Get Washed Like Laundry
https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/japan-launches-human-washing-machine-for-public-use-after-expo-success-9721446

plant_pol_kato: Kato plant-pollinator web
A bipartite network of plants and pollinators from Kyoto University Forest of Ashu, Japan, from 1984 to 1987. Edge weights represent frequency of interactions.
This network has 772 nodes and 1206 edges.
Tags: Biological, Food web, Weighted
https://networks.skewed.d…

Indiana governor Mike Braun announced today that he is calling a special session to consider redrawing congressional districts in the state, the latest Republican state to work on its maps ahead of 2026.
Indiana is one of several Republican-led states that the Trump administration has pressured to undertake mid-decade redistricting to favor Republicans,
-- which began with a push in Texas to redraw lines to add Republican seats.
“I am calling a special legislative session to…

https://www.instagram.com/p/DSbtXuCCe9Y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Japan Daily on Instagram: "Marty Friedman, an American musician based in Japan, visited a junior high school in Chiba at an event organized by local police to promote coexistence with foreigners. Speaking to first-year students, he said that 99.9% of foreigners who come to Japan are not dangerous and are often eager to communicate with Japanese people. He encouraged students to learn foreign languages and approach others without fear. Friedman also shared a personal story about forgetting his wallet in Japan, highlighting the country’s honesty. The event aimed to help young people understand cultural differences as foreign visitors and workers increase. Learning with empathy can reduce tension and improve everyday interactions. Source:TOKYO NP"
2,062 likes, 113 comments - japandaily_jp on December 18, 2025: "Marty Friedman, an American musician based in Japan, visited a junior high school in Chiba at an event organized by local police to promote coexistence with foreigners. Speaking to first-year students, he said that 99.9% of foreigners who come to Japan are not dangerous and are often eager to communicate with Japanese people. He encouraged students to learn foreign languages and approach others without fear. Friedman also shar…

Apples Siri kann ausgetauscht werden – zunächst in Japan und via Seitentaste
Apple folgt einer Anweisung der japanischen Regierung und macht es demnächst möglich, Siri-Alternativen direkt aufzurufen.

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #AfternoonShow
Japan:
🎵 Quiet Life
#Japan
https://brasslampedits.bandcamp.com/track/japan-quiet-life-brass-lamp-dub
https://open.spotify.com/track/7GTcfdzY73zsDINXbBzV7B

United States-Japan Framework (President Donald J. Trump/The White House)
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/10/united-states-japan-framework-for-securing-the-supply-of-critical-minerals-and-rare-earths-through-mining-and-processing/
http://www.memeorandum.com/251028/p50#a251028p50

We're halfway through the post-Thanksgiving week, and the cyber news machine is cranking back up again, so check out today's Metacurity for the critical infosec developments you should know, including
--Indian government retreats from spy app mandate,
--US DOJ seizes Myanmar scam center website,
--Coupang execs sold company stock before breach was announced,
--Coupang is reviewing compensation for breach victims,
--Korea's Gmarket hit by string of una…

Indian government retreats from spy app mandate
US DOJ seizes Myanmar scam center website, Coupang execs sold company stock before breach was announced, Coupang is reviewing compensation for breach victims, Korea's Gmarket hit by string of unauthorized payments, Japan's Askul internet service resumes one month post-breach, much more

Japan's 2026 Oscar entry Kokuho grosses more than $111M, breaking the country's 22-year-old box office record for a domestic live-action film (Mayumi Negishi/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-25…

JPYC gibt an den Yen gekoppelten Stablecoin heraus
In Japan ist eine neue Kryptowährung gestartet. Sie ist an die Landeswährung gekoppelt.
https://www.heise.de/news/JPYC-gibt-an-den

Japan Review 40 published
https://ift.tt/I3TK0nM
Mining the Logs: Sources on Blue Humor URL …
via Input 4 RELCFP https://ift.tt/vMXlZkp

Japanese chipmaker Rapidus plans to start building a second plant in Hokkaido in fiscal 2027, aiming to make advanced 1.4nm chips as early as 2029 (Nikkei Asia)
https://asia.nikkei.com/business/tech/semiconductors…

Japan's Rapidus to build cutting-edge 1.4-nm chip plant in race with TSMC
Construction to begin in fiscal 2027, production to start as early as 2029

Fact check: 11 false claims Trump made to the troops in Japan (Daniel Dale/CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/28/politics/fact-check-trump-japan-troops
http://www.memeorandum.com/251028/p122#a251028p122

OK, also hier ist die Geschichte hinter dem Tofu Jizo (scroll down to "Tofu Bean Curd Jizo at Tofuku-in Temple"). Zur Verehrungspraxis: "Nowadays people come here to rub the hand or arm of the Jizo statue, with the hope to heal their own wounds and get rid of pain."
https://

Gofunai temples 20 and 21
Henro Pilgrims in Edo Gofunai, Japan Kyosho-In, Tofuku-In

Regulierung: Alternative App-Stores in Brasilien – und umstrittene Apple-Gebühr
Nach der EU und Japan sowie teilweise Südkorea und den USA muss Apple auch in Brasilien das iPhone öffnen. Entwickler sind nur semibegeistert.

Trump inspires a new wave of nationalism -- from Japan to Argentina (Daniel McCarthy/New York Post)
https://nypost.com/2025/10/27/opinion/trump-inspires-a-new-wave-of-nationalism-from-japan-to-argentina/
http://www.memeorandum.com/251028/p44#a251028p44

Sources: Masayoshi Son plans with the White House to build "Trump Industrial Parks" in the US to produce AI infrastructure parts, funded by Japan's trade deal (Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/tech/trump-softbank-ma

[Rescheduled to December 12] Professor John Breen - Ise Now: Shrine, Myth, Nation in 21st Century Japan https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20133860/rescheduled-december-12-professor-john-breen-ise-now-shrine-myth<…

Legacy news sources in #Japan aren’t doing their part in engaging younger audiences. I sat down with Japan Today to discuss why the new generation is turning to #TikTok clips and #Line updates instead of

From the neoclassical station entrance
— with its massive emerald-green sliding steel doors, pyramid-like roof and domed ceiling
— to the wide concrete staircases leading down to the cool, musty underground platform and tracks, the station exudes a peculiar mix of mystery and urban decay.
“Be careful, there’s iron dust, mud and oil everywhere,” says Mamoru Iwai,
Keisei Ueno Station’s stationmaster and my guide inside Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station,

Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
A sealed 1930s subway platform beneath Shimbashi Station still holds traces of what the capital looked like before the war.

Japan's New Prime Minister Has an Advantage in Winning Over Trump (Javier C. Hernšndez/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/world/asia/japan-trump-takaichi.html
http://www.memeorandum.com/251027/p73#a251027p73

Einhörner unter Notebooks: Fujitsu-Modelle mit Wechselakku & Blu-ray-Laufwerk
Fujitsu zeigt in Japan, dass auch leichte Notebooks einen einfach wechselbaren Akku haben können. Ein 16-Zöller kommt zudem mit optischem Laufwerk.

Tokyo-based Sakana AI becomes Japan's most valuable unicorn at a ~$2.6B valuation, following a ~$130M raise from Mitsubishi UFJ Financial and US VC firms (Nikkei Asia)
https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/a…

Sakana AI takes crown as Japan's most valuable unicorn
AI developer valued at $2.63bn in latest funding round

🗾 Japan’s new PM faces sumo-sized dilemma: will Takaichi defy the sport’s ban on women?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/12/japan-pm-sumo-wrestling-ban-women

Japan’s new PM faces sumo-sized dilemma: will Takaichi defy the sport’s ban on women?
Women are banned from entering the ‘sacred’ dohyo. Sanae Takaichi is undecided on whether to attend a trophy presentation later this month

Japan's Cabinet OKs record defense budget that aims to deter China (Mari Yamaguchi/Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/japan-defense-spending-china-missile-221b2cb5da0760d6e07f63ac01deba93
http://www.memeorandum.com/251226/p8#a251226p8

For railway enthusiasts and ruin hunters alike,
these so-called "phantom stations" that have ceased service
offer a glimpse into Tokyo’s past.
Hidden from daily view and often closed to the public, they mark moments of transition in the capital’s transit history
— from the early years of railway and subway construction to the rapid postwar rebuild.
More than curiosities, they stand as weathered industrial records of how Tokyo has expanded, reconfigur…

Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
A sealed 1930s subway platform beneath Shimbashi Station still holds traces of what the capital looked like before the war.

[Rescheduled to December 12] Professor John Breen - Ise Now: Shrine, Myth, Nation in 21st Century Japan
https://ift.tt/1j0IE6D
Critical Survey (Vol. 34, Issue 2) Dear Colleague, The latest issue of Critical Survey…
via Input 4 RELCFP

OpenAI launches its Sora app on Android, including in the US, Canada, and Japan; the app reached 1M downloads in the five days after its September iOS launch (Emma Roth/The Verge)
https://www.theverge.com/news/813533/openai-sora-android-launch

OpenAI launches its Sora app on Android
OpenAI has launched Sora on Android, giving more people access to its AI-generated video feed.

Es gibt ja in Japan diese "Plain Halloween" (地味ハロウィン) Reihe, wo Menschen alltägliche Szenen in realistischer Verkleidung nachstellen. Die Serie von 2025 ist noch nicht draußen, aber hier als Service die von 2024 maschinell übersetzt:
https://

地味ハロウィン2024 開催レポート・前編
2024年10月27日、東京カルチャーカルチャーで地味ハロウィンが開催された。1年にいちど、地味が輝くイベントだ。そのレポート前編です。 (デイリーポータルZ)

SoftBank Group Corp was among the Japanese tech stocks that fell on Dec. 18, as AI infrastructure spending worries on Wall Street crossed into the Asian markets (Lim Hui Jie/CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/18/japan-tech-stocks-plun…

SoftBank leads decline in Japanese tech stocks as worries over AI spending spill over to Asia
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slipped 1.81%, dragged by losses in Oracle, Broadcom, Nvidia and other AI names.

Japanese fintech JPYC launches a yen-pegged stablecoin, the country's first, and its issuance platform JPYC EX, targeting $65.4B in circulation in three years (Timmy Shen/The Block)
https://www.theblock.co/post/376199/japan-jpyc-launches-yen-stablecoin

Trump threatens to send 'more than National Guard' to US cities (Julia Manchester/The Hill)
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5576016-trump-national-guard-deployment-speech-japan/
http://www.memeorandum.com/251028/p41#a251028p41

Trump, After Call With China's Xi, Told Tokyo to Lower the Volume on Taiwan (Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/world/china/trump-after-call-with-chinas-xi-told-japan-to-lower-the-volume-on-taiwan-3af795d6?st=zbK7Me&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
http://www.memeorandum.com/251126/p116#a251126p116

The Japanese government says it formally requested that OpenAI refrain from infringing on Japanese IPs, such as anime, calling them "irreplaceable treasures" (Verity Townsend/IGN)

Japanese Government Calls on Sora 2 Maker OpenAI to Refrain From Copyright Infringement, Says Characters From Manga and Anime Are 'Irreplaceable Treasures' That Japan Boasts to the World - IGN
The Japanese government has made a formal request asking OpenAI to refrain from copyright infringement. This comes as a response to Sora 2’s ability to generate videos featuring the likenesses of copyrighted characters from anime and video games.

General Atlantic purchases a $96M minority stake in Japanese HR software unicorn SmartHR, marking the PE firm's first growth equity investment in Japan (Lisa Du/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-…

Tim Sweeney says Fortnite will not return to iOS in Japan in 2025, as Apple is "charging a competition-crushing 21% junk fee on third-party in-app payments" (Tim Sweeney/@timsweeneyepic)
https://x.com/timsweeneyepic/status/2001494517996732598

Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) on X
Sadly, Fortnite will not return to iOS in Japan in 2025 as promised. Apple was required to open up iOS to competing stores today, and instead of doing so honestly, they have launched another travesty of obstruction and lawbreaking in gross disrespect to the government and people