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July 03, 2026
 

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AI

Despite repeated technological upheavals, finance has preserved its profits by reinventing fee-generating services. But the rise of AI could ultimately render much of the industry irrelevant.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2026
AI threatens the finance industry’s perpetual profit machine
The utopian promise of AI is abundance, but the only guaranteed beneficiaries are the super elites that own the machines.
Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI Inc., during BlackRock’s 2026 Infrastructure Summit in Washington on March 11.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 1, 2026
OpenAI valued at $852 billion after completing $122 billion round
The bulk of the financing, which had been in the works for months, came from three large tech companies.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi exchange bows during a news conference following their summit in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 31, 2026
At Japan-Indonesia summit, energy security takes center stage amid war in Middle East
The two Asian nations’ leaders on Tuesday pledged to coordinate closely on this issue, as oil and gas prices soar due to the ongoing war.
When downloaded, OpenClaw can be connected to existing AI models and given simple instructions through instant messaging apps.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 31, 2026
OpenClaw creator visits Tokyo to pitch AI agents that organize your life
The artificial intelligence agent tool has taken the tech world by storm with its ability to execute real-life tasks and connect with existing AI models.
While hybrid intelligence via brain-computer interfaces may one day be possible, experts warn that for healthy adults — or children who cannot consent — the risks likely outweigh the benefits.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2026
Boosting your brain with a chip carries a price
While hybrid intelligence via brain-computer interfaces may one day be possible, experts warn that for healthy adults and children, the risks likely outweigh the benefits.
An Australian man’s monthslong quest to fight his rescue mutt Rosie’s cancer using artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT has grabbed the attention of OpenAI boss Sam Altman.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 30, 2026
One man, his dog, and ChatGPT: Australia’s AI vaccine saga
Australian Paul Conyngham used artificial intelligence to design a personalized experimental treatment for his sick dog and find top scientists to administer it.
Texas State Rep. James Talarico, who won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in the Texas primary election, greets supporters after speaking at his victory party in Austin, Texas, on March 4.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 30, 2026
AI deepfakes blur reality in 2026 U.S. midterm campaigns
Politics experts worry such videos could leave voters confused, or even deceived.
SoftBank’s latest bet on OpenAI comes on top of more than $30 billion the company has already injected into the startup.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 28, 2026
SoftBank secures record $40 billion bridge loan for OpenAI stake
The loan is SoftBank’s largest-ever borrowing denominated solely in dollars.
A photo provided by the U.S. Central Command shows LUCAS drones, made by SpektreWorks. After years of criticism and financial risk, Palantir, Anthropic and small startups are generating rewards from their investments in defense tech.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 26, 2026
Tech startups’ role in U.S.-Israeli war on Iran shows changing shape of conflict
For the first time, military-industrial pillars like Lockheed Martin and Boeing are being joined by rising technology giants Palantir, Anthropic and Anduril.
The outline of a 2026 white paper on small and medium-size companies points out that "maintaining the status quo is the greatest risk" to corporate management at a time when the business environment is changing.
BUSINESS
Mar 25, 2026
Government wants small firms to enhance business literacy
The outline emphasizes that quality control and management planning capabilities should be enhanced.
Many high school textbooks to be used from fiscal 2027 have descriptions about generative AI.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2026
High school textbooks to teach various aspects of generative AI
A total of 220 textbooks for 11 subjects have passed the second round of screenings conducted under the current curriculum guidelines.
The U.S. health care sector has been expanding as baby boomers retire, Social Security rolls rise and medical advances extend lifespans.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 25, 2026
Health care can’t be the only job in town — but it is
Health care is a labor-intensive industry that’s become more central to the economy as baby boomers retire.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company is focusing its efforts on AI agents and a new artificial intelligence model called Spud, as it moves to discontinue its Sora AI video generator.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 25, 2026
OpenAI discontinues support for Sora and winds down Disney deal
In a note to staff about the changes, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company is focusing its efforts on AI agents and a new artificial intelligence model called Spud.
Pete Hegseth calls on a reporter while answering questions during a news briefing at the Pentagon on March 19. A former Fox News host, he has limited access to his briefings on the Iran war.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 24, 2026
Iran is America’s first war of the social media age. It’s a black box.
Though the hostilities are occurring in an era of information overload, blanket reporting bans make it difficult to ascertain what is going on while AI further muddies reality.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright (left), SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (center), and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, following a groundbreaking ceremony at the Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 21, 2026
SoftBank planning massive $500 billion data center in Ohio
SoftBank is seeking to build the AI computing complex at a former uranium enrichment complex owned by the U.S. Energy Department.
Traders view the time-saving benefits of AI as increasingly essential for navigating markets whipsawed by a war that has upended energy supplies and left at least 4,000 dead.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 21, 2026
Traders overwhelmed by Iran news are turning to AI for help
Many say the time-saving benefits of AI are essential for navigating markets whipsawed by a war that has upended energy supplies and left at least 4,000 dead.
Two robots box while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits Unitree Robotics in Zhejiang Province, China.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 20, 2026
Chaos unleashed by Trump has Europeans building bridges with China
As U.S. tariffs hit Europe, the idea of taking a hard line with China is becoming increasingly unpalatable for officials across the continent.
AI-generated video is now good enough to monetize, with China’s Kuaishou showing how focused, paid tools can scale globally while amplifying deepfake and copyright risks.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 20, 2026
Chinese AI videos used to look fake. Now they look like money.
In China, AI video is doing something else that once looked unlikely: making money.
Zhipu staff members help residents install and setup AutoClaw, a local version of the AI agent OpenClaw developed by Zhipu, at an office building in Beijing.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 20, 2026
As OpenClaw enthusiasm grips China, school kids and retirees alike raise ‘lobsters’
The hype over the open-source bot is the latest example of how a new technology could overhaul the world’s second-largest economy through unbridled consumer adoption.
A powerful artificial intelligence model that appeared ⁠anonymously on a developer platform last week was revealed to be from Chinese smartphone and electric vehicle giant Xiaomi, and not DeepSeek as initially thought.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 19, 2026
Mystery AI model suspected to be DeepSeek V4 is revealed to be from Xiaomi
The model, called Hunter Alpha, surfaced ​on an AI gateway platform on March 11 without any developer attribution and was later described as a “stealth model.”
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ¥11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Digital marketer Netyear zeros in on generative AI
Digital marketer Netyear zeros in on generative AI

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