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July 03, 2026
 

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AI

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and members of his delegation watch robots perform at a showroom of Unitree Robotics products in Hangzhou, eastern China, on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Feb 28, 2026
Xi’s AI ambitions collide with China’s fragile employment market
China can’t afford to hobble itself in the race with Washington for AI capabilities and it also needs to ensure job creation to prevent social unrest.
The OECD's deputy director of economic policy and research says an AI productivity surge, were it to increase employment, would lower debt across OECD countries, from the U.S. to Germany and Japan, by 10 percentage points from the roughly 150% of output the organization expects in 2036.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Feb 28, 2026
AI boom will be no free pass for debt-laden major economies
An AI productivity boom may help buy major economies more time to clean up their strained public finances, but it won’t do the heavy lifting.
Japanese banks, including Mizuho Financial Group, are trying to boost productivity by adopting artificial intelligence while trying to ease concerns that the technology will take away jobs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2026
Mizuho plans to replace 5,000 clerical jobs with AI in 10 years
Japan’s third-largest lender insists the move is “not a headcount reduction.”
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei speaks at an AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Feb. 19. The dispute between the U.S. Department of Defense and Anthropic highlights a widening conflict over military AI use and government power over private firms.
EDITORIALS
Feb 27, 2026
Pentagon’s fight with Anthropic is anything but intelligent
On Thursday, Anthropic rejected the Pentagon’s demands that it agree to grant unrestricted use of its technology by the military by Friday, according to reports.
A government report shows that high school students spend an average of 6 hours and 44 minutes online per day.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2026
Nearly half of Japanese high school students use AI, report shows
The child agency survey found that students are spending more time online, with some experiencing disruptions in their sleep schedules or studies.
The White House is pictured behind a fence in Washington on April 25, 2021.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 26, 2026
U.S. orders diplomats to fight data sovereignty initiatives
The dominance of U.S. AI companies — many of which use personal data to power their models — spotlights EU concerns around privacy and surveillance.
Workers install a fence around a makeshift memorial for the victims of a deadly mass shooting in the town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, on Feb. 12.
BUSINESS
Feb 26, 2026
OpenAI’s ban of Canada school shooting suspect’s account raises scrutiny of other online activity
The shooting in Tumbler Ridge is the latest tragedy in which critics have argued that interactions with chatbots may have forewarned of violence.
Artificial intelligence developer Anthropic is loosening its commitment to safety, saying it will no longer delay AI development that might be dangerous.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 26, 2026
Anthropic drops hallmark safety pledge in race with AI peers
Anthropic has said it was updating its rules and would no longer delay possibly dangerous AI development if it believes it lacks a significant lead over a competitor.
Famed Meiji-era novelist Natsume Soseki’s belief that true expression transcends literal wording supports the argument that AI handling translation frees people to create rather than convert language.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 25, 2026
Sorry Soseki, I wish we had AI translation aeons ago
It should come as little surprise then that one of the jobs at risk of complete replacement by AI is that of translators.
A job fair held in the city of Chiba in March last year
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2026
40% in Japan use AI in their job search, survey finds
Job-seekers used the technology to revise resumes or search for job postings, the survey found.
A Samsung Electronics Co. 32GB DDR5 128GB RDIMM, high-capacity DDR5 DRAM module, arranged in Seoul on April 4, 2024.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 25, 2026
Memory boom drives South Korean stocks’ breakthrough past 6,000 level
South Korea’s equity benchmark has crossed a new milestone just a month after surpassing the once-unthinkable 5,000 mark.
The rise of AI is disrupting labor markets at an unprecedented pace, driving down wages and eliminating entire professions faster than new ones can emerge.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 25, 2026
What happens when paid work disappears?
Every technological leap has sparked fears of mass unemployment, and each time those fears have proven unfounded. But the historical pattern may no longer hold.
Visitors listen during the Science and ICT Ministry's first national Self-Reliant AI Foundation Model presentation event at COEX, in Seoul on Dec. 30, 2025.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 25, 2026
Rebel startups challenge conglomerates in South Korea’s ‘AI squid game’
Nicknamed after Netflix’s dystopian survival show, the contest kicked off in January and is designed to have judges pick two of the best homegrown AI models.
Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic, speaks during a conversation with Andrew Ross Sorkin in New York on Dec. 3, 2025.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 25, 2026
Anthropic digs in heels in dispute with Pentagon, source says
The ‌AI startup ‌has refused to remove safeguards that would prevent its technology from being used ​to target weapons autonomously and conduct U.S. domestic surveillance.
A Ukrainian serviceman looks at a Vampire, a heavy unmanned aerial vehicle, during its flight near a front line in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on April 5, 2025.
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 24, 2026
From AI to Starlink: How drone tech is reshaping war in Ukraine
Without drones, modern warfare is now “impossible.”
The Sakaiminato Ferry Terminal in Tottori Prefecture featuring works by the late manga artist Shigeru Mizuki. A traditional Japanese short poetry contest held in the city to commemorate Mizuki came to an end this year due to possible AI use by participants.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2026
Possible AI use leads to end of senryu competition after 20 years
The organizers decided to end the contest as it has become difficult for the works to be judged fairly given the emergence of artificial intelligence.
The transport ministry plans to cover half the cost of snowplows and other snow removal equipment for domestic airlines and local governments managing airports to prevent heavy snow-related flight disruptions.
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2026
Japan to subsidize snowplow introduction at airports
The move is part of the ministry’s efforts to ensure stable flight operations and prevent passengers from being stranded.
Instead of worrying about disruption, investors in China are chasing perceived winners, drawn by AI’s growth prospects and its potential to drive cost savings for end users.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 22, 2026
China defies global ‘AI scare trade’ as investors chase winners
One key reason for the divergence in investor focus is China’s relatively insulated competitive landscape.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a group photo with leaders of artificial intelligence companies at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 20, 2026
India chases ‘DeepSeek moment’ with homegrown AI models
Building custom AI tools could bring benefits to the world’s most populous nation even in the absence of a breakthrough.
Prime Minister Takaichi should consider funding AI subscriptions because widespread use could help Japan overcome language barriers, programmer shortages and productivity challenges.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2026
Give everyone in Japan a subscription to Claude
Generative AI is transforming sectors across almost every country. But Japan is in a position to benefit more than most.
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.
Japanese-language education is at a turning point
The country is gradually transforming Japanese-language education from a volunteer-driven system into a professional, government-supported network to better serve its growing foreign population. 
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

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