A decade ago, the realization that mobile telecommunications networks are a capital-intensive, low-margin, mature, congested and sticky business led SoftBank Group's Masayoshi Son to shift direction and embark on an ambitious, though now foundering, global investment spree in startup e-commerce platforms with limited hard assets, such as WeWork. (Nikkei)

A recent survey on smartphone usage and TV viewing time shows that people in their 40s and younger spend more time using smartphones.

Japanese children are switching on earlier than they used to, according to a survey to ascertain when kids first start to use smartphones. (Asahi)

Waves of day care closures caused by the coronavirus outbreak have disproportionally affected working mothers, especially those in their 30s. (Nikkei)

Japan and the U.S. will work together to lead the creation of international standards in unmanned technology that uses 6G communications, aiming to keep Chinese companies from dominating a field expected to include self-driving cars and fully automated factories. (Nikkei)

Japan's rugby union season starts tomorrow with big ambitions, tongue-twister team names and a rebrand that has left some fans wondering which version of the sport they are to be watching. (taipeitimes.com)

Five Japanese firms have teamed up to build drones they say cannot be hijacked or have their data stolen. (NHK)

Japan's top three mobile carriers stopped or will stop charging customers contract cancelation fees, with SoftBank Corp becoming the last to decide on such a plan amid the government's efforts to spur competition in the mobile phone market. (Japan Today)

Major mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo Inc. said Thursday that it will start offering cheap smartphone plans with low data volume in cooperation with two low-cost smartphone carriers. (Japan Times)

Japan's telecom giant NTT has announced that its executives, including the president, will have their pay cut due to wining and dining scandals involving the communications ministry. (NHK)

U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga have agreed to jointly invest $4.5 billion for the development of next-generation communication known as 6G, or "beyond 5G." (Nikkei)

Mobile phone data show that fewer people were out on Monday night compared to a week before in downtown areas of Tokyo and Kyoto, where intensive measures were implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (NHK)

The number of people moving through some major train stations and other locations in Tokyo and adjacent areas rose Saturday from a week earlier, mobile communication carrier NTT Docomo In. said, citing its subscriber data. (Japan Today)

There seems to be no end in sight for the price war among mobile phone carriers, with Rakuten Mobile Inc. unveiling a lower cost plan Friday in an effort to keep its edge over its powerful rivals. (Japan Times)

Japan's three major telecoms -- NTT Docomo, KDDI and SoftBank -- are gearing up for a rate war in spring. (Nikkei)

Tokyo police arrested two Chinese exchange students Tuesday for their alleged involvement in fraudulent money withdrawals related to mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo Inc.’s Docomo Koza e-money service. (Japan Times)

Following moves by its rivals, KDDI Corp. said Wednesday it will roll out new cut-price smartphone plans, further intensifying competition among mobile phone carriers under intense pressure from the government. (Japan Times)

A former employee of SoftBank Corp was arrested Tuesday for illegally taking information from the major Japanese wireless carrier on its ultrafast 5G technology before moving to a smaller rival company, police said. (Japan Today)

Japanese telecom company SoftBank Corp. will launch a wireless plan in March offering 20 gigabytes of data for 2,980 yen ($29) per month, matching a recent move by market leader NTT Docomo. (Nikkei)

A unit of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone priced Japan's largest-ever bond sale of 1 trillion yen ($9.62 billion) on Friday, attracting more than double its target in orders. (Nikkei)

NTT Docomo Inc. plans to cut mobile phone fees across the board, sources familiar with the matter said, becoming the first of Japan's major carriers to do so following a government call for the industry to lower charges. (Kyodo)

Nikkei Inc. announced on Wednesday that it will remove NTT Docomo as a component of the Nikkei Stock Average, as the wireless carrier is expected to be delisted in December after parent Nippon Telegraph and Telephone turns it unit into a wholly owned subsidiary via a tender offer. (Nikkei)

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone will issue more than 500 billion yen ($4.74 billion) in corporate bonds, a record for a single float in the Japanese market, to raise cash for its 4.25 trillion yen tender offer for subsidiary NTT Docomo. (Nikkei)

Two of Japan's major mobile carriers, SoftBank and KDDI, plan to invest a total of $38 billion into fifth-generation wireless networks in Japan over the next decade, Nikkei has learned, as the country looks to play catch-up in deploying the ultrafast technology. (Nikkei)

Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani's e-commerce group Rakuten on Wednesday announced it will offer an unlimited 5G wireless data plan for roughly half the price of the country's top three mobile providers, in a move that could trigger discounts across the industry. (Nikkei)