At the White House, President Donald Trump brought together corporate executives, including SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son, to highlight major investment commitments made in the United States—presenting them as a direct result of his administration's efforts.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 15th in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, for one of Japan's largest data centers, which is scheduled for completion in fiscal 2026.
The Hanshin Tigers, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows are the baseball teams to watch in Japan this season, with their impressive performances coming from notably talented players.
SoftBank Group has announced plans to make an additional investment of up to 40 billion dollars, or approximately 6 trillion yen, in OpenAI, the U.S.-based developer of ChatGPT.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the way businesses and individuals interact with technology, and chatbots are at the forefront of this transformation.
A new type of store will open this season at the home stadium of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the Mizuho PayPay Dome: a cashier-free "smart store" that allows customers to shop without stopping to pay at a register.
Advancements in artificial intelligence are helping bridge communication gaps between people with hearing impairments and those without. With Japan set to host its first Deaflympics this year, there is growing interest in technologies that facilitate sign language understanding.
Yahoo Finance examines the semiconductor space as the competition intensifies, Trump threatens tariffs, and AI technology continues to evolve. (Yahoo Finance)
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has put Arm at the centre of his plans to build a vast infrastructure network for artificial intelligence. The launch of Arm’s own chip is considered just one step in his larger plans to move into AI chip production, say people familiar with the plans. (Techmeme Ride Home Podcast)
A discussion on the future of Japanese professional baseball was held with three prominent business figures: Kohei Takashima, Yozo Tachibana, and Takafumi Horie.
Prime Minister Ishiba, ahead of the US-Japan summit with President Trump, is set to present a specially prepared map showcasing Japanese corporate investments across the United States, a strategic move aimed at emphasizing Japan’s economic contributions while negotiating key issues such as tariffs, defense spending, and security commitments.
SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have launched a new AI services company in Japan, aiming to drive innovation in enterprise AI. At the unveiling, Son introduced the company’s first service, "Crystal," which he described as a revolutionary AI solution that will transform business operations.
The global AI landscape is witnessing rapid advancements, with nations and tech companies vying for leadership. Among the recent breakthroughs is DeepSeek, an AI model developed by a Chinese firm, which has garnered widespread attention in early 2025.
Sharp announced on December 20th that it will sell part of its Sakai factory, which previously produced LCD panels for televisions, to SoftBank for approximately 100 billion yen. SoftBank plans to use around 60% of the factory’s site, equivalent to about 450,000 square meters, to construct a large-scale data center aimed at advancing generative AI development.
SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son has announced a $100 billion investment in the United States, equivalent to approximately 15 trillion yen, following a meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Trump’s Florida residence on December 16. The investment is expected to create 100,000 jobs over the next four years.
SoftBank Group is set to acquire up to $1.5 billion (approximately 225 billion yen) worth of OpenAI shares from its employees, according to a report by CNBC on November 27th.
The head of US semiconductor giant Nvidia has indicated that his company will accelerate cooperation with major Japanese cell phone carrier SoftBank. The two firms have been developing technologies for AI data processing using cellular base stations, rather than data centers. (NHK)
Tokyo Metro made a landmark debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on October 23rd, with half of its shares, previously held by the national and Tokyo governments, released to the public, creating the largest IPO since SoftBank in 2018.
SoftBank Group's Chairman and CEO, Masayoshi Son, spoke on the 3rd about the significant advancements in OpenAI's latest foundation model, 'o1,' which powers ChatGPT.
SoftBank Group is advancing its investment in artificial intelligence (AI) by making AI the core of its strategy. According to U.S. media reports, SoftBank Vision Fund, an investment fund under the SoftBank Group, has agreed to invest in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.
PayPay, a leading payment app company, announced that it has obtained approval from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to act as a provider of digital salary payments. Starting with September’s payroll, PayPay will offer this service to employees of 10 companies within the SoftBank Group who choose to opt-in.
In response to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ demand to reassess its capital relationship with South Korean companies due to the recent data leak issue, LINE Yahoo expressed on the 1st of July that "short-term capital movement is difficult."
AI continues to advance, significantly impacting various fields, including healthcare. We spoke with Masayoshi Son of SoftBank Group, who announced plans to use AI for analyzing medical data and aiding in cancer treatment, about the future of AI in healthcare.
SoftBank Group has unveiled a new initiative aimed at advancing healthcare through artificial intelligence. Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son announced the launch of a genetic analysis service utilizing AI.
At the SoftBank Group's annual general meeting on June 21, Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son stated that artificial intelligence (AI) would surpass human intelligence by 10,000 times within the next decade, reaffirming his commitment to expanding investments in this field.