News On Japan

KDDI starts using Starlink network to improve service coverage

Dec 02, 2022 (NHK) - Japanese telecom giant KDDI says it has started using the Starlink satellite communications network to help provide mobile phone connectivity anywhere in the country, including remote islands.

The service started Thursday on an island south of Tokyo. Officials demonstrated conducting a video conference using the satellite network operated by US firm SpaceX.

KDDI plans to connect some 1,200 base stations across the country to the network to eliminate coverage dead spots. The company says that will be useful in the event of any disaster. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

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[updated 14:15 p.m.] Typhoon No. 6 is expected to make a direct hit on Okinawa Main Island on the night of June 1st, bringing the threat of destructive winds, torrential rain, and dangerous seas, while forecasters warn that heavy rain and strong winds could spread across much of Japan over the coming days. As of noon on June 1st, Typhoon No. 6 was located south of Okinawa and moving northward toward Okinawa Main Island. Although the island had not yet entered the typhoon's storm-force wind zone, very strong winds were already affecting the region and storm warnings remained in effect.

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi strongly rejected accusations that Japan is embracing "new militarism," describing such claims as false while delivering a speech at a major regional security conference in Singapore on May 31st.

A series of false bear sighting reports posted to an online alert system operated by Aomori Prefecture has disrupted schools, prompted a police investigation, and raised concerns about the growing impact of misinformation on public safety.

A social media dispute between a 17-year-old high school student from Tokyo's Itabashi Ward and a 16-year-old boy from Edogawa Ward escalated into a planned group fight involving around 30 youths, some of whom allegedly brought weapons including a rusty saw, iron pipes, a special baton and even a shovel.

Japan's population stood at 123.05 million in 2025, according to preliminary results from the national census released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, marking a decline of 3.097 million people over the past five years.

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