Society

SoftBank and KDDI to pump $38bn into 5G

Nov 05 (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.

Shifting to a new generational wireless standard involves significant capital investment. 5G technology is expected to affect a wide range of industries from internet services to the automotive sector, bolstering Japan's economy as a whole in coming years.

SoftBank recently decided to spend 2 trillion ($19 billion) yen to set up a 5G network that spans 350,000 base stations in 10 years, becoming the first Japanese telecommunications company to reveal a long-term network strategy.

As a first step, the company will expand to 50,000 base stations by March 2022 from less than 10,000 currently, focusing on setting up 5G service in densely populated areas. It aims to have 200,000 base stations by around 2025, ensuring constant 5G access for all of its mobile users nationwide.

Ultimately, SoftBank aims to turn 5G into the standard for business activities as well. 5G networks allow the transfer of large amounts of data to multiple devices with minimal lag time. By setting up an extensive web of base stations, SoftBank will encourage more companies to switch over to 5G and promote new developments in data-intensive fields like the Internet of Things, telemedicine and self-driving cars.

Meanwhile, rival KDDI will invest 2 trillion yen over the next 10 years into 5G and advanced sixth-generation technology, a push that includes the goal of reaching 50,000 5G base stations by March 2022

Japan's two other major mobile carriers, NTT Docomo and Rakuten, are expected to build more stations as well.

The world has adopted new mobile network technology roughly once every decade since first-generation wireless, used by devices like car phones, was introduced in the 1980s. Investment into 4G peaked in 2013 to 2014, when then Japan's top three mobile carriers poured a combined 1.8 trillion yen into the technology in each of those years, according to the Nikkei Economic Electronic Databank System. Mobile-related investments have been picking up against since 2019 with the rise of 5G.

Hokkaido Police Probe Second Suspicious Fire Near Mosque

A fire that scorched the exterior wall of a company operated by a Pakistani national was discovered in Ebetsu, Hokkaido, on March 1st, just one day after a mosque located about 400 meters away caught fire, prompting police to investigate the possibility that the two incidents may be connected.

Japanese Doctor in U.S. to Be Arrested Over Naritasan Vandalism

Police plan to arrest a Japanese doctor in his 60s who lives in the United States and is suspected of spraying an oil-like liquid at Naritasan Shinshoji Temple in Chiba Prefecture in 2015, with the suspect expected to arrive in Japan as early as March 4th, investigators said.

Japan To Set Rules For Higher Tourist Fees

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has announced plans to draw up guidelines for the introduction of a so-called dual pricing system that differentiates between foreign visitors and local residents.

Kyoto Raises Lodging Tax as Peak Travel Season Begins

Kyoto City significantly raised its lodging tax from March 1st, increasing the maximum charge per person per night from 1,000 yen to as much as 10,000 yen, in a move aimed at tackling overtourism and funding the preservation of cultural assets, even as questions remain about its impact on visitors and the local economy.

Foreign Visitors and Ex-Rescuer Pull 80-Year-Old Woman From Hakuba Crashed Car

A former emergency responder and foreign tourists worked together to rescue a woman in her 80s who was trapped inside an overturned light vehicle in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Five Arrested in Tokyo Midnight Drifting

Five people have been arrested after repeatedly performing dangerous drift driving on a road in Tokyo’s Ota Ward, sending up clouds of white smoke in the middle of the night and drawing police scrutiny.

Mountains of Garbage Plague Tokyo Public Housing Complex

Large amounts of what appear to be illegally dumped garbage line the roadside at the Tokyo Metropolitan Kirigaoka Danchi in Kita Ward, where a decline in residents has left fewer eyes to monitor the sprawling public housing complex that first opened in the 1950s.

Foreign Visitors and Ex-Rescuer Pull 80-Year-Old Woman From Hakuba Crashed Car

A former emergency responder and foreign tourists worked together to rescue a woman in her 80s who was trapped inside an overturned light vehicle in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture.

Fuji-Q Highland Supervisor Sent to Prosecutors

A site supervisor at Fuji-Q Highland in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, was referred to prosecutors on March 2nd over a fatal accident in February 2025 in which an employee died during maintenance work.

Female Teacher Arrested Over Deadly Assault on Elderly Man

A 48-year-old woman who works as a lecturer at an Osaka prefectural high school was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a man in Osaka, with the man later confirmed dead at the hospital where he was taken.

Men Clash in Centuries-Old Naked Festival

The Konomiya Hadaka Festival, an unusual Shinto ritual dating back more than 1,250 years in which men wearing only loincloths collide violently with one another, was held on March 1st at Konomiya Shrine in Inazawa, Aichi Prefecture, drawing around 10,000 participants who surged toward a designated “sacred man” believed to absorb misfortune through physical contact.

Avalanche Strikes Nagano-Niigata Ski Resort, Four Injured

An avalanche struck an advanced-level course at Madarao Kogen Ski Resort, which spans Niigata and Nagano prefectures, on February 28th, leaving four people injured, including two family members.

Man Dies After Falling During Ice Climbing in Gifu

A man in his 50s died after falling while ice climbing in Gero, Gifu Prefecture, on March 2nd, after a report was made shortly after 9 a.m. from a person at the scene in Osakacho stating that he had fallen along with a sheet of ice and become trapped beneath the collapsed mass.

< 2 3 4 5 >