News On Japan

Slow cloud migration hinders digital transformation in Japan

Off-site data services comprise 4% of IT spending, a third that of North America

TOKYO - Japan is lagging other countries in cloud computing, with related investment accounting for only 4% of all information technology spending in 2021 -- a third that of North America -- and the gap is growing.

Cloud services have been slow to gain traction in Japan as many businesses cling to proprietary systems, a tendency that has seriously hampered digital transformation in the country.

The most common type of cloud computing is public cloud services, which enable users to access software applications and other tools without developing their own IT infrastructure, as the services are rendered through data centers operated by third-party providers. Once the systems break down, however, users cannot fix them themselves.

Companies around the world are taking advantage of the cost-effectiveness of cloud computing to facilitate digital transformation. "Cloud services have enabled companies to speed up product and other development," said Hiroyuki Nakayama, a partner at PwC Consulting. The services have allowed users to tap into cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence and big data analysis. ...continue reading

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Japan's World Cup campaign begins on June 14 when the Samurai Blue face the Netherlands at Dallas Stadium in Texas, a clash that will showcase some of the game's most talented players and pit two ambitious teams against one another in a crucial Group F opener. While Japan arrives without injured winger Kaoru Mitoma, one of its most recognizable stars, the squad still boasts a wealth of talent drawn from Europe's top leagues.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) announced that an El Niño phenomenon is believed to have developed this spring, warning that Japan is likely to experience above-average temperatures nationwide this summer despite the climate pattern's traditional association with cooler summers.

Narita International Airport Corporation is expected to announce next month that it will apply to the national government for project certification as part of the process to enable compulsory land acquisition for the construction of a new runway at Narita Airport, according to sources familiar with the matter.

A fire broke out at Arima Inari Shrine near the Arima Onsen hot spring resort area in Kobe on the night of June 9th, destroying multiple buildings and leaving an elderly Shinto priest and his wife with minor injuries.

Japan's national soccer team arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 8th from Monterrey, Mexico, where it had been conducting a pre-World Cup training camp, and held its first practice session at its base camp for the FIFA World Cup in North America.

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A large solar power facility built on a mountainside in Fukushima City is generating reflected sunlight for far longer than originally projected, with a city survey finding that glare at some locations lasted up to 53 minutes per day—more than ten times the maximum duration predicted by the operator.

Japan’s largest space business exhibition opened at Tokyo Big Sight on May 27th, showcasing a growing wave of companies from outside the traditional aerospace sector entering the rapidly expanding space industry.

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A seasonal spectacle has begun on the Miwasaki coast in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, where tiny male chigogani crabs are emerging from their burrows at low tide and rhythmically waving their claws in a movement resembling a dance.