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Japanese artists explore using generative AI for creating new manga

Jul 19 (Kyodo) - Japanese manga artists and creators are exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence, pinning their hopes on using the technology to offer suggestions for illustration drafts and story plots, as well as for making the creative process substantially more efficient.

Nonetheless, manga artists remain cautious about how much AI can be relied upon for generating works captivating enough to sell to the public, and they are also concerned about AI's potential for copyright infringement, given such technologies are typically trained using massive amounts of data from the internet.

Recently, a project was launched in Tokyo to create a new episode of "Black Jack," a famous Osamu Tezuka manga, using generative AI for release in a weekly magazine this fall. Dubbed the "God of manga," Tezuka died in 1989 at age 60 after writing some 150,000 pages of manuscripts for around 700 titles. ...continue reading

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

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Kyoto Raises Lodging Tax as Peak Travel Season Begins

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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.

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