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Google rolls out Japanese AI search

Aug 30 (NHK) - Google has rolled out an experimental version of its artificial intelligence-powered search engine in Japanese.

Japan is only the second country to get the AI chatbot, following the release in May of the English version in the US.

"This shows that Japan is an extremely important market for Google," said Murakami Shin of Google Japan.

The US IT giant developed its own generative AI technology. The new search system can accept more complex questions, and then summarizes results from various sources. Links to the reference sources are included to guarantee the accuracy of the information.

The company says the trial will help improve the quality of the Japanese expressions the system generates.

Competition for the Japanese market is expected to heat up, as Microsoft's AI-powered search is already available in a localized version.

Typhoon No. 22 Forecast to Strengthen and Approach Mainland Japan

As of 3 p.m. on October 6th, Typhoon No. 22 (Halong) was moving northwest over the ocean near the Ogasawara Islands, having intensified enough to form a storm zone with sustained winds exceeding 25 meters per second. Depending on its course, the typhoon may bring strong winds and heavy rain to areas along the Pacific coast from western to eastern Japan, with particularly heavy rainfall expected across the Tokai and Kanto coastal regions and the Izu Islands. Authorities are urging residents to stay alert for further updates.

Osaka University Professor Sakaguchi Wins Nobel Prize

Osaka University’s Shimon Sakaguchi, a specially appointed professor, has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his groundbreaking work in immunology. Sakaguchi is best known for discovering “regulatory T cells,” a type of immune cell that suppresses excessive immune responses, a finding that has had far-reaching implications in medical science.

Driver In Training Behind Tokyu Line Collision That Caused Train Derailment

A collision occurred on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line on the night of October 5th when a local train attempting to arrive at Kajigaya Station in Kawasaki City struck a stationary out-of-service train, causing several cars of the latter to derail. Investigators from the Japan Transport Safety Board arrived at the scene on the morning of October 6th to begin examining the cause of the accident.

Spanish Tourist Injured in Bear Attack at World Heritage Shirakawa-go

A Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear while visiting Shirakawa-go, the UNESCO World Heritage village in Gifu Prefecture known for its traditional thatched-roof houses, on October 5th. The incident adds to a growing number of bear encounters reported across Japan in recent weeks.

Takaichi Wins Leadership Race, Declares All Must Work Like Horses

Sanae Takaichi, elected as the Liberal Democratic Party’s new president on October 4th, declared on stage, “I ask everybody to work like a horse,” after defeating agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a runoff to become the party’s first female leader.

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