Japan’s culture of passionately supporting favorite idols and anime characters—known as “oshi-katsu”—has expanded rapidly in recent years, with around 20 million people now actively engaged, as virtual avatar performers emerge as a driving force behind a market that has grown to 100 billion yen a decade after the birth of the world’s first VTuber, Kizuna AI.
News On Japan has been publishing more stories about cashless payments, digital services, and the way online spending is changing in everyday settings.
Rakuten AI 3.0 was introduced as Japan’s most powerful self-developed large language model — a supposed breakthrough for the country’s domestic AI industry. But within hours of its launch, serious controversy erupted. (East Tech Now)
The entertainment landscape in Japan is going through a very significant transformation phase, driven by changes in consumer lifestyles and rapid technological advancements.
Software quality assurance has always been a critical part of delivering reliable applications, but traditional approaches are no longer enough for today’s fast-moving digital landscape.
A feature from BS TV Tokyo’s program Nikkei Morning Plus FT, broadcast on March 24th, 2026, highlights how startups are accelerating growth through proprietary technologies and services, with a focus on CadDi, a company aiming to transform the manufacturing industry through data utilization.
Hitachi Ltd. will open a new studio designed to accelerate the real-world adoption of “physical AI,” a technology that analyzes real-world data to autonomously control machines and robots, as the company seeks to expand practical applications across industries.
If you spend any time in the planner and journaling community online, one thing becomes obvious quickly: this audience is unusually invested in aesthetics.