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August 14, 2026
 

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PHONES

Kobe Kita Police Station honors local heroes Yuito Kuroishi (left), Ruito Nagai (center) and Sakutaro Akutagawa during an award ceremony on July 24.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Aug 2, 2026
¡®Hey Siri, call 119¡¯: How three kids proved a smartphone can be a lifeline
The way fifth-graders responded to a recent medical emergency in Kobe prompts questions over whether smartphones are a dangerous distraction or an essential safety tool.
The iPhone 17
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2026
Apple raises iPhone 17 price by 10% in Japan as yen stays weak
The starting quote for the entry-level iPhone 17 handset with 256 gigabytes of storage was ?142,800 ($879.29) on Apple¡¯s official website in Japan.
People watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 match between Japan and Brazil through their mobile phones, on a street in Tokyo on June 30.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2026
Japan mobile carriers to delay rollout of 060 prefix
In Japan, phone numbers with the existing prefixes of 090, 080 and 070 are running short as the number of mobile phone users continues to increase.
The National Police Agency encourages people to use a crime prevention app that blocks international calls made to mobile phones by fraud groups.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 6, 2026
Fake police scams in Tokyo down nearly 40% in January through May
The number of such cases decreased to 548, while the total financial damage from such scams shrank 38.3% to ?6.17 billion.
Increasingly more people in Japan now own more than one cell phone, which is leading to an expected shortage of mobile phone numbers.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Japan adds new mobile phone number prefix amid expected shortage
The addition of the 060 prefix ¡ª in addition to the existing 090, 080 and 070 ¡ª will increase total cell phone numbers from 270 million to 360 million.
In Tokyo and other major Japanese cities, <i>aruki-sumaho</i> ¡ª walking while using a smartphone ¡ª has become a persistent safety concern as commuters navigate crowded stations and sidewalks while focused on their devices.
JAPAN / Society / First person
Jun 21, 2026
Distracted walkers in Japan are a real safety risk. My mother knows firsthand.
Despite years of awareness campaigns, aruki-sumaho ¡ª walking while using a smartphone ¡ª remains widespread and difficult to stop.
Apple CEO Tim Cook applauds as the iPhone 17 series goes on sale at the Apple Store in New York City last September.
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2026
Apple grandmaster Tim Cook is playing 3D chess with AI
The smartphone is the most valuable choke point in the modern economy. It¡¯s the primary entry to the electronic world ¡ª and Apple dominates.
Japan implemented a new system in April that penalizes minor bicycle traffic rule violators with a "blue ticket" that carries a fine of up to ?12,000.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 14, 2026
Cyclists issued ¡®blue tickets¡¯ in over 2,000 cases since April 1 rollout
The new tickets incur fines of up to ?12,000 for traffic rule violations, with the aim of improving cycling safety and preventing accidents.
Domestically produced Jindallae mobile phones are displayed at a stall during the opening of the 24th Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair at the Central Youth Hall in Pyongyang on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 6, 2026
Pyongyang calling: North Korea shows off its own brand of phones
Diplomatically isolated and under sanctions over its weapons programs, North Korea has an aging manufacturing base that analysts doubt can make high-quality consumer technology.
John Ternus, Apple¡¯s vice president of hardware engineering at the time, speaks during the Apple World Wide Developers Conference in San Jose, California, in June 2017. Ternus will take over the top job at Apple after CEO Tim Cook steps down in September.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 21, 2026
Apple¡¯s Tim Cook to step down as CEO in September
Cook is credited with expanding Apple¡¯s product line and ramping up the company¡¯s value to some $4 trillion based on the value of its shares.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa holds a news conference after a Cabinet meeting at the Diet building on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
Sony to receive up to ?60 billion in state subsidies for image sensor plant
The state aid is intended to help ensure a stable supply of semiconductors, designated as a specified important item under the economic security promotion law.
An experiment by a small city in Aichi Prefecture suggests that smartphone restrictions targeting only children are less effective than those targeting the entire family, as children¡¯s screen habits closely mirror their parents.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 17, 2026
The parent problem: When smartphone rules end at the school gate
Children who exceeded two hours of daily screen time tended to have parents with similarly high usage. The relationship held across age groups.
Japan was the first country in the world to adopt 3G, but this month, it cuts off access to the obsolete wireless network for good.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 28, 2026
With the end of 3G, Â鶹´«Ã½ beloved flip phones go dark
More than 500,000 users and their retro phones will lose access to the network from March 31.
Starting April 1, cyclists in Japan will be subject to new traffic rules.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Mar 25, 2026
What to know about Â鶹´«Ã½ new traffic rules for cyclists
Starting April 1, the ¡°blue ticket¡± system aims to reduce violations by issuing fines for minor offenses such as using a phone while cycling or ignoring stoplights.
Russia is pushing its Max social media platform in a heavy-handed rollout that has raised concerns that Moscow will use the app to surveil its citizens and further cut digital links to the West.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 24, 2026
Russia¡¯s Max: The unencrypted super-app being forced on citizens
Max is being rolled out with a massive promotion campaign and the simultaneous blocking of Whatsapp and Telegram, the country¡¯s two most popular messenger apps.
The new service starting April 1 that aims to keep communication infrastructure operational following emergencies such as disasters will be free to use and not require prior registration.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2026
Major phone carriers to launch ¡®Japan Roaming¡¯ for use in disasters
The aim of the new service is to ensure the communication infrastructure essential for life and economic activities remains operational during emergencies such as disasters.
Researchers have uncovered spyware that is capable of penetrating millions of iPhones.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 19, 2026
Researchers find iPhone spyware that could compromise millions of devices
The second discovery this month of hacking tools targeting iPhones and other Apple devices shows the market for sophisticated malware is flourishing.
A customer holds newly purchased iPhone 17 Pro at one of the Apple¡¯s stores in Mumbai, India.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2026
Apple now makes about 25% of iPhones in India after China pivot
Even though the gap has narrowed, electronics assembly and component manufacturing still costs more in India than in countries including China and Vietnam.
Nojima President Hiroshi Nojima speaks during an interview in the city of Yokohama on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 17, 2026
Nojima eyes mergers and acquisitions deals worth up to ?300 billion
Nojima is known for its aggressive M&A activities, with its largest deal being the ?85.4 billion?purchase of mobile phone distributor Conexio in 2023.
Smartphone apps that help prevent fraud by blocking international calls and alerting users to potential scams could be endorsed by the National Police Agency under new plans.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 15, 2026
Police in Japan to endorse fraud prevention apps
As of the end of November, losses from so-called special fraud cases, including telephone scams, had reached about ?121.3 billion, the worst on record.
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
New ¡®Katsu Curry Index¡¯ aims to show how weak the yen really is
A CoCo Ichibanya curry house in Tokyo.
Mexican man arrested over attempt to smuggle some 200 lizards into Japan
Mexican alligator lizards seized by Tokyo Customs from a Mexican man who attempted to smuggle them into Japan on Saturday through Haneda Airport
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Â鶹´«Ã½ colorectal cancer cases
A Japanese research team found that a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains, colibactin, caused genetic mutations in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases studied
She is Russia¡¯s richest woman. Her business empire is going up in flames.
Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of Wildberries, speaks about Ukrainian drone attacks on the company&#039;s warehouses in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unidentified location, in this still image from a handout video released on July 31.
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
Ikarigata closer to emulating older brother Fujinokawa than many think
The future Fujinokawa (third from left) and Ikarigata (right) compete against each other at ages 5 and 3, respectively.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo&#039;s Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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