Nipponica

After registering their face photo data and credit card information in advance on a dedicated website, passengers can board trains, without buying tickets, via cameras installed at the ticket gates at stations that recognize their faces. Passengers with commuter passes can also use the system.

No mention of privacy concerns here at all. Also, with FeliCa-based cards so prevalent in the country, this seems totally unnecessary.

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and IBM aim to develop a quantum computer with 10,000 quantum bits, or qubits, which would be 75 times more than current quantum computers have. In quantum computing, a qubit is the basic unit of information -- just like a binary bit in conventional computers -- and gives a rough idea of performance.

The most advanced quantum computers currently have 133 qubits.

Speedy.

Japan played an important role throughout Calder’s life — a destination that he himself never physically visited but that presented itself from the very start. A seed planted by his parents’ collection of Japanese art and objects in the late 19th century, later clearly reflected in the unmistakable Japanese-inspired aesthetics integrated into many of Calder’s own artworks.

Holders of an all-access pass will be able to use facial recognition by registering their photo and a payment method in advance. The system will enable them to enter the event and make purchases at shops and cafes by just scanning their faces.

The organizer expects the registration of about 1.2 million accounts, making the Expo one of the largest events to use the technology.

If it works, it is interesting tech. I remember the first time I boarded an airplane in Hong Kong with just my face and it felt that I was cheating by not booping my paper ticket on the laser machine. But, as with any biometrics, privacy is the killer app. It takes almost to the end of the article before the p-word is mentioned.

The restaurant, located in the bustling Akasaka area of Tokyo, offers a unique “Okinawan kaiseki” — a fusion of Ryukyuan court cuisine and the traditional Japanese kaiseki multicourse dinner. It was opened in 1998 by culinary researcher and author Rin Takagi, who came up with a modern interpretation of the Ryukyu dynasty's cooking method, known as a secret to people’s health and longevity in the region.

In more positive Ryukyu news, a lovely survival story about a Michelin star Okinawan restaurant in Tokyo.

In the 48-seat prefectural assembly election, candidates who supported Gov. Denny Tamaki obtained 20 seats, while 27 were occupied by those who opposed him and the remaining one went to a neutral candidate. Before the voting, each side had 24 seats.

A blow to Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki's push against the Henoko base construction. The Okinawan people will continue to bear the defense burden of the country.

Voter turnout was the lowest on record at 45.62 percent, according to the local election committee.

Also worth noting considering Japan's overall low turnout rates in elections.

The Gamagori Municipal Government in central Japan's Aichi Prefecture is investigating a whistleblower's report that the scores of women sitting its employment exams were lowered to prioritize their male counterparts, apparently at the mayor's instruction, multiple sources told the Mainichi Shimbun on June 14.

Absolutely shameful but no real surprise here. The mayor is states later on in the article that the reason for the exam tampering is due to staff shortages for maternity leave.

...researchers in western Japan's Ehime Prefecture have developed a new type of paper material that's cooler to the touch.

The developers are also considering cutting the paper into fine threads to be processed into towels and other textile products.

This kind of thing is where Japan really does excel: taking the normal materials of life and improving them by small margins over time.

Central Japan Railway kicked off a farewell tour for the "Doctor Yellow" diagnostic shinkansen bullet train on Friday at Tokyo Station, where enthusiasts gathered to pay their respects to the perennial favorite.

Any place where being a train nerd can be somewhat mainstream is a good place to be.

Following in the footsteps of the European Union, Japan has now passed a law that will restrict Apple and Google from blocking third-party app stores for Japanese users on their platforms. The legislation is expected to come into force by the end of 2025 and aims to reduce app prices and create a more equitable market by forcing the tech giants to compete with smaller challengers.

A positive move following similar legislation coming into force this year in the European Union.

The renewed exhibition room is located on the fifth floor of Mori JP Tower, Japan's tallest building, which opened in November 2023. It includes a special section featuring materials related to Chiune Sugihara (1900-1986), who issued "visas for life" to Jewish refugees during World War II while serving as a vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Lithuania, and on Shigeru Yoshida (1878-1967), a diplomat who served as foreign minister and prime minister.

Admission to the new exhibition room is free, and unlike the prior facility, it is open on Saturdays, too. It remains closed on Sundays and public holidays.

The new training and employment system that is expected to take effect in 2027 aims to foster foreign workers to achieve the specified skills visa level over three years once they've entered the country. Meanwhile, more attention will be paid to their rights as workers, and rules on job-changing are being eased to allow transfers over the course of one to two years. The retention of this workforce is an issue that will persist under the new system.

This is a good on-the-ground story about the actual lives of foreign workers trying to integrate into local communities. Also a good example of how local governments are picking up the slack from Tokyo and actually doing the hard work of making a flawed immigration system work for new immigrants and for local businesses.

Kazuya Saito, a 34-year-old Tokyo resident, admitted to the theft, with police quoting him as saying, "Collecting women's uniforms is my hobby. I smelled it and wore it myself."

Logistics companies in Japan are trying to come up with ways to reduce parcel redeliveries as they face serious shortages of truck drivers due to new overtime regulations that took effect in April.

In contrast with floppies in government, the package delivery sector is Japan is surprisingly advanced compared to other places I lived (as long as you read Japanese as English interfaces are minimal or nonexistent). Any improvement is welcome but maybe loan some of your engineers to the Digital Ministry.

Some 70% of the target procedures have been revised. Of 1,034 that originally required floppy disks, the requirement for the use of the format invented in the 1970s has reportedly been abolished in all but one -- where the Ministry of the Environment is in the process of revising an ordinance.

As a first link post here at Nipponica, this seems appropriate and an accurate way of countering the myth of Japan being a hub of future technology. The biggest problem that plagues government and business processes here are rigid to the point of being almost impossible to change. It took a global pandemic to mostly phase out the use of physical hanko personal seals as legal signatures on official documents.

"Digitization has made considerable progress. We would like to proceed with necessary reviews, including the use of faxes."

Ambitious, Konoさん.