In a twist of events, Japan's economy has seen a surprising 0. 3% year-on-year boost in its real GDP this past quarter. This sharp turnaround comes after a 1. 1% dip in the previous quarter. You might be wondering what caused this sudden shift. The Bank of Japan made an interesting move when it rais
Scientists in Japan put their robot friend to the test by teaching it rakugo, a classic form of Japanese comedy. Comparing the AI's jokes to a human performer, they found that while the AI wasn't bad, it still had a way to go. The tricky thing about humor is that it needs a good grasp of context, pe
You might think that teaching a robot to tell jokes is a piece of cake. But not so fast! Researchers tried to get a robot to master rakugo, a traditional Japanese form of storytelling. They gave the robot a speech synthesizer so it could mimic human storytellers. The goal? To see how the robot's jok
Ever wondered how to bridge the filmmaking worlds of Japan and Hollywood? Well, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) have just the thing for you: a new program called Beyond Japan. This initiative, supported by the Japanese governm
“Ghost of Tsushima” didn’t need to be historically precise because it focused on fun, not teaching history lessons. A recent analysis by Kensaku Namera from Nomura Securities, translated by Automaton, showed why Japanese fans loved the game even with its inaccuracies. Namera explained that a game ca
On Tuesday, markets in the Asia-Pacific region mostly rose, following the lead from Wall Street. Japan's Nikkei 225, for instance, inched up by 0. 77% and closed at 38, 903. 68, building on the previous day's gains. This happened even though Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, lost i
In Japan, the polls opened on Sunday for the general election, marking a big test for the new Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba. He's trying to win voter support for his party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has faced a lot of scandals and low approval ratings. The LDP has ruled Japan for mo
Tokyo Metro, one of Japan's top subway operators, had a fantastic debut on the stock market. Their shares skyrocketed by nearly 45% after an impressive IPO. This event was Japan's largest initial public offering in the last six years, raising a whopping 348. 6 billion yen ($2. 3 billion). The compan
In 2023, a gripping murder-mystery series called "The Aosawa Murders" is set to captivate audiences. This series is based on a prize-winning Japanese crime novel of the same name by Riku Onda. The story unfolds in the enchanting coastal city of Kanazawa, Japan, focusing on the infamous "Aosawa Case.
On Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, a group of Japanese survivors from the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This honor recognizes their continuous efforts to eradicate nuclear weapons. Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the committ
