IBT – March 18, 2016 – Nintendo has laid out a little more information about its upcoming customer loyalty scheme ‘My Nintendo’, on the same day the video game giant finally launched its first smartphone app in Japan. Miitomo, described by the Kyoto-based publisher as “a social experience that uses Nintendo’s Mii characters to engage friends in a light-hearted, playful and welcoming social setting”, is available on Japanese iOS and Android devices from today (17…

Comics Alliance – March 17, 2016 – When Sun Bakery was announced a few weeks ago, it was described as a “one-man Shonen Jump” — an anthology title inspired by the manga that brought the world Dragon Ball and One Piece. That is, to say the least, a pretty tall order, but in a medium that has always thrived on big ideas and bold execution, it’s one that’s welcome. So really, when Corey Lewis says that he’s going to write and draw a bimonthly…

Techinasia – March 16, 2016 – Hiking and outdoors community and map provider Yamap announced US$1.49 million in funding yesterday from smartphone games and location service platform Colopl as well as Japanese venture capital funds Daiwa Securities and Dogan. Yamap founder and CEO Yoshi Haruyama wants to use the money to expand into the United States. Yoshi got the idea for Yamap while on a seal hunting trip in Alaska when he noticed that not even eskimos could navigate…

The Guardian – March 15, 2016 – As if old age wasn’t scary enough, here comes a new horror: Nadine, the humanoid robot personal care assistant for elderly people. Don’t you love the “personal” in there? How personal? It/she has “her [sic] own personality”, can remember conversations, and it/she isn’t quite ready for you yet, but it’s only a matter of time before it/she will be “a companion for children and the elderly”. See how they…

The Japan Times – March 14, 2016 – Wanted: six full-time ninjas who have a way with words and can do backward handsprings. Pay: about ¥180,000 a month. Aichi Prefecture said it is hiring full-time ninjas — the martial-arts masters and stealth assassins of feudal times — to promote tourism in an area known for historic Nagoya castle. Newly hired ninjas will receive a one-year contract with monthly salary of ¥180,000 plus a bonus, said…

Slate – March 11, 2016 – When it comes to cleaning up a nuclear disaster like Fukushima, robots are the ones you want to call. Unlike human “decontamination troops,” machines don’t requires workers’ comp. You don’t have to worry about them getting cancer, and it’s fine to send them into harm’s way and work them as hard as you want. Plus, they’re generally better equipped than people to go into the heart of disaster, and come out…

Travel and Leisure – March 9, 2016 – As if we needed another reason to head to Japan, news outlet Sankei is reporting that Nintendo and Universal Parks will open their first joint venture, a theme park featuring gamers’ favorite world’s and characters, in Osaka, Japan—probably by 2020. Nintendo announced their plans to team up with Universal for a string of amusement parks in May of last year, promising imaginative attractions populated by Nintendo’s famous characters, but details have been sparse. We now know they…

Japan Today – March 3, 2016 – TOKYO — For decades, Panasonic Corp. has shaped Japanese corporate tradition — be it morning exercise routines or lifetime employment. But don’t hold your breath waiting for other Asian businesses to emulate its latest policy announcement: Recognizing same-sex partnerships. Much of Asia remains far behind the West in such attitudes. Panasonic’s move is rare, although bold, and seems unlikely to herald a sea change. In China, South Korea, the…

niche gamer – March 2, 2016 – If you may recall, we reported on the United Nations discussing the possible banning of games and manga that depict sexual violence against women, in Japan. Now, Kumiko Yamada, representative of the Japanese wing of the Women’s Institute Of Contemporary Media Culture has responded to this, and she had quite a bit to say regarding the subject. Her response (Editor’s Note: first translated by reddit user RyanoftheStars; we’ve verified the translation’s…

Financial Review – March 1st, 2016 – Japan’s Robot Taxi aims to forge partnerships with carmakers to develop a driverless taxi service in time for the 2020 Olympics, holding its first tests on public roads and joining a global race to develop self-driving cars. The joint venture between gaming software maker DeNA Co and robotics developer ZMP has set the 2020 Games in Tokyo as a target to develop software to operate driverless cars and an…