Prior to the general election scheduled at the end of this month, Rakuten publicized a letter from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party(LDP) and the opposition Democratic Party of Japan(DPJ) in response to the question by 60 Japanese business leaders including Rakuten’s CEO Hiroshi Mikitani. The leaders asked both parties about their policies on six subjects… Continue reading Election Campaigning On The Net: When Does Law Catch Up With Social Trends?
Author: Masaru IKEDA
Herbivorous-type Boys Scouter: What Animal Are You?
Motion Portrait, a Tokyo-based tech start-up and expert in image processing, and Gigno System Japan, a mobile app developer and a subsidiary of Tokyo FM Broadcasting[J], jointly introduced a new mobile service called “Herbivorous-type Boys Scouter （草食男子スカウター[J])“, which allows you to measure how aggressive you are for girl hunting. Author’s Note: Herbivorous-type boys or 草食系男子… Continue reading Herbivorous-type Boys Scouter: What Animal Are You?
UGC Song Parody: Freedom Of Expression Or Libeling Her?
Noriko Sakai, who used to be a popular J-pop idol in late 1980s and is now an actress starring on several TV commercial films, was arrested on a suspicion of possessing illegal stimulants last weekend. She has an enormous number of her fans in Asian nations, especially Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and several… Continue reading UGC Song Parody: Freedom Of Expression Or Libeling Her?
If The Shoguns Were Alive Today, Which Would Be Their Favorites?
Softbank Mobile released new five line-ups of luxury-textured and japan-lacquered covercase for iPhone 3GS/3G, which imitate an “inro” or a feudal pillbox used in Japan’s turbulent age. The list price is JPY 99,800 for each, which is approximately USD 1,050. The line-ups were designed on the concept of what kind of iPhone case the five… Continue reading If The Shoguns Were Alive Today, Which Would Be Their Favorites?
Event Preview: Web Innovation Showcase WISH2009 To Be Held
Agile Media Network, a Shibuya-based start-up company providing Japanese A-list bloggers with ad revenue opportunities and Asiajin’s adviser Motohiko Tokuriki[J] serves as the president of, plans to hold an event called WISH2009[J] on Friday evening next week. Mr. Tokuriki attended TedxTokyo last May, and he was highly inspired by the event and turned to think… Continue reading Event Preview: Web Innovation Showcase WISH2009 To Be Held
To Learn Their Real Intentions, “Tokyo Nylon Girls” Debuts
On Friday, Tokyo-based website development company Level-Q[J] launched a brand new webzine named “Tokyo Nylon Girls[J]” after the synthetic fiber symbolizing a girl, because it is finer than a spider’s thread, more shiny than silk, and more solid than steel. Rie Tomimoto[J], also known as Jibunya 24[J] (see this article), serves as the editor-in-chief of… Continue reading To Learn Their Real Intentions, “Tokyo Nylon Girls” Debuts
An Easy Way To Switch Old-Fashioned Publishers Into Digital
Wayz Japan[J], a Tokyo-based tech start-up company which develops e-publishing platforms, recently released two services that allow old-fashioned publishers to switch themselves into digital as easily as 1-2-3. Last week the company introduced an iPhone/iPod touch app allowing users to browse the latest issues of 400 magazines. Without visiting a bookseller nor worrying about possibly… Continue reading An Easy Way To Switch Old-Fashioned Publishers Into Digital
Ultimate Localization: Twitter Gets Japanese Nickname And Theme Song
Japanese pop singer and song-writer Kohmi Hirose[J] (@kohmi), who has released a number of popular songs in ’90s and been singing winter dating stuffs for young couples, is also one of the celebrity twitterers. Kohmi exchanged many tweets with Kazuyo Katsuma[J] (@kazuyo_k), a friend of her, economist and the best-selling business book author in Japan,… Continue reading Ultimate Localization: Twitter Gets Japanese Nickname And Theme Song
E-Optician: Try It Before Making Any Purchase
When we purchase something to wear on the Internet, what the most unsatisfied thing is that we cannot try it on before making an order. Japanese major clothing e-retailers usually accept returning item even after the item has been tried on. This helps to minimize the disadvantage of e-commerce services, and to make up a… Continue reading E-Optician: Try It Before Making Any Purchase
Can “Moe” Catgirl Make Our Lives So Cheerful?
Wake up in the morning, commute, work, have a lunch, work again, come back home, take a bath and go asleep – for everyday, for ever. Aren’t you bored with monotonous daily routines? A Tokyo-based company, which states creating stimulus things as its corporate mission, will probably make it happen. Xtone[J] (pronounced as “eks-tone”), a… Continue reading Can “Moe” Catgirl Make Our Lives So Cheerful?