Hacker News with Generative AI: Japan

Sony in talks to buy owner Of Elden Ring developer FromSoftware (kotaku.com)
Reuters is reporting that Sony is in talks to buy Kadokawa Corporation, the company that owns FromSoftware, Spike Chunsoft and many other Japanese businesses.
Video Games, Acquisitions, Japan, Sony, Business
16 points by astlouis44 2 days ago | 0 comments
Electromagnetic coil gun seized in Japan (nhk.or.jp)
殺傷能力を備えた電磁石銃、いわゆる「コイルガン」を所持したとして、29歳の容疑者が銃刀法違反の疑いで逮捕されました。容疑者は製造する様子を写した動画を動画配信サイトで公開していたということで、警視庁が詳しい経緯を調べています。
Weapons, Japan, Law Enforcement, Technology
55 points by lando2319 2 days ago | 82 comments
How Japanese black companies oppress workers (2014) (tofugu.com)
If you hear the term "black company", what kind of company do you imagine? As we all know, black is the darkest color, so if you pictured an evil company with a dark side then you would be on the right track. A black company (aka "black corporation" or "black business") is buraku kigyō ブラック（） 企業（きぎょう） in Japanese. In general, it is a term used to refer to an unacceptably exploitative employment system.
Japan, Labor, Culture, Employment Practices
178 points by rawgabbit 3 days ago | 229 comments
Japanese workers turn to resignation agencies (metropolisjapan.com)
A new survey from Mynavi Corp. shows a significant rise in resignation agencies across Japan that help people quit their jobs. But why?
Japan, Employment, Resignation, Labor Market, Human Resources
167 points by billybuckwheat 3 days ago | 142 comments
Playful, intricate Japanese leaf art – in pictures – Art and design (theguardian.com)
Art, Japan, Photography
59 points by sandebert 4 days ago | 4 comments
Japan's GDP grows for second successive quarter (nhk.or.jp)
New government data show Japan's GDP grew for the second consecutive quarter in the three months through September.
Japan, Economics, GDP
7 points by jpcom 5 days ago | 0 comments
Porygon Was Innocent: An epileptic perspective on the infamous Pokémon episode (animefeminist.com)
On December 16th 1997 Pokémon made international headlines when their latest episode, “Dennō Senshi Porygon”—now commonly translated as “Electric Soldier Porygon”— caused 685 children to be taken into hospital by ambulance due to seizures, blindness, and convulsions.
Anime, Epilepsy, Media, History, Japan
162 points by Aissen 8 days ago | 152 comments
Japan Stops a Reactor from Starting as America Goes All in on Nuclear Power (gizmodo.com)
America is bullish on the future of nuclear power while Japan is turning its generators back on with extra caution. In Japan, a nuclear watchdog halted a reactor from spinning up after deciding it was unsafe. In the U.S., the Department of Energy has set a goal of tripling its nuclear capacity by the year 2050.
Nuclear Power, Energy, Japan, United States, Politics
4 points by rntn 8 days ago | 0 comments
Japanese Raccoon Dog (wikipedia.org)
The Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes viverrinus),[1] also known by its Japanese name tanuki (Japanese: 狸, タヌキ),[2] is a species of canid endemic to Japan.
Animals, Japan, Biology
3 points by kblissett 8 days ago | 0 comments
Ban on women marrying after 25: the proposal to boost birth rate in Japan (firstpost.com)
The leader of Japan’s Conservative Party has sparked an uproar by advocating for a ban on women marrying after the age of 25 and having their uteruses removed at the age of 30.
Japan, Social Policy, Demographics, Women's Rights, Controversy
8 points by RyeCombinator 8 days ago | 21 comments
Samurai Serial Killers and Mass Murderers (tokyoweekender.com)
Killing is a funny old thing. You can cut down 17 people, decapitate their corpses and stuff their mouths with bamboo grass — and people will call you one of the greatest warriors ever simply because the slaughter happened during war. That’s why there are so few “evil samurai” on record. Throughout its history, Japan has strongly believed that all’s fair in love and war, and it’s had plenty of the latter over the years.
History, Japan, Crime, War
45 points by PaulHoule 9 days ago | 0 comments
Sumo-API, a comprehensive database of sumo stats from 1958 to the present (sumo-api.com)
Welcome to Sumo-API, a comprehensive database of sumo statistics spanning from 1958 to the present day. Our API and dashboard are continually updated with the latest results from Grand Sumo tournaments.
Sports, Japan, Data, APIs
5 points by zdw 11 days ago | 0 comments
Coffee, sandwiches, underwear, beer: a day in the life of Japan's konbini (theguardian.com)
Convenience stores are a neat and functional retail institution in Japan, where customers can access the daily essentials, from buying breakfast to paying bills
Japan, Convenience Stores, Retail, Culture
112 points by tosh 13 days ago | 76 comments
Tepco retrieves tiny melted fuel from disaster-hit Fukushima reactor (kyodonews.net)
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex said Thursday it had retrieved a small amount of melted fuel from one of the disaster-stricken reactors, in its first such attempt after the plant was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami over a decade ago.
Nuclear Power, Japan, Accidents, Environmental Disaster, Fukushima
7 points by anigbrowl 14 days ago | 1 comments
A mistake that killed Japan's software industry? (2023) (disruptingjapan.com)
Everyone loves to complain about the poor quality of Japanese software, but today I’m going to explain exactly what went wrong.  You’ll get the whole story, and I’ll also pinpoint the specific moment Japan lost its way. By the end, I think you’ll have a new perspective on Japanese software and understand why everything might be about to change.
Software, Japan, History, Business, Technology
275 points by ayoisaiah 14 days ago | 324 comments
Japan's declining births on track to fall below 700k (asahi.com)
The number of births of Japanese children in the first half of 2024 has continued its alarming downward trend, with only 329,998 babies born between January and June.
Japan, Demographics, Population Decline
71 points by rntn 15 days ago | 165 comments
Japan Is Entering a New Era of Instability (nytimes.com)
The political dominance of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party has been remarkable.
Japan, Politics, Political Parties, Instability
11 points by segasaturn 17 days ago | 2 comments
Mount Fuji snowless at end of October for first time in 130 years (jpost.com)
Japan's iconic Mount Fuji remains snowless, marking the latest date without a snowcap since records began 130 years ago.
Climate Change, Japan, Weather, Mount Fuji, Environment
12 points by thunderbong 19 days ago | 1 comments
Japan's Eightfold Fence (2017) (americanaffairsjournal.org)
For Westerners sympathetically acculturated to accepting radical multiculturalism, Japan offers an almost shocking vision of an alternate reality.
Japan, Culture, Multiculturalism, Sociology
11 points by ciconia 20 days ago | 0 comments
Men Arrested for Transcribing a Movie, Posting Details to a Website (torrentfreak.com)
In what is believed to be the first case of its type in Japan, three men have been arrested for transcribing movies and then using the material without obtaining permission from rightsholders.
Copyright, Law Enforcement, Entertainment, Japan
38 points by isaacfrond 20 days ago | 39 comments
The inventor of the automatic rice cooker (ieee.org)
Toshiba’s ER-4, introduced in 1955, was the world’s first automatic rice cooker.
History, Technology, Japan, Consumer Electronics, Food
240 points by jnord 22 days ago | 214 comments
Japan's Mount Fuji has yet to see snow this season, breaking a 130-year record (cnn.com)
Japan, Weather, Climate Change, Records, Mount Fuji
14 points by teleforce 22 days ago | 0 comments
Access to video game consoles improved mental well-being during Covid – study (psypost.org)
A natural experiment born out of the COVID-19 pandemic’s supply chain disruptions has allowed scientists in Japan to uncover the causal effects of video gaming on mental health. The findings upend common perceptions of gaming as a threat to mental well-being.
Video Games, Mental Health, COVID-19, Science, Japan
12 points by sundarurfriend 24 days ago | 2 comments
The Influence of Japanese Archaeology on the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (jgeekstudies.org)
The game developing team’s careful integration of Japanese archaeological and historical heritage, especially from the Jōmon period, into Breath of the Wild, reflects the enduring influence of the Japan’s ancient past on contemporary culture.
Video Games, Archaeology, Japan, History, Culture
255 points by zdw 24 days ago | 50 comments
Japan's Liberal Democratic Party lost parliamentary majority, 1st since 2009 (cnbc.com)
Japan, Politics, Elections
4 points by donsupreme 25 days ago | 0 comments
Sekino's Art World (sekinoworld.com)
Jun-ichiro Sekino (1914-1988) was a distinguished printmaker in Japan, and Yowsaku, his second son, has also become a printmaker residing in Tokyo.
Art, Japan, Printmaking
14 points by networked 26 days ago | 1 comments
TI expands internal manufacturing for gallium nitride (GAN) semiconductors (ti.com)
Texas Instruments (TI) (Nasdaq: TXN) today announced it has begun production of gallium nitride (GaN)-based power semiconductors at its factory in Aizu, Japan.
Semiconductors, Manufacturing, Technology, Texas Instruments, Japan
64 points by sandwichsphinx 28 days ago | 64 comments
BYD EV teardown in Japan reveals secrets to its affordability (insideevs.com)
China is way ahead of Japan (and most of the world) when it comes to EVs, and it doesn't look like it will catch up anytime soon.
Electric Vehicles, China, Japan, Automotive Industry, Affordability
154 points by segasaturn 28 days ago | 284 comments
The Japanese word ikigai refers to a passion that gives joy to life (2022) (japan.go.jp)
The Japanese word ikigai, which has recently gained attention worldwide and enjoys widespread use, refers to a passion that gives value and joy to life. The author who prompted its craze speaks about the word’s appeal and the effects it has on mental and physical health.
Culture, Japan, Wellbeing, Psychology
202 points by craigkerstiens 30 days ago | 115 comments
Paranormasight: A Game Exploring the Depths of Honjo in Tokyo (boilingsteam.com)
In the first half of 2024, I had the pleasure of completing Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo, an adventure game/visual novel (published by Square Enix) that has been on my wishlist for quite some time.
Video Games, Japan, Tokyo, Adventure Games, Visual Novels
57 points by ekianjo 32 days ago | 7 comments