Samsung Electronics has announced that the company will supply Open RAN (O-RAN) compliant 5G radios to Rakuten Mobile to support its nationwide mobile network across Japan. Samsung’s solutions will power Rakuten Mobile’s expansion of its fully virtualised, cloud-native O-RAN network, delivering enhanced mobile connectivity. Following testing and validation, the companies expect to begin commercial deployment […]
A man who operated ZzzFun, a piracy website which distributed Japanese anime and other content to users in China without authorisation, as well as a smartphone app of the same name, was arrested in February 2025, by the Public Security Bureau of Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province. On November 18th 2025, the Yuhua District People’s Court […]
Nippon TV, the Japanese multiplatform entertainment studio, has announced the launch of Viral Pocket, a new division focused on the expanding vertical video market. Hirofumi Tanaka, President, Content Strategy, Nippon TV, commented: “The momentum behind content born on social platforms has become extraordinary, continually giving rise to new cultural movements and trends. At Nippon TV, […]
Japan’s premium VoD sector reached a significant milestone in 2025, expanding 15 per cent year-on-year to reach $7.2 billion (€6.07bn) in total revenue. The market is increasingly defined by layered monetisation strategies, including the expansion of ad-supported tiers and a strategic shift toward deeper local content, live events and sports, according to the Japan Online […]
Japanese giant cellular telco Docomo says it will shortly launch its Direct-to-Cellular (D2C) service using Starlink-equipped satellites. Docomo, which currently has 92.2 million mobile subscribers, is a direct competitor to Rakuten, which has a relationship with AST SpaceMobile. The Docomo news confirms an announcement made in October 2025 when the operator said it was working […]
On January 28th, at the fourth hearing held at the Osaka District Court in Japan, a man who had been arrested and indicted by the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters and the Toyonaka Police Station on suspicion of violating the Copyright Act for selling pirated DVDs of classic black-and-white films that he had unlawfully colourised and […]
At the Wireless Global Congress (WGC) APAC 2026 in Tokyo, Airties, a provider of AI-driven software for ISPs, has revealed findings from a commissioned consumer survey, independently conducted by Qualtrics, of more than 1,000 Japanese households. The survey revealed a potential churn crisis for home ISPs in Japan: approximately one-quarter of households are considering switching […]
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK has announced the appointment of Tatsuhiko Inoue, the current Vice President, as the next President of NHK. Inoue’s three-year term will begin on January 25th 2026, taking over after the current Nobuo Inaba’s term ends. Before Inoue, six consecutive presidents came from outside NHK, and it is the first time since […]
The already award-winning documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto: Last Days has been further recognised this time with an International Emmy Award. Produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK, the documentary film reported on the death of acclaimed musician Ryuichi Sakamoto in March 2023. As a member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sakamoto catapulted into international fame with his […]
SES will soon provide more satellite capacity over Japan and across Asia for commercial airline customers following an agreement for the full Ku-band capacity of the geostationary communications satellite Superbird-C2, owned by SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation. The Superbird-C2 satellite will be repositioned from its current orbital location at 144 degrees East to a new orbital […]