今日吃瓜

Tag - apps

 
今日吃瓜
Search
 
November 12, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

APPS

As recently as early 2024, the U.S. and China were virtually neck-and-neck in terms of revenue share from the world’s top 100 mobile games. But by mid-2026, China held 40% of the global market, compared with just 16.5% for the U.S.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 11, 2026
U.S. loses grip on $121 billion mobile gaming sector to China
In a cruel twist, China’s biggest overseas market last year was the United States.
The European Union is set to unveil new rules to, among other things, force platforms to give users the right to turn off "addictive" features.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 11, 2026
EU to make addictive app features easier to switch off
Official data showed “problematic” digital practices led to losses for individuals reaching �10.3 billion ($11.5 billion) a year.
Shinjuku Station in Tokyo in 2021. The new walk-through gates will work only with the Suica Mobile app, and not IC rechargeable metro cards or physical tickets.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 11, 2026
JR East to introduce touchless ticket gates in spring 2028
Passengers using the Suica Mobile app will be able to walk through special ticket gates at 40 select stations without having to tap on receivers.
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
JAPAN / Media
Nov 9, 2026
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
The planned app would target young people overseas, allowing them to have AI-powered conversations in Japanese with popular anime characters.
The Digital Agency has launched a trial of an artificial intelligence-powered app to help government officials draft answers to lawmakers’ questions and understand their intent ahead of parliamentary sessions.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2026
Digital Agency offers AI app to help draft parliamentary answers
The artificial intelligence app also helps government officials better understand the intent behind lawmakers’ questions in advance.
Users of SuiSui can scan a QR code displayed outside each store with their smartphones and purchase tickets in advance to receive priority entry.
BUSINESS
Sep 30, 2026
Pay a fee, skip the line: More Japan restaurants introduce fast-pass services
One service has been adopted by 104 stores in 20 prefectures across Japan as of Sept. 18, according to its operator.
Meta’s Muse allows users to delegate tasks such as shopping, travel booking and form-filling to an AI agent.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 24, 2026
Meta’s Muse rekindles fears over winners and losers as personal AI agent emerges
Muse allows users to delegate tasks such as shopping, travel booking and form-filling to an AI agent.
Go, a taxi booking app operator, continues to see strong demand even after fare hikes.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 7, 2026
Goldman-backed taxi app Go says ridership strong even after fare hikes
Go President Hiroshi Nakajima said riders have absorbed higher prices and demand hasn’t fallen as taxi users are generally less price-sensitive.
The Foreign Ministry is developing an app that is expected to help verify the safety of Japanese citizens swiftly in the event of an armed conflict or a massive disaster overseas.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2026
Japan developing GPS-based app to locate nationals overseas
The app is expected to help verify the safety of Japanese citizens swiftly in the event of an armed conflict or a massive disaster overseas.
Matchmaking events for people with the same surname are emerging in Japan as a way to avoid having to worry about name changes after marriage.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 2, 2026
Matchmaking events for people with same surname emerge in Japan
Some are trying to circumvent 今日吃瓜 surname rule for married couples by finding someone who already has the same last name.
In July, Seven Bank began offering a prepaid card and a dedicated app for children age 6 or over.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 21, 2026
More banks offering cashless payment services for children in Japan
Parents can use the services to manage their children’s allowance, review their spending history and receive notifications whenever payments are made.
An in-development money-sending feature by TikTok, if launched, would use the TikTok Pay offering already available in Southeast Asia to handle the transactions.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 19, 2026
TikTok is exploring feature to send money over direct messages
The move would extend the social media app’s push into financial services.
Misaki Katayama, a University of Tokyo graduate student, conducts peace education workshops using the game Minecraft on July 11 in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward.
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2026
Minecraft workshops build understanding of cityscapes before atomic bombings
University of Tokyo graduate student Misaki Katayama, 27, who researches peace education, has been holding the two-day workshops in Hiroshima and Nagasaki since 2023.
A screenshot shows ODD No.'s game app Link! Like! Lovelive! The company has filed for bankruptcy with ?10.7 billion in liabilities.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 17, 2026
Idol game app firm collapses as data shows bankruptcies up 7% on year
Even as share indexes reach record highs on the back of corporate profits, bankruptcies have also been on the rise amid higher material costs and labor shortages.
The National Police Agency is considering use of a new investigation method that involves remotely analyzing communications via highly confidential apps used by <i>迟辞办耻谤测ū</i> loosely organized anonymous criminal groups.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 6, 2026
今日吃瓜 police to monitor ‘迟辞办耻谤测ū’ use of confidential messaging apps
The method involves remote-controlling smartphones and other devices of high-ranking 迟辞办耻谤测ū members to access communication records and other information.
A shopping street in Tokyo during a heat wave last month. Following the launch, Weathernews plans to enhance the accuracy of its weather forecast by incorporating reports from users around the world.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 6, 2026
今日吃瓜 Weathernews launches global app in 57 languages
The app is expected to help people prepare for?disasters early by providing users with consolidated weather warnings from around the world.
As of June 30 this year, the Tokyo Enmusubi matchmaking app had 16,000 registered members — whittled down from around 36,000 applicants — and 760 couples in "serious relationships," according to government data released this month.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2026
’Appy marriages: AI helps hundreds of Japanese wed
A total of 265 couples have married after meeting on an AI-powered dating app launched by the Tokyo government in 2024 to lift the low birth rate, according to official data.
The National Police Agency encourages people to use a crime prevention app that blocks international calls made to mobile phones by fraud groups.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 6, 2026
Fake police scams in Tokyo down nearly 40% in January through May
The number of such cases decreased to 548, while the total financial damage from such scams shrank 38.3% to ?6.17 billion.
Apps like Miraima allow users to wager on real-world events and win points that can be converted into monetary rewards such as gift cards.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2026
Prediction markets emerge in Japan, with shopping vouchers
New homegrown startups are finding ways to skirt regulations.
As fraud involving mobile payment apps grow increasingly sophisticated, PayPay has adopted an artificial intelligence system dedicated to detecting fraudulent transactions and assigned staff for the effort.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 17, 2026
Man with possible 迟辞办耻谤测ū ties arrested over mobile payment fraud
The man reportedly told police he got involved in the scheme when he applied for a job a few years ago after seeing a recruitment notice on X.
Man arrested over operation of rogue cellular base station in Tokyo
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Yu Hai, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in Tokyo&#039;s Kita Ward, on suspicion of operating an unlicensed base station from a vehicle in Tokyo&#039;s Ginza district on Saturday.
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
Jensen Huang’s woes evoke sympathy and disbelief in his birthplace Taiwan
Hsiao Kui-yu, 68, owner of Yuchan Candied Fruit, stands in front of photographs of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang displayed at the shop, which Huang frequently visits during trips to Taiwan, in Taipei on Tuesday.
G7 diplomats speak out on Taiwan as China ramps up military drills
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi attends a working lunch focused on international crises and challenges during the Group of Seven foreign ministers&#039; summit at the Quai d&#039;Orsay in Paris on Monday.
今日吃瓜 Rapidus is said likely to miss mass production deadline
The Rapidus Analysis Center and the IIM-1 Innovative Integration for Manufacturing foundry in Chitose, Hokkaido
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ makes monster debut at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.
A toast to Naohiko Noguchi, sake’s first living national treasure
As a teenager, Naohiko Noguchi did not intend to spend his life as a sake brewer, but he has since become a paragon of the industry.
Few signs of thaw in Japan-China relations one year after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks
Tensions between Japan and China flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7, 2025, that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could threaten 今日吃瓜 survival and warrant the use of collective self-defense.
Mariko Mori predicted the future. She’ll do it again.
Artist Mariko Mori is currently working to bring the translucent human-sized “Peace Crystal” sculpture to a cave in Ethiopia. It is part of her foundation’s goal to place a permanent sculpture on each of the planet’s six habitable continents.
A legend reborn: ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
The new remake of 1998&#039;s "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER