Mobile in Tokyo

On this final business day of the year, our most sincere thanks and best wishes for you all in 2023 and beyond. Interesting times ahead as always! わざわざ、よろしくお願い申し上げます、よいお年をお迎えください。

Hearty Congrats to Tagawa-san on his well deserved NFC Forum Lifetime Achievement Award. We have met several times, forever grateful for his kindness and energy, noting the wonderful Q&A linked from announcement page. よろしくお願い申し上げます。 bit.ly/3VWkOt7

SoftBank Group reported Q2~1H earning results FY2022 today; presentation material, in English, [Pdf] Winter's Coming bit.ly/3hoDNwU

SoftBank announces exclusive on new Leitz Phone 2, with impressive Leica camera specs - device produced by Sharp, now open for pre-order with delivery from Nov. 18th at approx $1,500 USD sticker price. See dedicated product overview page here [Jpn] bit.ly/3tfEifu

NTT reporting 1H results; DoCoMo announced collaboration with Accenture on Web3 projects, at est. $1Bn annual for the next 5years, targeting worksforce skills and blockchain platform dev. supporting ESG~SDG goals and regional revitalization [PR] bit.ly/3hjm4Hf

SoftBank was granted test license for 240~300GHz bands in Tokyo, for initial Terahertz wave trials - Beyond 5G, confirming potential to deliver 100Gbps data speeds at +900m distance and establish viable zone with rotating reflector antenna. [Jpn] bit.ly/3swP8xc

KDDI announces Starlink Japan now rolling, with first @SpaceX deploy on the map in Asia, with northern half of the nation covered and rest of the country 'coming soon'.. H'ware kit runs $500 with monthly fee of $85 at current rounded Forex. [Jpn] bit.ly/3SUi4uL

Google Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai in Tokyo, 1st time since late 2019, to announce new Pixel lineup and note $1Bn related infra efforts ranging from data center in Chiba and the Topaz fiber subsea cable to Vancouver. Details here [Jpn Translated] bit.ly/3Mo3byj

The annual CEATEC tradeshow and conference gets underway, online access all month and physical event runs 10.18~21st at Makuhari Messe venue for first time since 2019. Official site with sessions scheduled, free registration required, in English bit.ly/3BZ5Byr

KDDI and JR just announced Startup Program focused on the new Takanawa Gateway City project in Shinagawa. See the call to action targets overview, with timelines and participant application details, available via their dedicated website here [Jpn] bit.ly/3E0IhmS

The annual @Tokyo_Game_Show event is underway, the first IRL gathering since 2019, they sent PR this morning with overview and participation details [.Pdf] bit.ly/3Lehm8y See dedicated Youtube channel with program streams available in English here youtube.com/playlist?list=…

SoftBank announced new Digital Twin Campus colab with Keio Univ. for joint R&D to explore Beyond 5G tech. The partners will host a symposium on 09.29th with the key members presenting their planned scope of work, see overview details here [Jpn] bit.ly/3L4wJR0

Major event set for Feb. 2023 with target to have 10,000 delegates from 30 countries address urban issues through open innovation. The startup pitch contest offers nice cash reward for top prize, overview details and registration in English here: bit.ly/3L8fm1F

A.L.I. Technologies, the Tokyo-based XTURISMO luxury hoverbike startup founded circa 2016, has announced they will be listed on NASDAQ via SPAC deal with Pono Capital at $600M+ valuation. See the overview details in English PR here bit.ly/3cTR5j5

multiple sources reporting Inamori-sensei, the iconic founder of Kyocera and KDDI, passed away. We have always had huge respect for him, here's great interview circa 2015 in English. お悔やみ申し上げます。 stuff.co.nz/business/world…

Tokyo Game Show is gearing up for their first in person event since 2019, along with virtual online offering. See the Exhibitors list now available, in English, with ±500 confirmed to participate - Nothing Stops Gaming - details here: nkbp.jp/3JFYdvG

Noted the 7th annual @Spacetide_Conf event is running here in Tokyo from July 19~21st, both online and physical, with a 'stellar' lineup of industry speakers on deck. See full session program details, in English, via their dedicated website here bit.ly/3O9LhyJ

Tough weekend for KDDI with full network crash, and some 40M mobile clients affected, they are just finally coming back nationwide after +60hrs service outage. According to presser here Sunday morning, seems core router switch was cause [Eng] bit.ly/3unVZub

KDDI announced their Summit 2022 event, exploring strategies towards 2030, set to run online August 2nd and 3rd with free advanced registration required. See agenda topic and speakers lineup via dedicated website here [Jpn] bit.ly/3Agbp7B

The Digital Signage Consortium of Japan announced their 14th annual Award Winners for 2022, with the Giant 3D Cat in Shinjuku taking Grand Prix spot, see full list with details of each campaign via here [Jpn] bit.ly/3O4jrEN