Travel Alerts•
Awa Odori festival to fill Tokyo's Kanda with dance in April
Organizers hope to stage event every 2 years; spectators invited to join in
Source: Nikkei Asia
Latest Updates (Page 230)
Culture•
OpenAI to get $110 billion investment from SoftBank and others
The investment will be used to boost its AI infrastructure amid intensifying competition over AI development.
Source: The Japan Times
Culture•
Trump directs U.S. agencies to toss Anthropic's AI as Pentagon calls startup a supply risk
The deals a major blow to the artificial intelligence lab after a showdown about technology guardrails.
Source: The Japan Times
Culture•
North Korea unveils image of leader's daughter firing rifle
The unusual release of the image adds to speculation that Kim Jong Un's daughter Ju Ae is being groomed as his successor.
Source: The Japan Times
Travel Alerts•
Malaysia's auto sales overtake Indonesia in 2025 to top Southeast Asia
EV-driven Vietnam, which is in 4th position, closes in on Thailand
Source: Nikkei Asia
Culture•
Xi’s AI ambitions collide with China’s fragile employment market
China can’t afford to hobble itself in the race with Washington for AI capabilities and it also needs to ensure job creation to prevent social unrest.
Source: The Japan Times
Travel Alerts•
Mizuho to cut up to 5,000 clerical jobs in Japan with AI streamlining
Major banking group to reassign staff made redundant through reduced workloads
Source: Nikkei Asia
Culture•
AI boom will be no free pass for debt-laden major economies
An AI productivity boom may help buy major economies more time to clean up their strained public finances, but it won't do the heavy lifting.
Source: The Japan Times
Travel Alerts•
Japan's cherry blossoms expected to bloom earlier due to warmer weather
Forecasts indicate Tokyo trees in flower as early as mid-March, ahead of Kyoto and Osaka
Source: Nikkei Asia
Travel Alerts•
Sanae Takaichi, off camera
A beat reporter's beyond-the-podium view of Japan's first female prime minister
Source: Nikkei Asia
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