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Recently in Tokyo an AI-driven robot leaned over a man lying on his back and gently put a hand on his knee and another on a shoulder and rolled him onto his side — a maneuver used to change diapers or prevent bedsores in the elderly. The 150-kg artificial intelligence-driven humanoid robot called AIREC is a prototype future “caregiver” for Japan’s rapidly aging population and chronic shortage of aged-care workers. “Given our highly advanced aging society and declining births, we will be needing robots’ support for medical and elderly care, and in our daily lives,” said Shigeki Sugano, the Waseda University professor leading AIREC’s research with government funding. Source link

Teleperformance, the largest call-center operator in the world, is rolling out an artificial intelligence system that softens English-speaking Indian workers’ accents in real time in a move the company claims will make them more understandable. The technology, called accent translation, coupled with background noise cancellation, is being deployed in call centers in India, where workers provide customer support to some of Teleperformance’s international clients. Teleperformance provides outsourced customer support and content moderation to global companies including Apple, ByteDance’s TikTok and Samsung Electronics. “When you have an Indian agent on the line, sometimes it’s hard to hear, to understand,” Deputy-CEO Thomas Mackenbrock said in an interview with Bloomberg. The technology can “neutralize the accent of the Indian speaker with zero latency,” he said. This “creates more intimacy, increases the customer satisfaction, and reduces the average handling time: it is a win-win for both parties.” Source link

BANGKOK – Hundreds of foreign nationals pulled out of scam compounds in Myanmar during a crackdown on centers run by criminal gangs have little food, scant health care and filthy toilets in the remote militia camp they have been taken to, two detainees said. Some also have no easy way to get back to their distant home countries after being moved to the camp, along the border with Thailand, which is run by Myanmar’s Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) militia. About 470 people are housed in the camp, where already harsh living conditions are deteriorating, two African nationals who are detained there said. Source link

Fukuoka – Luxury rail travel has always carried an air of nostalgia, a lingering connection to a time when the world moved at a slower, more deliberate pace. In Japan, where the shinkansen has redefined efficiency, there exists an anomaly — the Seven Stars in Kyushu, a train that moves not with speed but with intention. Over two days and one night, I recently traveled aboard this wood-paneled, brass-adorned sleeper train, tracing a path through Kyushu’s varied landscapes, stopping in quiet coastal towns and alighting at preserved samurai districts. Unlike Japan’s high-speed alternatives, this train asks passengers to surrender to slowness, to observe the countryside not as a blur from a window but as an unfolding narrative. The cost of this experience is prohibitive to most. The “cheapest” Seven Stars journey starts at around ¥680,000 per person in a double suite, while a deluxe suite for one person on the longest route at most reaches ¥2,770,000. Source link

As U.S. President Donald Trump greeted Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday, he told reporters it was an honor to welcome the Ukrainian leader for an “exciting moment” — signing a landmark deal securing access to critical minerals in Ukraine meant to pave the way for a peace agreement with Russia. Less than two hours later, Zelenskyy was rushing out of the West Wing into an idling SUV, his relationship with Ukraine’s most critical ally in tatters. Prospects for a signing ceremony — much less a landmark accord with Russia resolving three years of conflict — had vaporized. And as Trump posted social media missives blasting Zelenskyy as an ingrate who had insulted the United States, stunned officials in Washington and across the world wondered if repairing the rift was even possible. Source link

100 YEARS AGO Saturday, March 21, 1925 Governmental sanction has been granted to the Tokyo Radio Broadcasting Bureau and full reports are to begin tomorrow from the broadcasting station at Shibaura, according to an announcement at the Bureau’s headquarters here yesterday. Source link

Alongside snacking on sushi and snapping photos in front of temples and shrines, shopping for vintage designer goods has become a must-do for foreign visitors to Japan. From resale giants like Book Off and Komehyo to smaller boutiques specializing in hard-to-find pieces from Hermes, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, Japan’s secondhand market has turned into a luxury treasure hunt for tourists. Some travelers plan entire itineraries around finding well-preserved, authenticated designer pieces at prices far below retail. “Aside from exploring, part of the itinerary is finding a really great deal on a Hermes Kelly,” says Sydney Wang, a Californian honeymooner shopping in Tokyo’s Omotesando neighborhood with her husband in late February, of the designer bag that retails from about $10,000 (about ¥1.49 million). “We’re already here, so I wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to own my dream bag for a fraction of the cost.” Source link

Nadeshiko Japan boss Nils Nielsen clearly understands the importance of first impressions as his side emerged victorious in claiming a first-ever SheBelieves Cup title in the Greenlander’s debut outing since taking the job in December. Japan recorded impressive wins against Australia and Colombia before edging past the United States, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, 2-1 in an enthralling winner-takes-all final match on Wednesday in San Diego. “I think we were extremely brave,” Nielsen said after the final game. “They kept the ball (even) when it was difficult to do so. They are stepping up, and they are really trying. So I think it was deserved that we won.” Source link

It has been one month since a sinkhole appeared at the intersection of a prefectural road in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture. A passing truck fell into the hole when it appeared, and the 74-year-old driver has still not been found. Saitama created a committee comprising experts to investigate the cause of the sinkhole and create a plan for restoration work, but with efforts to find the driver expected to take about three months, there is no concrete timeline in place on when such work can begin. The incident occurred at around 9:50 a.m. on Jan. 28 when the central part of an intersection collapsed. As part of the search for the truck driver who fell in, the prefecture sent a drone into a sewage pipe in the sinkhole, and a white metal mass was discovered. Source link

The prices of 2,343 food items are expected to be raised in March, roughly tripling from a year before, a survey by Teikoku Databank showed Friday. The survey covered 195 major food-makers. The monthly figure is on course to top 2,000 for the first time since October 2024, and the cumulative number in 2025 will exceed 10,000. “Higher expenses are impacting companies’ profits, leaving them with no choice but to pass on the rising costs,” an official of the research firm said. In March, prices will go up for many frozen food items, according to the survey. Ajinomoto Frozen Foods will increase shipment prices of 54 items for household use, including gyōza and shūmai Chinese dumplings, by 3% to 10%. Besides frozen items, Otsuka Foods will raise the suggested retail prices of six products from its Bon Curry Gold precooked curry series from ¥221 ($1.5) to ¥254. Meiji will increase shipment prices by up to about 8% for 12 butter, fat and oil products. Source link