CICC TOKYO DAYORI
CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.88
We are currently having the criminal case which is making noise in Japan now.The case has been taken up by Japanese media every day, and the public is closely watching the progress for police investigation.The case is a series of robberies aiming at rich people, especially for seniors.It has occurred widely in Japan, and serious injuries and murders have been occurred due to robbery. The culprit is a special confidence man group, and the number of cases has been increased rapidly.The characteristics of this criminal case are the followings. Criminal groups are composed of “instructors” and “executors”. The “instructors” are Japanese, and said to be outside of Japan (probably in […]
CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.87
The voice recognition systems have become popular. I put "Alexa" at mybedside and every night I ask her by voice what time to wake me up thenext morning. When I first experienced voice recognition, I was surprised anddelighted, as if a fairy tale had come true. Still, I didn't ask sillyquestions like "Who is the most beautiful woman in the world?" The latest AI analyzes not only human voices but also various sounds.AI has made sounds visible to people with hearing impaired. JR East launched the test operation at Ueno Station, a commuter hub inTokyo.I also use Ueno station for my commute. So, I saw what it is reallylike. AI […]
CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.86
“Autumn is Around the Corner!” After consecutive brutal heat and humid days (in the 40s with 85%-90%)during this summer season in Japan, another great season to enjoy thenature is around the corner. Yes, “Autumn”.Would assume that Spring season is being well-recognized by peopleworldwide as the best timing to enjoy pink-colored “cherry blossoms”,meanwhile Autumn is another one to enjoy nature of green colored leavesturning into red-and-yellow-in-various-gradations of “Ko-Yo”(Autumnfoliage, if you will) and to enjoy “Momiji-Gari” activities.The Japanese word of “Momiji-Gari” or, "autumn-leaves hunting," cantranslate literally to maple-leaves-hunting. It refers to the activityof viewing the red-and-yellow painted trees while strolling aroundfields through the crisp & fresh autumn air. Mountains are dyed inbeautiful […]
CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.85
“My heart from the Silk Road country Uzbekistan” This past July I made my first business trip in three years to the SilkRoad country of Uzbekistan in Central Asia.Since my private visit to Uzbekistan in 2014, friendship between Japanand Uzbekistan has been one of my life's work.I have many friends in Uzbekistan.Uzbekistan is one of the most pro-Japan countries in the world.However, 95% of Japanese do not know about Uzbekistan.Uzbekistan is a former Soviet Union country that gained independence in 1991.The Soviet Union forcibly took 650,000 prisoners of war from thedefeated Japanese army in World War II.At the same time, 25,000 Japanese POWs were forcibly taken toUzbekistan, creating a lot […]
CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.84
In Japan, where the birthrate continues to decline, the number of petsexceeds the number of children. As of April 1, 2021, there were 14.93million children under the age of 15, but the total number of dogs andcats kept in 2021 was much higher at 16.05 million. With the increase in telecommuting and suburban migration due to theCorona pandemic, the demand for pets has skyrocketed. Pet tech, a newservice that utilizes digital technology to help pets live comfortablyas members of the family, is attracting attention.Japan’s pet tech market is expected to grow from USD 82.1 billion in FY2018 to USD 603.6 billion in FY 2023, with a CAGR of 47%. In […]
CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.83
"Visualized" happiness There is no end to the debate about "happiness" in the east and west.After all, I found an interesting article if I thought that the definition of "happiness" was different for each person and that each person would decide for himself and herself.Hitachi, Ltd., one of Japan's leading IT companies, is said to be operating a subsidiary that aims to commercialize technology for measuring happiness and support corporate management activities.The subsidiary's app uses accelerometers on smartphones and wearable terminals to measure unconscious physical activity and quantitatively measure a person's sense of well-being. It is said that the measured data will be used to create an organization for employees […]
CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.82
One month flew by since the year 2022 began.Since the beginning of the year, I drive my car more often.Last year, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and have to undergo radiation therapy, so I have to take her to and from the hospital every now and then. I drive along the national highway towards Tokyo to get to a hospital specializing in cancer treatment. There are a lot of traffic all the time.There are many large delivery trucks, and as I only drive around my home neighborhood, I found it inconvenient.So I decide to avoid the national road and take a loop route. The national road is straight and […]
CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.81
A National Private ID Card Let me start off with a casual query. If you encounter a promotional program, run by the Government, that offers cashback worth of lunch-meal for five-to-ten-days period and that with no obligation associated, would you be willing to apply for it?Myself being a “nothing-is-free” believer, I would NOT immediately leap at such chance but rather wait and see if any unexpected situation arises, even though such promotion is run by the Government.Well, observing the penetration progress made thus far on the National ID Card (An Individual Number Card called “My Number Card”) in Japan, I found myself not being left behind but many others think […]
CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.80
“Memory of Dr.Ken Endo” In spite of the pandemic of COVID-19, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics/Paralympics game were held successfully, with postponed for 1 year.At first, I would like to pay my heartfelt respects and gratitude to all of Olympians and Paralympians. I remembered that I met Dr. Ken Endo, one of the most famous artificial leg engineers, brilliant global innovator four years ago. I had a chance to meet him because he was a nephew of my wife's friend. Dr. Ken Endo brought the society great contributions as a robotics and an artificial leg engineer.He gets many awards including World Economic Forum's "Young Global Leaders 2014".He is well known as […]
CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.79
New points of “viewing” Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are now being held in Japan. As you know, this time many things are very exceptional in the long history of the Olympics due to COVID-19. There are no spectators at all the venues except for a few places outside the Tokyo metropolitan area. I had tickets for two games, but they are void now. I feel very sad. With COVID-19 infection expanding especially in Tokyo, however, I understand this can’t be helped. In addition to no spectators at venues, public viewing in the parks, etc. are cancelled as well. I have looked forward to the public viewing events since innovative Japanese […]