Tech

AI

Improved Facial Recognition: Should You Be Scared or Happy?

2020.03.26 www.gloture.co.jp

Facial recognition technology has spread rapidly in Japan as in the rest of the world. You can unlock your smartphone, tablet or computer with your facial features, but it does not stop there. Companies and governments benefit from this new technology too. But will it lead to mass surveillance? Let’s review the situation. How Does Facial Recognition Work? Of course, it’s not specific to Japan. But if you are new to this technology, here is a simple explanation of how it works. Facial recognition was developed to improve safety – but it does not improve privacy, unfortunately. It is also more convenient, so most smartphones are nowadays equipped with a…
AI

Will Employees Be Replaced by Robots in Japan?

2020.03.16 www.gloture.co.jp

Japan is a leader in industrial robotics, many companies are focused on developing robots with cutting-edge functionalities. Connected Robotics, Telexistence, Softbank robotics, Preferred Networks… Those companies don’t develop the same kinds of robots, but they play their part and help improve AI, facial recognition, etc. Some robots, however, provoke people’s apprehension since they are made to replace workers. But will they really increase the unemployment rate? Or will they decrease it? Why Developing Robotics? Because of its aging population, Japan is in need of robots to perform some jobs or to make a job more attractive. First, some robots are not created to replace humans, but to help them, especially…
Tech

Men, Women & Tech in Japan

2020.03.10 www.gloture.co.jp

In Japan, a huge gender gap exists in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Women have to achieve way more than men do to enter a good school and be hired in a company. Also, interests seem to be different depending on gender. Why is that? Why are men and women not equals facing technology or science?  Brain Differences? According to Mentorist DaiGo, there are ‘female’ and ‘male’ brains and 15% of men have a female one, while 10% of women have a male one. The ‘male’ brain is supposed to be more logical (‘This is the way it is, it will always be, so the result will…
Tech

Overview of the Gaming Industry in Japan

2020.03.10 www.gloture.co.jp

The Japanese gaming industry is the third largest in the world, behind the United States and China, and has set the trends for many years. According to Statista, the gaming market reached 1.4 trillion JPY (13.5 billion USD) in 2017 and was forecast to reach 1.55 trillion JPY (14.9 billion USD) in 2024. New technologies and other advances (3D, 2D, AR, VR, gesture control, etc.) resulted from some Japanese companies or franchises. But what else has the gaming industry brought to the world? Impact of the Japanese Gaming Industry Technological advances are made thanks to this industry, but it is not the only benefit. Education Japan has a wide range…
AI

Japanese Robotics: Amazing or Scary?

2020.03.03 www.gloture.co.jp

Japan is known for its innovation in the field of robotic, its population is not afraid of a world in which robots and humans can coexist together – at least not as much as in other countries. Dr. Kazuhito Yokoi, director of the Intelligent Systems Research Institute, called Japan the ‘robot superpower‘ and not without any reason. In 2019, the iREX 2019 was held (international robot exhibition), one of the largest robot exhibitions in the world where visitors from more than 80 countries gathered to see the newest technologies. Let’s take stock of Japanese robotics and of Japanese people’s opinion on the subject. Japanese Robots: What Can They Do? Robots…
Tech

What You Need to Know About Drones in Japan

2020.03.02 www.gloture.co.jp

Drones, or unmanned/uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV), have become very popular over the years. Before being commercialized, it was created for military use only and many restrictions were implemented. Nowadays, anyone can buy a (small) drone and fly it – but restrictions are still imposed. The rules are not the same depending on the country, so let’s start with that. Drone Laws in Japan New laws started to be enacted for low-altitude drones when a man used one of them to transport radioactive sand and land on the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s office (in 2015). Fortunately, he was out of the country and nobody was hurt (the level of radioactivity was…