Tech and Japan

Shijukara (Japanese tit) Has Compositional Syntax - Wow!

This is Nathan Shiga and I have some enchanting episode to share with you - about a bird that communicates as we humans do. Well, here's the story.

March 24, 2016 at 6:01 am

Japan's H-2A Rocket to Launch UAE's Mars Probe

So impressive that the UAE wants Japan to launch its Mars probe in 2020 - the year of the Tokyo Olympics, too.

March 21, 2016 at 10:31 am

"AlphaGo" Then; "Zen" Now: The AI Game of Go

Today's is a follow-up episode to the earlier story on AI vs. human in the game of Go.

March 14, 2016 at 8:44 am

Google’s AI "DeepMind" Trounced Human Mind - The Last Day of Go

It happened - it happened ten years too early. The supposedly world's strongest master of the game of Go bowed to an artificial intelligence "in the person of " AlphaGo consecutively losing the first three of the scheduled five matches, March 9, 2016.

March 10, 2016 at 7:07 am

Google's AlphaGo (DeepMind) Beat Top Human Go Master

This episode has not directly to do Japan but allow me indulge on my own curiosity on a fierce rivalry between human and machine in the world of Go.

March 8, 2016 at 8:12 am

One Ten Millionth Chance of Finding Cancer Cell

Welcome to another episode on what's happening in/on/to Japan. I'm your navigator, Nathan Shiga.

February 22, 2016 at 1:07 am

IBM's "Watson" Now Talks in Japanese

I'm Nathan Shiga and I have thought Japan is cutting edge in robotics and never thought IBM was that close behind us.

February 20, 2016 at 2:52 am

Japan's Meteorological Satellite ASTRO-H to Launch Feb.17

ASTRO-H is Japan's new orbiting astronomical observatory built by an international collaboration led by JAXA with over 70 contributing institutions in Japan, the US, Canada and Europe.

February 20, 2016 at 2:42 am

PC Threatens to Outsmart Man in Game of Go

This in incredible - simply unheard-of. It's something everybody had thought would be hard to come by.

January 9, 2016 at 4:44 pm

Recharging Smartphone? No Way!

You bet your biggest nuisance is recharging your smartphones. Batteries just don't last long enough.

January 8, 2016 at 12:19 pm

An Osaka Jr. High Boy Youngest Ever to Pass Tough Network Specialist Examination

Seioo Inouye, 2nd grader in an Osaka Junior High school, took and passed a national examination "Network Specialist Examination" at age 13, beating his predecessor by 3 years.

December 26, 2015 at 12:35 pm

Japan's Riken Likely to Name Element 113

Matters of atoms and elements are often too much for laymen to follow, but this piece of news is intriguing enough for greenhorns

December 22, 2015 at 5:25 pm

Seaweed Production Sluggish in Hokkaido

Global warming damages not only the earth's climate but also the livelihood of seaweed.

December 21, 2015 at 9:59 am

Toshiba to Introduce Voice Synthetic Cloud Service: RECAIUS

Toshiba is about to embark on an all-synthetic, cloud-type guiding service to easily pass on human "intentions" with sounds and images.

December 9, 2015 at 10:32 am

Venus Probe "Akatsuki" on Traveling Track

Japan's first planetary explorer "Venus Probe Akatsuki" was safely put on a right traveling track to Venus December 9. Akatsuki is the first planetary probe ever to enter a planetary traveling orbit.

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