My comments on COVID-19, Part 1:An Opportunity to Overturn 30 Years of Defeat

■My comments on COVID-19, Part 1:An Opportunity to Overturn 30 Years of Defeat Earth is trapped. People die, they can't have funerals, and they cry. They have no one to take their anger out on. The economy collapses. People hang on to God. They sing. COVID-19 has spread to more areas than the plague in the 14th century and cholera in the 19th century. More areas are affected by the virus than those affected by the two world wars. Since the end of World War II, there have been nuclear threats, regional conflicts, terrorist attacks, earthquakes,...

Read More

Measures for distance education have been included in the government’s emergency economic stimulus package to cope with COVID-19.

■Measures for distance education have been included in the government’s emergency economic stimulus package to cope with COVID-19. The government's emergency economic stimulus package is the largest economic stimulus package in history, with 108 trillion yen in projects and 40 trillion yen in fiscal expenditures. I believe that the government has done a rather good job of putting together in this short period of time working restlessly day and night. What I also appreciate about the stimulus package is that the government has decided to take...

Read More

This is how to build a smart city: the Takeshiba CiP endeavor

 ■This is how to build a smart city: the Takeshiba CiP endeavor The City & Tech symposium is a technology showcase which was held at Keio University.CiP is creating a special tech-pop district. Robots, telexistence, drones, 4K8K, 5G, AI, mobility—we are advancing City & Tech’s concept of a supercity which equips an entire city with technology.The symposium is a place to meet and give status updates.Kawahara from University of Tokyo, Ikegai from Toyo University, Yonazu from Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Seki from Softbank, Nakagawa...

Read More

Entertainment Strategies Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic

■Entertainment Strategies Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic The Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters of the Japanese government held online meetings for the Cool Japan working group, content working group, and Conception Committee one after another.I was the only committee member from the private sector involved with all 3 meetings, and although the meetings were closed, I would like to share as much as I can, given that entertainment measures during the state of emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic are very important.Of these 3, the...

Read More

Holding a pop-tech signing ceremony with the Minister of Culture in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

 ■Holding a pop-tech signing ceremony with the Minister of Culture in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.An event centered on Japanese manga: Manga Barcelona.With a history of 25 years, it draws 50,000 people.There we held the Otaku Summit.We even had the Minister of Culture of Catalonia, Mariàngela Vilallonga Vives, in attendance.It was a joint effort between the World Otaku Institute (WOI), established by CiP, and the International Otaku Expo Association (IOEA). WOI creates a network of leading otaku researchers and has established its research...

Read More

Farewell, Sadahiko Hirose

 ■Farewell, Sadahiko Hirose Sadahiko Hirose has passed away. He was 76 years old.He made PC’s as a senior executive manager at IBM; he made games as senior managing director at ASCII; he made the Dreamcast as vice president of Sega; he made an online business as the president of @NetHome (now J:COM); and he got Columbia Records back on its feet. He was an incredible person.In September 1997, the government’s administrative reform council presented an interim report on the dissolution of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. As the...

Read More

Dumbfounded by Shanghai Media City

 ■Dumbfounded by Shanghai Media City The sound of hammering echoes.Clang, clang.Like a young bamboo grove, a gathering of buildings reaches toward the sky.It grows and grows.Is this Tokyo in 1964?No, it’s Shanghai in 2020.Walking around the city, I feel as though it has already surpassed Tokyo for sophisticated food, fashion, and shopping malls.From on top looking down, the difference can be seen, but below looking up, one can’t see how large the gap is.The city is drawing ever farther away.However, despite developing so much already, Shanghai...

Read More

"Otaku Economic Zone Genesis"

 ■ "Otaku Economic Zone Genesis" It has been a long time since the term "otaku" has taken root. At first, it gave people a strong negative impression, but it turned into a positive image, a fan base that supports pop culture. It also means that the otaku territory has grown from a niche subculture to a mass mainstream culture, and the hobby territory has transformed into a power to form business and industry.  This book, by an author who has worked for DeNA and Bandai Namco, and is an executive officer of Bushiroad, describes how the...

Read More