The West fears AI's threat to jobs. In Japan, it might save them
Will Fee is a researcher at the Tokyo-based Yuri Group. He is the lead writer of the GxxD series of reports, which explore the intersection between digitalization and green energy in Japan.
"If you're in customer service, call centers, forget about it. Those jobs are already gone."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
3 hours ago
- Japan Times
Media firms launch election fact-checking initiative
Jiji Press and some other members of the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association have launched a fact-checking initiative for election-related online information, beginning with the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election on June 22. The collaboration between Jiji Press, the Yomiuri Shimbun group, Saga Shimbun and Nippon Television Network aims to enhance the fairness and credibility of fact-checking work and disseminate accurate information broadly. The initiative will examine uncertain information pieces that could affect the fair holding of elections and assess them as "correct," "almost correct," "groundless," "incorrect" or "false." Assessment results could be published by participating media companies. Opinion pieces will not be covered. The four media companies will cooperate with the nonprofit Japan Fact-check Center. They will also invite other media companies to participate.
Japan Times
6 hours ago
- Japan Times
Japan's top banks consider teaming up on ATMs to cut costs
MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and Mizuho Bank are considering jointly operating ATMs to reduce costs, said people familiar with the matter. The units of Japan's three biggest banking groups are discussing details of joint operation, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters. The banks are seeing whether costs can be reduced for tasks needed to run ATMs such as monitoring, security and cash transportation. Spokespeople for MUFG, Sumitomo Mitsui and Mizuho all said nothing has been decided. Despite posting record profits, the three banking groups still lag behind some global peers by metrics such as return on equity, suggesting they have room to make their operations more efficient. Japan's ATMs have high functionality, being able to open deposit books inside the ATM and type up past transactions, for example, but features like those require significant costs for development, operation and maintenance. It is also meant that people have come to rely on them, making it harder for banks to phase out the machines. Meanwhile, Fujitsu, a Japanese electronics firm, said Tuesday that it will quit the production of ATMs and devices for bank counters at the end of March 2028 as part of efforts to focus on software and other digital services. In line with the move, Fujitsu reached a basic agreement with Oki Electric Industry, another Japanese electronics company, on hardware procurement. Fujitsu will combine Oki's products and general-purpose hardware with its own software for supply to customers. The company will end maintenance support for its hardware by the end of March 2036.
Japan Times
9 hours ago
- Japan Times
Komeito to propose sales tax cut on food, Yomiuri reports
Japan's junior ruling coalition partner, Komeito, will propose cutting the consumption tax rate for food items from 8% to 5% in a campaign pledge for the Upper House election slated in July, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Wednesday. The campaign pledge, to be announced on Friday, will also include a proposal to offer cash payouts to cushion the blow to households from rising living costs, the paper said. A Komeito official confirmed the report, saying the tax cut idea will be among proposals in the campaign pledge due on Friday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly. The proposed stimulus plan will be funded by an expected increase in tax revenues instead of additional debt issuance, according to the draft obtained by the Yomiuri. Japan applies an 8% consumption tax rate for food and 10% for other items, with the proceeds mostly used to fund social welfare costs for a rapidly aging economy. A proposal to cut the tax rate from Komeito, which is a junior coalition partner of the Liberal Democratic Party, would add pressure on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to offer more fiscal support to voters ahead of the Upper House poll. Ishiba and senior LDP officials so far have pushed back against calls from opposition parties to cut the consumption tax rate, arguing that doing so would worsen Japan's already tattered finances. Concern over Japan's huge public debt, which will become more expensive to finance as the Bank of Japan eyes further interest rate hikes, has been among factors that led to a surge in super-long government bond yields last month.
