NTT Docomo to retire iconic emoji set after 26 years
NTT Docomo will phase out its proprietary set of emoji — known as Docomo Emoji — starting with smartphones released in late June, according to an announcement from the telecom giant, ending a 26-year run that helped shape the visual language of mobile communication.
Beginning next month, newly released Android smartphones and feature phones sold by Docomo will no longer include the carrier's original emoji. Samsung's Galaxy series will follow suit starting with devices launching in July or later. Galaxy phones will instead use Samsung's own emoji designs, while other Android and Docomo-branded feature phones will adopt Google's Noto Color Emoji set.
The transition won't be limited to new models. From October, some existing Galaxy devices will receive software updates that remove Docomo's emoji from the system.
Docomo Emoji debuted in 1999 with the company's i-mode mobile internet service, offering a novel way for users to express emotion and nuance via electronic mail. The word emoji itself comes from the combination of the Japanese words for picture, e, and letter, moji. At a time when screen space and bandwidth were scarce, the emoji — simple 12 x 12 pixel designs depicting facial expressions and everyday objects — enabled more fluid, visual communication.
Development constraints meant that the project lacked professional design staff. Instead, it was overseen by Shigetaka Kurita, who at the time was a planner for i-mode and supervised the emoji's creation in-house.
The symbols quickly became a touchstone for Japanese mobile users and eventually laid the foundation for today's global emoji ecosystem. Apple's first emoji keyboard appeared on iOS 2.2 in November 2008. It was initially restricted to iPhone users in Japan, but expanded to outside users in 2011 with iOS 5.0, and eventually became enabled by default. Emoji is compatible with the Unicode standard, meaning a character sent from one device's set can be displayed in another.
In 2016, the Museum of Modern Art in New York added Docomo's original 176 emoji set to its permanent collection, cementing their cultural legacy.
While Docomo's emoji remain beloved by some, their prominence has faded amid the rise of more expressive tools like LINE stickers and social media platforms that support richer visuals. As digital communication has evolved, the original Docomo Emoji set has played a less central role in mobile interaction.
Responding to a user on X who asked how he felt about the emoji's retirement, Kurita expressed no regret.
'Honestly, I don't feel sad. Docomo Emoji have fulfilled their role, and the fact that they're preserved in a museum as part of history gives me a sense of closure,' he wrote on Wednesday. 'More than anything, I just feel grateful. I want to say thank you to everyone who used them for so many years."
He added: 'One could say they've more than fulfilled their purpose. If anything, their retirement feels long overdue. A heartfelt thank you for the many years of service.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
26 minutes ago
- Japan Times
Six months into 2025, J-pop is having a full-on identity crisis (and a great time)
The Japanese music industry has spent the first half of 2025 in full-blown celebration mode. There were government-funded concerts in Los Angeles and the splashy Music Awards Japan in Kyoto — both of which offered no shortage of self-congratulatory back-pats for J-pop's steady climb on the global stage. But beneath the revelry, something more interesting is happening: the sound of transition. With the first half of the 2020s now behind us, the big question isn't who's winning, but what comes next. Will the future belong to fantastical rock bands or hip-hop-inspired pop groups? Will the industry lean into AI — or gorge on ... ice cream? As summer sets in, the paths ahead for J-pop are diverging. What role does music even play in a decade as fluid as this one? Awards and accolades are abundant, both at home and abroad. But the real trend of the year so far might be trying to predict the next major shift in the zeitgeist. Top of the J-pops Pop-rock trio Mrs. Green Apple is pretty much inescapable at this point. Even before the year began, Motoki Ohmori, Hiroto Wakai and Ryoka Fujisawa were already the reigning champions of J-pop. After a two-year hiatus starting in 2020 as the group developed its 'phase 2,' Mrs. Green Apple returned with a vengeance, climbing straight back to the top of the domestic pecking order thanks to gospel-tinged ballads 'Soranji' and the musical theater bounce of 'Dance Hall.' Last year's surging rock cut 'Lilac' became the group's largest hit yet. Mrs. Green Apple is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and its grip on Japan has only tightened. Newer releases 'Kusushiki' and 'Darling' have racked up millions of views on YouTube while becoming staples in supermarkets and chain stores nationwide. At time of writing, 15 of the tracks on Spotify Japan's 'Top 50' playlist are by Mrs. Green Apple — five are in the top 10. Sonically and visually, the group's ascent signals a shift in what mainstream J-pop sounds and looks like. The early 2020s were dominated by acts like Yoasobi and Ado — Vocaloid-indebted creators who offered a more realistic (meaning an often more dour) snapshot of modern life, marked by darker lyrics and harsher vocal deliveries. Mrs. Green Apple isn't above getting a little emo, either — for example, 'Bitter Vacances' tackles the grind of modern life — but the group's lens is more optimistic, sometimes to the point of sounding like a motivational coach with a guitar. It's a snapshot of a mainstream in flux. Alongside Mrs. Green Apple, a fresh wave of groups are blending melodic sugar with hip-hop edge. XG, a girl group that sings in English, recently played Tokyo Dome, while fledgling girl group Hana has scored one of the year's biggest breakout hits with the swagger-scented 'Rose.' On the male side, trio Number_i has been building steam behind the slick 'God_i.' While artists such as Ado and Fujii Kaze — representatives of the early 2020s J-pop global breakthrough — go on large world tours, the domestic scene is recalibrating. In today's fractured music landscape, the biggest shifts may not come from who's in the spotlight — but from who's on the edges outside it. Generative hits Japan saw its first AI-generated hit in early 2025 — and naturally, it was a complete joke. Technically, 'Yaju & U' dropped in late 2024, but it only blew up at the start of this year. It was uploaded to the internet by someone calling themselves Mochimochi, but the credited composer is Udio — an AI music program. And yes, you can tell: The strings are clunky, the vocals are uncanny and the whole thing sounds like a computer's idea of either a J-pop track or the long-lost follow-up to Dexys Midnight Runners' 'Come on Eileen.' But hold the sonic critiques, because more importantly, this song works as a chaotic ode to one of Japan's oldest and weirdest memes. The lyrics pay homage to the 2001 adult video 'A Midsummer Night's Lewd Dream' — a relic of early internet culture best known for its terrible acting and glorious absurdity. The AV became meme royalty in Japan. 'Yaju & U' — named after a now-iconic character — continues the legacy with a track that feels like it was coded specifically to go viral. Bonus: There's a goofy TikTok-ready dance to match. 'Yaju & U' dominated Spotify Japan's 'Viral 50' for weeks, marking the biggest moment for generative AI in the country's music sphere to date. While it's tempting to go full-Luddite and condemn this brave new world, the song really reflects our relationship with memes. AI-powered music has flooded the Japanese web as of late, from imitation city pop playlists to goofy geopolitical satire. These songs aren't trying to say anything profound — they exist to rack up likes, shares and shrieks of 'wtf did I just listen to?' Still, that doesn't mean they can't top charts. 'Yaju & U' shows that viral hits don't need a human touch to resonate — just a well-placed punchline and a good beat. It's not the death of music, just the rise of a new kind of background noise. Hot idol summer? The biggest Japanese song to catch fire globally in 2025 is not about rock positivity or bawdy memes. It's about ice cream. Idol trio AiScReam's 'Ai Scream!' unites three performers from the long-running 'Love Live!' media juggernaut for a sugar-rush tribute to frozen desserts — and, naturally, to love. A clip of the group performing a section after the first chorus where each member shouts out an ice cream flavor they like ('but not as much as you!') — hit TikTok like a brain freeze. As these things go, the clip broke out of idol-centric spaces before spilling into the wider corners of the internet, where it was gleefully adopted by users worldwide, especially K-pop performers. Somehow, 'Ai Scream!' ended up as this year's 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born' — an unlikely J-pop export that turned viral gold. It wasn't built to break the internet, but it did, climbing global streaming charts and becoming a bonafide meme in its own right. That's right, the defining sound of J-pop so far in 2025 is a high-pitched cry of 'choco mint!' This kind of out-of-left-field success isn't a surprise in the 2020s, it simply reflects how most J-pop hits travel now. What is different, though, is the type of group enjoying this success. Yes, we may very well be gearing up for an 'idol summer.' Hyper-cute idol-pop groups — who many resigned to the music history heap of the 2000s and 2010s (remember Morning Musume, Momoiro Clover Z and AKB48?) — are having a moment. While those legacy acts never really went away, they've felt increasingly distant from the road J-pop is on. Not anymore. AiScReam's breakout is just the tip of the strawberry soft-serve cone. Fruits Zipper recently nabbed its first No. 1 on the Oricon Charts with 'Kawaii Te Magic,' while more hyperactive compatriots Cutie Street and Candy Tune are racking up views with a pastel vengeance. A change is in the air — and it's wearing Skittles-colored dresses. But there's something deeper under the kawaii overload. Idol music has long been criticized for its talents' perceived lack of singing and dancing skills, but the draw is the emotional arc. Fans go on a journey with their favorite performers as they stumble, grow and eventually overcome. If 'Yaju & U' imagines a meme-core future churned out at the speed of a Temu delivery, then 'Ai Scream!' suggests a different path — messier, sillier, sweeter and unmistakably human. It's a future you might just want to say 'hai!' to.
Nikkei Asia
6 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Vietnam's FPT launches Japan hub to support Subaru digitization
MAEBASHI, Japan -- Vietnam's largest tech company, FPT, has launched full operations at an office in Japan that will assist Subaru's digitization efforts. Tokyo-based subsidiary FPT Japan Holdings in December opened the FPT Gunma Mobility DX Hub in Ota, Gunma prefecture, the 18th company location in the country.
Japan Times
13 hours ago
- Japan Times
The ground is fertile for Japan-India green economy partnerships
In a world that appears deeply divided, India-Japan partnerships offer a ray of hope among fraying political and military ties and global tariff mayhem. The two countries already have long-standing ties, including ancient cultural links through Buddhism and the more recent collaboration between Maruti Udyog Limited and Suzuki Motor's — started in 1981, the joint venture, which has captured half of the Indian car market, has only strengthened over time. The next set of opportunities lies in green and advanced technologies, clean energy first and foremost. As with Maruti Suzuki, this sector offers fertile ground for bringing together Japan's design and research prowess with India's vast human resources and low-cost manufacturing. The primary beneficiaries would be solar, green hydrogen and green ammonia manufacturing. One of India's fastest-growing clean energy firms, ReNew Power, is already slated to produce 100,000 tonnes of green ammonia — made entirely using renewable energy — every year in the Indian state of Odisha in partnership with JERA, Japan's largest power generation company. Meanwhile, Japan has been a consistent and significant investor in India. Between April 2000 and September 2024, its cumulative foreign direct investment amounted to an impressive $43 billion, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation has committed to financing Indian renewable energy ventures, including through a $600 million fund for sustainability projects. The investments are part of a broader strategy to support India's goal of achieving 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel-based power capacity by the end of the decade. By 2020, the country already achieved a 36% reduction in emissions intensity compared with 2005 levels (the target being 33% by 2030) and needs to add roughly 50 GW of clean energy capacity every year from here onward. This goal has received a boost through recent price discoveries — processes that determine the market price of electricity — in four energy auctions. These projects combine solar and wind energy with storage to ensure renewable electricity is available 24/7 (with 80% to 90% availability), and the prices discovered were less than 5 rupees ($0.06) per kilowatt-hour. At the same time, new coal-based capacity was allocated at slightly higher prices, underscoring the growing competitiveness of renewables in India. Combined with the domestic market's appetite for clean energy, the government's Make in India initiative lays out a much easier platform for foreign investors. A renewed focus on boosting India's solar manufacturing capacity — especially as a hedge against China's dominance in this field — would not only serve Japan's interests but also stabilize supply chains for much of Asia. Reports suggest that Japan is devising ways to address the issue of solar waste proliferation by recycling old solar panels and recovering most of the useful metals. Technology transfer and setting up specialized facilities in India may offer opportunities as the country is expected to produce about 600,000 tonnes of solar waste by 2030. Along with Taiwan's Foxconn, Softbank announced in 2015 that it would invest $20 billion in India's still-fledgling solar industry. After spending heavily in renewables, the company sold its assets in 2021: Helping India manage its solar waste would be one way to push this venture toward its logical next step. Opportunities also abound in manufacturing semiconductors and in switching harder-to-abate sectors such as cement, steel, textiles and petrochemicals to greener fuels. The new tariff structure announced by Washington places India in a favorable position, so now is a good time for Japan to invest in the South Asian country and help it position itself as a healthy competitor to China. In the semiconductor sector, India is expected to contribute to 8-10% of international supply in a global market estimated to be worth $420 billion by 2030, according to the head of the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association. By then, Japan itself plans to triple its semiconductor sales to ¥15 trillion ($105 billion), which underscores the crucial role that this sector plays in modern economies. This is not to say that traditional avenues of cooperation need to take a back seat. For instance, sales of electric cars in India dropped by 13% in 2024 compared to the previous year as customers increasingly opt for the convenience of mild and strong hybrid vehicles, which Japanese carmakers have long championed along with hydrogen-fueled power trains. Indian car sales soared to 4.3 million last year and the subtle shift in consumer preferences may open a unique market for Japanese technology, with the potential to apply hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells to both private and heavy-duty vehicles. Greening vehicles would be a major step forward for India as road transport accounted for 12% of its emissions last year. Both India and Japan have much to gain from each other. As long-standing partners who have collaborated successfully before, there is mutual trust and confidence in each other's capabilities — which are especially precious as countries seek alternatives to the world's current financial and industrial power centers. By establishing stable supply chains of high-quality semiconductors, clean energy components and green fuels, India's engagement with Japan could become the preeminent bilateral cooperation that brings stability in these times of uncertainty and accelerates the switch to a low-carbon economy. Ajay Mathur is a clean energy expert and former director general of the International Solar Alliance, a global intergovernmental organization dedicated to advancing solar power adoption.
