New Anime Studio Bees Stars in GALLERIA Collaboration Video
The collaboration marks the first major brand partnership for bees, a studio that has rapidly moved from indie roots to high-profile anime work within months of its founding.
KAI-YOU
Industry
KLab External Payments Become Third-Largest Channel, Case Study Reveals
KLab's three-year case study offers a rare detailed blueprint for game companies adapting to the new Japanese smartphone law, showing that external payments can become a substantial revenue channel.
GameBusiness.jp
ohpner Handles Taxi Ads for Kuon's IKURA AI System
The partnership pairs an offline advertising specialist with a cloud community platform, aiming to raise awareness among potential business clients.
ASCII.jp
KARROT COMPANY Signs PHOTOGRAY Distribution Deal, Supports KCON Japan Pop-Up
The deal brings a rapidly growing Korean photo booth brand to Japan through a local partner with deep ties to the amusement industry, signaling continued cross-border entertainment business expansion.
ASCII.jp
Akari's Industry-Specific AI SaaS Crosses 1,500 Adoptions as Local Governments Join
The milestone shows that industry-specific AI is gaining traction in Japan's core industries, moving beyond large enterprises to smaller firms and the public sector as the company addresses skilled labor shortages and know-how personalization.
ASCII.jp
Elith Establishes AI Governance Lab to Accelerate Safe Corporate AI Use
The lab formalizes Elith's growing expertise from national projects into a service offering, addressing a bottleneck in corporate AI adoption.
ASCII.jp
Fairy Devices to Demonstrate Wearable AI at Startup World Cup 2026
Fairy Devices, already recognized at CES and by Time, is using a startup competition event to introduce its latest AI video analysis service, signaling a push to commercialize its wearable platform beyond remote support.
ASCII.jp
Kirifuda and Pacific Meta to Support Elliptic's Japan Market Entry
The partnership brings a global blockchain analytics leader into Japan at a time when on-chain finance is accelerating and regulatory compliance is becoming urgent for a wide range of domestic entities.
ASCII.jp
Satoru Iwata's Philosophy on People Stands Against Industry's Efficiency Push
The op-ed argues that the current industry's focus on cost-cutting and efficiency contradicts the long-term philosophy of investing in people that Satoru Iwata championed at Nintendo.
4Gamer.net
Generative AI Tops Satisfaction in New Startup Service Awards
The survey shows that accounting software remains the most essential tool for new businesses, while generative AI has become the most satisfying and sticky category, a shift in how startups approach efficiency.
ASCII.jp
Google Tells EU That Site-Blocking Measures Are Disproportionate and Ineffective
Google's submission pushes back against expanding site-blocking in Europe, arguing that the approach harms legitimate internet infrastructure and users, and that the EU should focus on targeted takedowns.
GIGAZINE
fireflake Launches AI Platform envedded for On-Site Field Improvements
envedded aims to close the gap between data collection and practical use in agriculture by positioning AI as a tool that accelerates human decision-making rather than replacing it.
ASCII.jp
Hyogo Prefecture and eiicon Select Five Startups for Hanshin Manufacturing Challenge Lab
The program aims to combine startup innovation with established manufacturing expertise to create new industries and strengthen the competitiveness of the Hanshin region's industrial base.
ASCII.jp
Former GungHo Executive Takanori Kikuchi Arrested for Alleged Embezzlement
The arrest of a former systems division head at a major game company, who admitted to embezzling over a million dollars, caps a case GungHo kept confidential for months and follows a change in top leadership.
Anime News Network
AIC Wins Five-Year Legal Battle to Regain Stake in AIC Rights
The ruling gives AIC a formal stake in the company that controls its classic properties, potentially shifting the balance of power over those IPs.
Anime News Network
Anime Expo 2026 Sets New Turnstile Record of 422,000
The record attendance and economic impact show Anime Expo's continued growth, and the 35th anniversary is a milestone for the event.
Anime News Network
NexForge Pitches Building Diagnostic System MICHIDAS at S-Booster 2026
NexForge is applying space positioning technology to building maintenance, a terrestrial industry, rather than aiming for space itself.
ASCII.jp
Anime Expo Panel: Japanese Content Strategy Emphasizes Access Over Content
The panel indicates that major Japanese entertainment companies are now prioritizing distribution and community-building over altering content to suit international tastes.
Anime News Network
bees inc. Representative Yamaad on the Studio's Founding and Business Philosophy
Representative YAMAAD presents bees inc. as a structural response to the lack of production management in indie anime collaborations, making the studio's founding about business organization rather than artistic ambition alone.
KAI-YOU
ZAI Co., Ltd. Launches DPO Interest Survey to Fund Material Waste Reduction Platform
ZAI's DPO push signals growing adoption of direct public offerings by Japanese small businesses seeking long-term shareholders aligned with their mission, rather than traditional bank or VC funding.
ASCII.jp
DataSection Secures Thailand BOI Approval for AI Infrastructure Investment
The approval places DataSection as a participant in Thailand's national strategy to build a next-generation AI and advanced electronics value chain, aligning with the country's push for high-value-added industries.
ASCII.jp
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma Appointed Co-Leader of Federal Reserve Task Force on Jobs
The appointment places a leader overseeing major job cuts in a role analyzing technology's impact on employment, a contrast that outlets like PC Gamer and Game Developer have highlighted.
Game Spark, GameBusiness.jp
playknot Launches 'AI Agent Introduction Support' for Marketing Teams
The launch reflects a shift in how companies are advised to integrate generative AI, moving from individual productivity tools to AI agents that are nurtured and assigned roles as part of the team.
ASCII.jp
Nelfin Selected for Toyama's Digi-PoC AI Community Project
This is the first selection under the Reiwa 8 fiscal year of Digi-PoC TOYAMA, applying AI to a specific regional problem-declining community leadership due to an aging population-using a local startup's platform.
ASCII.jp