A group of high school students arrested over allegedly trying to extort money from a boy in western Tokyo may have used ChatGPT to decide how much to demand, police said. A group of high school students in Tokyo arrested over allegedly assaulting a boy and trying to extort money from him may have used ChatGPT to decide how much to demand, media reports have recently revealed. Five teenagers, including a 17-year-old girl and four boys ranging in age from 16 to 17, were arrested in January over the alleged assault and attempted extortion of a 17-year-old high school student in the city of Hachioji in western Tokyo, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Police said the suspects assaulted the boy in a plaza in Hachioji's Shiroyamate district, breaking his nose and causing other injuries, before allegedly trying to extort ¥150,000 ($935) from him. The girl, who was the victim's ex-girlfriend, allegedly first confronted him, accusing him of touching her younger sister's leg. She then challenged him, saying, "Give me the money or fight me one-on-one," according to reports by Fuji TV.

Dipu Tamang from Nepal is among more than 400,000 international students in Japan. When Dipu Tamang arrived in Japan from Nepal in 2024, he joined a growing stream of young people who see the country less as a traditional study destination and more as a structured route into work and long-term opportunity. The 22-year-old graduated from Shinjuku Heiwa Japanese Language School in March and now studies international business at a vocational college in Tokyo. He juggles part-time work as a convenience store clerk and hotel housekeeper to help cover his living expenses. "At first, I was interested in Japanese pop culture," he said. "Then I wanted to learn the language.

Manatomo Yoneyama, president of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, speaks during an interview at the bank's headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on May 22. | JIJI Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank plans to invest ¥360 billion ($2.2 billion) to ¥380 billion in digital technologies over three years, President Manatomo Yoneyama said in an interview. The bank also plans to spend ¥30 billion to optimize its operations. It will utilize artificial intelligence technology for office tasks and reposition some 900 employees to client-facing roles. The bank made an AI agent, which can handle people's tasks, "100% internally," said Yoneyama, who took the helm of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust in April after working on digital innovation at the bank. He said the bank is "sensing the advantage" of the in-house development, including smooth utilization of data. It aims to sell the AI agent in fiscal 2028.

Junya Ogawa, leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, attends a news conference on Friday in Tokyo. Moves to launch a new party have emerged among three opposition parties in Japan, sources said Sunday. The idea arose in the course of talks on the possible integration of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito into the Centrist Reform Alliance. The CRA and Komeito are keen about the new opposition party option. Some senior members of the CDP and officials of a major labor union supporting the initiative are also positive, according to sources familiar with the matter. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Sakie Yokota (center, back), mother of North Korean abductee Megumi Yokota, and others attend a rally held in Tokyo on Saturday that called for the immediate return of Japanese people abducted by North Korea. A large-scale rally was held in Tokyo on Saturday to seek the immediate return home of all Japanese abductees in North Korea. Relatives of those abducted to North Korea decades ago expressed hopes for the return of abductees immediately and while their parents are still alive. The event, organized by the association of families of abduction victims and other entities, was attended by about 800 people, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. "We will never give up," said Takuya Yokota, 57, head of the association and the younger brother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted in 1977 at the age of 13. He called on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to release all abductees to "chart a bright future for both countries."

A humanoid robot is displayed at the Humanoids Summit in Tokyo on Thursday. Amid growing anticipation of physical artificial intelligence, robots are increasingly being seen as a viable option to fill labor gaps. This topic was one of the major agendas during the two-day Humanoids Summit in Tokyo, which ended on Friday. "In Japan the United States globally, we just don't have the birth rates to sustain the workforce that we need," said Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy at Massachusetts-based robotics company Boston Dynamics during a speech at the event. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Taiyo Yuden sees'scary' levels of AI parts demand risking supply chain Multilayer ceramic capacitors, which are tiny components that regulate and stabilize power flow in electronic devices, are becoming a growing bottleneck in the construction of artificial intelligence data centers. Taiyo Yuden is fielding "scary" levels of demand for its high-end artificial intelligence server components, stretching capacity and increasing the risk of supply chain hiccups. The Tokyo-based company, which makes multilayer ceramic capacitors, will likely need to accelerate spending to expand output capacity, Chief Executive Officer Katsuya Sase said in an interview. MLCCs, which are tiny components that regulate and stabilize power flow in electronic devices, are becoming a growing bottleneck in the construction of artificial intelligence data centers. Taiyo Yuden and Murata Manufacturing comprise the bulk of the world's supplies of high-end MLCCs. "The volumes we are seeing today -- it's scary," Sase said.

It's part of Amazon's efforts to reach net-zero carbon across its operations in the coming years. Amazon Japan has started using the country's iconic bullet trains to move packages between facilities across different regions. The company said teaming up with Japan Railway is part of its efforts to cut both delivery times and carbon dioxide emissions. Japan's Shinkansen can reach speeds of up to 200 mph and can cut down travel times, say, from Tokyo to Osaka from around 8 hours to two-and-a-half hours. They also run on electricity delivered by an overhead electrical system. Back in 2019, the company launched an initiative that aims for net zero carbon emissions for deliveries.

Utilizing artificial intelligence and robots -- and more specifically humanoids -- is crucial in making up for Japan's labor shortage. This was the dominant talking point at the Humanoids Summit on Thursday when the two-day event kicked off in Tokyo. Hosted by a California-based robotics company of the same name, it is the first time the summit, which was previously held in Silicon Valley and London, is being held in Asia. It is expected to draw 2,000 attendees from 30 countries and 300 companies, according to the organizers. Japan was chosen for its "foundational role in the global robotics ecosystem for decades," said Terence Bennett, executive director of the Bay Area Robotics Association, in his opening remarks.

Wall Street's AI winner hunt leads to seasoning maker in Japan Ajinomoto, known more as a seasonings and foods maker, holds more than 95% of global market share for insulating materials used in personal computers and data center servers. The beneficiaries of the artificial intelligence buildout are spreading far beyond technology high-flyers. Laura Lau found one in seasoning maker Ajinomoto. The Tokyo-based company is best known for making monosodium glutamate, or MSG, a flavor enhancer used in soups and vegetables. Its lesser-known business, called Build-Up Film, or ABF, makes insulating film used to package high-performance semiconductors.