Workers wearing protective suits and masks conduct a decommissioning operation at the No. 2 reactor building of the tsunami-crippled Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, in January. Tokyo - Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings on Friday started inspections of the interior of the meltdown-stricken No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, inserting a robotic arm into the containment vessel. The company aims to better understand conditions inside the reactor at the plant in Fukushima Prefecture, as it plans to extract some nuclear fuel debris on a trial basis. The work is expected to take about half a year. According to Tepco, the latest operation involves cutting some rails and cables that could obstruct the robotic arm's entry with high-pressure water jets and collecting 3D data and images from inside the containment vessel.

Apollo Global Management intends to serve as a strategic investment and financing partner for U.K. developer RHAELM Holdings, which is teaming up with Jera, Japan's largest power generator, and Dell Technologies on a venture in Chiba Prefecture. Apollo Global Management is set to provide financing for a $15 billion AI infrastructure project in Japan, accelerating the private asset firm's push into the artificial intelligence sphere. The New York-based company intends to serve as a strategic investment and financing partner for U.K. developer RHAELM Holdings, which is teaming up with Jera, Japan's largest power generator, and Dell Technologies on the venture in Chiba Prefecture, according to a statement on Thursday. The project, aimed at strengthening Japan's domestic AI capacity, is expected to involve more than $15 billion in capital deployed across land, power infrastructure, construction and computing. Operations are slated to start around 2028, and it will be powered by as much as 400 megawatts of electricity with help from Jera's nearby thermal power station.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference in New York on Sept. 23. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Thursday that the government will draw up an action plan by the end of the year to promote the use of artificial intelligence, which she regards as an accelerator for economic growth. "The societal implementation of high-performance AI is essential for realizing the government's growth strategy," Takaichi said at a meeting of the Council for Japan's Growth Strategy. She instructed relevant Cabinet ministers to compile a concrete vision for AI utilization, as well as regulatory and institutional reforms. At the meeting, participants discussed a growth strategy implementation program to be compiled at year-end alongside the government's budget proposal for fiscal 2027.

While calling voice a protected right, court dismisses voice actor's AI case TikTok argued in the case that the person who posted the videos let generative AI learn their friend's voice, and it is no more than a generic male voice. The Tokyo District Court on Wednesday dismissed a demand from a high-profile anime voice actor that TikTok remove videos he says feature an artificial intelligence clone of his voice but recognized voice as a protected right. While Presiding Judge Aya Takahashi ruled that voice is also subject to what is known as publicity rights -- celebrities' right to control and protect commercial gain from their identity, such as their name and image -- she dismissed Kenjiro Tsuda's demand, saying the videos had already been deleted. "Human voice is a symbol of an individual's personality, just like image," the ruling said, adding that unauthorized use of voice could constitute an infringement of rights. It is the first time a Japanese court made such a judgment.

A test run of a suitcase-shaped robot equipped with artificial intelligence to guide visually impaired people was conducted at the Toranomon Hills complex in Tokyo on Monday. Mori Building and others showcased a demonstration in Tokyo on Monday of a suitcase-shaped robot equipped with artificial intelligence that can guide visually impaired people. The trial at the Toranomon Hills complex will run throughout October. It comprises two courses -- one that guides people with impaired vision through indoor and outdoor areas and another allowing any visitor to try out the device. The robot is being developed by the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, also known as Miraikan, with the aim of eventually offering it as a rental service.

Pope Leo says concerns about AI doom scenarios are not'fake news' Pope Leo gives a news conference on his return flight from France on Monday. ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT - Pope Leo on Monday said concerns that artificial intelligence could destroy the world are not "fake news" and should be taken seriously, in an apparent rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump. The first U.S. pope, who has warned of the dangers of AI throughout his 16-month papacy, also directly criticized technology CEOs who argued there should be no guardrails on the technology. "I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI, should be taken seriously," the pontiff said in a news conference on his flight back to Rome after a four-day trip to France. "I don't think that that is fake news, as some have said."

Annual spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure may reach as much as $1.5 trillion by 2031, consulting firm Bain & Co. said in its annual global technology report. The global artificial intelligence industry needs to earn $6 trillion in annual revenue by 2031 to justify the capital being deployed to build data centers around the world, Bain & Co. said. Existing consumer and enterprise AI services may generate as much as $1.8 trillion of that sum, leaving $4.2 trillion in new revenue that needs to be created, the consulting firm said Tuesday in its annual global technology report. The shortfall likely will come from nascent segments ranging from autonomous machines to robotics, as well as emerging fields such as drug discovery, mental health and energy generation, it said. "What the industry needs is a wave of innovation that will dwarf what mobile and cloud unlocked," said David Crawford, the report's lead author and chair of Bain's Global Technology, Media, and Telecommunications practice.

SoftBank Group has raised roughly $11 billion in debt, spread across dollars and euros, making the Japanese conglomerate the biggest corporate junk-bond borrower in the world. Billionaire Masayoshi Son's SoftBank Group has pushed through one of the largest junk-bond offerings on record, dangling yields above anything it's paid before in an effort to fund its massive artificial intelligence ambitions. The company raised roughly $11 billion in debt, spread across dollars and euros, making the Japanese conglomerate the biggest corporate junk-bond borrower in the world, data shows. While it drew enough demand to lower pricing, borrowing costs were still largely higher than it has had to pay before, according to the data. The firm sold $1 billion of 3.5-year bonds at a yield of 8.625% and $4.5 billion of 5.5-year securities at a yield of 9.25%, according to a person familiar with the matter. The longer-dated $4.5 billion 7.5-year tranche priced to yield 9.75%, the person added, asking not to be identified because they're not allowed to speak publicly.

NEC's five different aromas developed through the use of artificial intelligence are displayed at the company in Tokyo. An increasing number of companies are turning to fragrance as a way to foster a sense of unity across corporate groups and promote their corporate brand strategy. By tapping into the sense of smell, which is considered an intuitive and memorable form of sensory stimulation, companies aim to establish a consistent corporate image while creating pleasant workplace environments. Fragrance is also expected to help improve work efficiency. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has selected a signature scent, dubbed "MUFG Fragrance," as part of its efforts to create a comfortable workplace and strengthen its brand strategy. The chosen scent is a refreshing fragrance reminiscent of a forest.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks at a news conference during the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, revealing that an artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI infiltrated an Australian government website in June. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said an OpenAI agent hacked a government website, with the artificial intelligence firm taking three months to alert the government about the breach. Albanese said he had spoken with OpenAI's Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman on Wednesday in New York to express "extreme concern about this incident." The hack occurred on June 18, OpenAI detected it in August and the Australian government was told on Sept. 10. "I also expressed my disappointment that it took the company way too long to inform the government what had occurred," Albanese said at a news conference in New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly. "The nature of the way that the notification occurred as well was unacceptable."