Nintendo sells 5.2 million copies of'Zelda' remake in four days A visitor poses for pictures at the Nintendo The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time stand during the preview night of Paris Games Week 2026 on Oct. 21 in Paris. Nintendo sold 5.2 million copies of its "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" remake in just four days, invigorating the Switch 2 platform that had been waiting for a blockbuster hit. Released on Nov. 5 for $59.99, the 2026 edition is a complete recreation of the 1998 classic action-adventure game for the Nintendo 64 console, replete with new graphics, level and character designs. It ranks among the best-reviewed video games of recent times, earning a score of 96 out of 100 from both players and professional reviewers on aggregator Metacritic. The Switch 2 console has had an uneven first year on the market, challenged by the rising cost of memory pushing hardware prices up. The fast start by the new "Ocarina of Time" takes the Zelda game past the cumulative sales of "Donkey Kong Bananza," another popular title from 2025.

SoftBank logs $7 billion loss after U.S. data center costs swell SoftBank is increasingly seen as a proxy for sentiment toward OpenAI and the broader AI sector. Its shares have plunged more than 50% from their record high in June. SoftBank Group reported Tuesday its first net loss in almost two years after swallowing a $3.7 billion writedown over a U.S. data-center project amid rising fears around the sustainability of AI growth. The Tokyo-based backer of OpenAI tumbled to a ¥1.12 trillion ($7.1 billion) loss in its fiscal second quarter around nonrefundable advance payments made to secure equipment and manufacturing capacity for its Ohio data-center campus. Analysts on average expected a profit of ¥129 billion. Declines in the stock prices of chipmakers Arm Holdings and Intel, as well as South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang, further dragged down SoftBank's bottom line.

Sakana AI might list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange or Nasdaq, or it may choose a dual listing on both. Sakana AI might go public next year and is considering a listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Nasdaq or both for its initial public offering (IPO), media reports say. According to Nikkei, which broke the news, the company's market capitalization could exceed Mercari's ¥680 billion ($4.3 billion) and set Sakana AI on track to become one of Japan's most valuable startup listings. Goldman Sachs has been hired as an adviser, according to the report. In an X post on Monday, Sakana AI said it has no near-term plans for an IPO. "Our priority remains building a generational AI company that serves as Japan's national AI champion," the post read.

Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters. Japan is betting it can turn pop-culture fans into fluent Japanese speakers with a potential artificial intelligence-powered language-learning app through which users can practice conversations with popular characters. The app, which is to be developed by the Japan Foundation (JF) at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following budget approval for the next fiscal year, is expected to be completed by fiscal 2028 and will primarily target young people overseas who are interested in anime and manga. The app will use artificial intelligence to allow users to practice conversations with characters from popular anime and manga. It is also the first time the foundation has incorporated AI into its language-learning services.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting of the Council for Japan's Growth Strategy at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday. The government has selected 28 priority products and technologies, including semiconductors and artificial intelligence, for public and private investments totaling over ¥370 trillion, which are a pillar of its growth strategy, sources said Friday. The list was presented at the day's meeting of the Council for Japan's Growth Strategy, chaired by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. "Large-scale and strategic investment support measures are essential for establishing a domestic semiconductor supply chain," Takaichi said at the meeting. The 28 priority items were picked from 62 products and technologies in 17 strategic fields. They are expected to have significant economic spillover effects.

The Nasdaq composite declined more than 5% overnight in U.S. trading. The Nikkei 225 stock average declined more than 7% on Friday morning, falling below 60,000 for the first time since May. It tracked heavy losses on Wall Street on Thursday, as concerns grew over data center and artificial intelligence investments following the Democratic Party's resounding victory in the U.S. midterm elections. By 10:25 a.m., the Nikkei 225 was down 7.09%. Japanese AI, chip and data center-related stocks were hit hard, with Rohm sliding 20%, Furukawa Electric plunging over 19%, Resonac dropping 15%, Kioxia falling more than 12% and SoftBank Group declining 11%. The Topix was down more than 6% in Friday morning trade.

The new regulatory reform minister Hiroshi Nakatsuka speaks during an interview on Monday at the Children and Families Agency in Tokyo. New regulatory reform minister Hiroshi Nakatsuka has said he want to make self-driving technology and ride-hailing services more widely available. "I hope to accelerate the deployment of self-driving technology by removing various restrictions and collecting data," he said in an interview Monday. Regarding ride-hailing services, in which ordinary drivers use their own vehicles to transport passengers for a fee, Nakatsuka, who took office in a Cabinet reshuffle in September, cited resistance that tends to emerge when a system is changed. Securing sufficient transportation services is "the biggest challenge," Nakatsuka said, adding that the government plans to establish a related panel to promote discussions on the issue. Nakatsuka is the first Cabinet minister from the Japan Innovation Party, the coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

China blocks SoftBank's $5.4 billion ABB robot unit takeover SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son has listed a plan to buy ABB's robotics unit as a key part of his ambition to play a larger role in the artificial intelligence buildout. China has blocked the sale of ABB's robotics unit to SoftBank Group, dealing a blow to the Japanese investment firm's plans to expand into physical AI. A Chinese government agency blocked the $5.4 billion deal, ABB said in an emailed statement. The takeover was widely expected to bolster SoftBank's revenue and profit while it awaits a boost from OpenAI's public debut. SoftBank's shares were down around 7% in Tokyo on Thursday. A company spokesperson declined to comment.

From artificial intelligence to Chiikawa, Japan's 2026 buzzword nominees offer a glimpse into a year defined by technology, economic uncertainty and internet memes. The 30 nominees for the annual list, announced Thursday, were selected by publisher Jiyukokuminsha. The objective of the list is to recognize expressions that capture the year's trends and cultural shifts. This year's contenders include AI暴走 ( AI bōsō, rogue AI), フィジカルAI ( fijikaru AI, physical AI) and データセンター ( dēta sentā, data center), reflecting the ever-increasing influence of artificial intelligence in everyday life. Other technology-related entries include 声の権利 ( koe no kenri, voice rights), highlighting recent concerns and lawsuits regarding the unauthorized reproduction of people's voices using generative AI, and スマホ農場 ( sumaho nōjō, phone farms), which use large numbers of devices to artificially inflate social media engagement. The term, similar to existing phrases in English such as "iPad kid" or "brain rotted," refers to young people hooked on instant gratification from various forms of digital entertainment.

Incoming U.K. Ambassador to Japan Corin Robertson speaks at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Wednesday. British Ambassador-designate to Japan Corin Robertson on Wednesday called for stronger cooperation between the two countries in the fields of artificial intelligence and semiconductors. During a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Robertson noted that both Britain and Japan are facing economic challenges amid AI and other technological innovations, and vowed to focus on working together to develop future industries and drive economic growth. With Britain set to hold the Group of 20 presidency next year, Robertson indicated that the country will promote international cooperation on the safe use of AI. Referring to British Prime Minister Andy Burnham's willingness to rebuild his country's relationship with the European Union, Robertson said, "I think a closer U.K.-EU relationship is good for both, and I think it's also good for Japan." In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.