ChatGPT nickname and Trump tariffs nominated for Japan's buzzword of 2025 Women hold toys depicting Myaku-Myaku, the official character for the 2025 Osaka Expo, during a media day ahead of the event's public opening day in Osaka in April. A comment made by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi immediately after she was elected president of the Liberal Democratic Party last month -- that she would "work, work, work, work and work," which triggered both praise for her determination and criticism amid efforts to improve work-life balance -- also made the list, along with (female prime minister). "There weren't many buzzwords in the first half of the year, but after (U.S.) President Donald Trump returned to office, many phrases went viral regarding tariffs," publisher Jiyukokuminsha, which hosts the award, said in a statement. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

India's IT sector faces seismic shift as AI displaces call-center workers Developers work inside the office of AI startup LimeChat in Bengaluru on Aug. 19. BENGALURU - At a startup office in this Indian city, developers are fine-tuning artificial-intelligence chatbots that talk and message like humans. The company, LimeChat, has an audacious goal: to make customer-service jobs almost obsolete. It says its generative AI agents enable clients to slash by 80% the number of workers needed to handle 10,000 monthly queries. Once you hire a LimeChat agent, you never have to hire again, said Nikhil Gupta, the company's 28-year-old co-founder.

BRUSSELS - NATO and the EU on Wednesday sought ways to boost anti-drone defenses, as Europe scrambles to counter the threat from Russia after a series of air incursions. High-profile incidents in Poland and Estonia have set off a flurry of activity from European officials to plug gaps in the continent's defenses. NATO has launched a new mission and beefed up forces on its eastern border, but it is playing catch-up as it tries to tap Ukraine's experience and get to grips with the drone threat from Moscow. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

Ukrainian authorities are growing frustrated with a surge in foreign components being found in Russian drones, with a senior diplomat calling on allies to tighten sanctions controls as Moscow scales up military production. Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's special envoy on sanctions, said the European Union's sanctions regime is showing cracks as enforcement is carried out by member states rather than the bloc as a whole -- even as the Kremlin expands large-scale aerial attacks. We would like the European Union to step up exports control for European companies," Vlasiuk said in an interview in Kyiv. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

CEATEC 2025, a cutting-edge international digital technology exhibition, opened at Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba on Tuesday. CHIBA - The CEATEC 2025 international exhibition kicked off Tuesday at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, for a four-day run showcasing cutting-edge digital technologies designed to make people's lives more convenient. Companies featuring products and services that utilize artificial intelligence account for more than half of the 810 participants from Japan and abroad. This event is not just about showcasing the latest technologies, but also about allowing visitors to truly experience how technology can enrich society and daily life, Kei Uruma, chairperson of the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association, or JEITA, the event's organizer, and president of Mitsubishi Electric, said in a speech at the opening ceremony. Mitsubishi Electric is demonstrating how AI can be integrated with air conditioning and lighting systems to create optimal office environments.

People walk past a large electronic screen showing the Samsung logo at a train station in Seoul on Tuesday. Samsung Electronics has posted its biggest quarterly profit in more than three years, reflecting booming memory chip demand while AI development accelerates globally. South Korea's largest company reported an operating profit of 12.1 trillion won ($8.5 billion) in the September quarter, compared with analysts' projection for 9.70 trillion won, according to a preliminary earnings report released on Tuesday. Revenue climbed to 86 trillion won. The company will provide a full financial statement with net income and divisional breakdowns later this month. The results may bolster confidence among investors betting on the durability of demand for AI servers and memory chips.

Saury catches from August to the end of September this year totaled about 28,500 tons -- a 2.4-fold increase from the same period last year. The Japan Fisheries Information Service Center will start a service next fishing season that shows expected fishing grounds for saury by size class based on analysis using artificial intelligence technology. The Tokyo-based group of fisheries organizations provides information on fishing and ocean conditions. Since 2020, the group provides its predictions of likely saury fishing spots using AI, based on seawater temperature changes and past fishing records. The accuracy of the predictions has improved year after year.

How can Europe protect its skies against'escalating' drone menace? A drone detection and defense system is parked in Kottingbrunn, Austria, on Oct. 3 | REUTERS Paris - Drones flying over airports, commercial sites and other sensitive infrastructure in Europe is a growing phenomenon which EU leaders blame on Russia, and preventing the disruption they cause will prove a tough technical challenge, observers say. Detecting the drones, making them non-operational by jamming them, or even shooting them down, are all complex and hazardous tasks. And while Russian involvement is suspected, it is difficult to prove. Concerns are growing that such disruptions could be part of Russian hybrid war tactics three-and-a-half years into its invasion of Ukraine, as most European countries double down on their support for Kyiv including by delivering military hardware.

Resonac President and CEO Hidehito Takahashi (front row, third from left) in Tokyo on Sept. 3 along with officials from companies participating in a joint framework to develop chipmaking equipment | JIJI NAGOYA - Faced with a long slump in their mainline petrochemical operations, major Japanese chemical makers are working with other companies over businesses related to semiconductor materials. While chemical makers are in the middle of a structural shift with hopes to turn the semiconductor-related businesses into their new pillars of growth, the rise of generative artificial intelligence has made it challenging for them to make semiconductors more functional on their own. Therefore, they are taking measures with others, such as setting up a joint framework, to speed up the development of related materials. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

The Text With Jesus chatbot app displayed on an iPhone on Oct. 2. | AFP-JIJI New York - Artificial intelligence, the technology upending nearly every corner of society, is creeping into religion, serving up virtual Jesus and automated sermons -- a change drawing mixed reviews from the faithful. Religious chatbots and other faith-based digital tools are growing in number, offering counsel, comfort and spiritual guidance during an age of rapidly transforming socialization and engagement. One app, which is called Text with Jesus, has thousands of paying subscribers. It lets people ostensibly ask questions of Mary, Joseph, Jesus and nearly all 12 apostles. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.