A job fair for Japanese college students at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo. Companies are seeking more technology majors than ever. TOKYO — Companies recruiting technology majors from Japanese universities are bracing for another year of missed targets as the supply of graduates fails to keep pace with broad demand for such skills as AI engineering and data…
Affordable English-language bookseller arrives in Myanmar
The Big Bad Wolf book fair has toured cities in eight countries in Asia. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta) YANGON — A Malaysian seller of affordable English books with a unique business model has branched out to Myanmar to capture demand among the country’s legion of English-language learners. Big Bad Wolf Books, in Shar Alam, outskirt…
Amazon Plans to Make New Delivery System with Buses
Amazon has filed a patent for a new package pickup system that takes advantage of buses to make the company’s delivery lockers more accessible. The e-commerce giant previously introduced delivery lockers to ease picking up of packages. Amazon set up lockers in certain pickup points, and customers can choose the lockers nearest to them. Once their packages…
Raw Materials for Smartphone Now Running Out
Researchers say that some raw materials used in making smartphones may run out soon. A study has found that elements such as gold, copper, silver, lithium /ˈlɪθijəm/, and cobalt are in danger of running out in a few decades. These elements are used in smartphone components, including wiring, batteries, and even display screens. Depletion threatens these materials…
New Teachers to Be Given Incentives to Continue Teaching
New teachers in England will be paid more cash to stay in their profession. The UK government plans to offer novice teachers £5,000 upon reaching their third and fifth year of teaching to encourage them to stay in their jobs. The initiative is part of the Department for Education’s Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, which aims to…
New services for foreign residents ready for April
Businesses in Japan are launching new services for non-Japanese residents as the country prepares to open its doors wider to foreign workers, starting in April. A Tokyo-based venture firm called one visa provides visa application support for foreign nationals. The firm says it is teaming up with Seven Bank, which has automatic teller machines in…
Alibaba and Tencent in hot pursuit of US in innovation potential
Alibaba Group Holding boosted research and development spending by 470% over five years. © Reuters TOKYO — Chinese tech leaders, such as e-commerce provider Alibaba Group Holding, are rapidly closing in on their bigger U.S. counterparts when it comes to innovative potential, according to an index published by Nikkei and Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. The top…
Two solar power projects approved
Ba Ria – Vung Tau enjoys fovourable conditions for solar power development. — Photo baodautu.vn Ba Ria-Vung Tau People’s Committee has granted in principle approval for two domestic enterprises to develop two solar power plants, with combined investment of more than VND1.5 trillion (US$64.4 million) in the province. The HCM City-based energy development company will…
Japanese firms want inspections streamlined
Japanese companies want Viet Nam to further streamline inspection procedures for imports, especially of foods. Mikihisa Nakagawa of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) said while they appreciated the Vietnamese Government’s reform of import formalities, JETRO and Japanese businesses want a further reduction in the frequency of sample testing during customs clearance and greater transparency…
Japan has record 2.73 million foreign residents
A record-high 2.73 million foreign nationals were living in Japan at the end of December. The figure hit a new high for the fifth consecutive year. The Justice Ministry says the number of foreign residents was 2,731,093. That’s up 169,245, or 6.6 percent, from the previous year. Among those, 771,568 are permanent residents, 337,000 hold…