Series Vol. 11 | Seken-Yoshi
What does seken — "the world" — actually mean? The word has Buddhist roots that most Japanese speakers have forgotten. Vol. 11 asks what those roots mean for us today, and for the economy we need to build.
Michi Tohma
Series 
The Jodo Ethic and the Spirit of the Ohmi Shonin Vol. 10 | Kai-te Yoshi
The Ohmi Shonin conducted business across nearly all of Japan by the 18th and 19th centuries — and beyond its borders as early as the 17th. This volume traces where they went, who resented them for it, and why their legacy endures regardless.
Policy & Regulation Japan Sought Access to Anthropic’s Claude Mythos in Finance Minister Talks
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama in Tokyo on May 11–12. Reports emerged that Japan sought access to Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI to scan financial institutions for vulnerabilities.
Technology Light Touch Technology Raises $3M in Series B Extension Round for Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Sensor
Osaka-based Light Touch Technology (LTT) has raised ¥500 million ($3M) in a Series B extension round to advance its non-invasive, MIR laser-based blood glucose sensor toward clinical trials and regulatory approval.
Policy & Regulation A Japanese town council passes an “unwilling” no-confidence vote against an unconscious mayor. What would happen if the same occurred at a Japanese company?
A Japanese town assembly votes to remove its unconscious mayor — a rare legal workaround with no clean precedent. We examine what the Local Autonomy Act allows, and what Japanese company law requires when a representative director or godo kaisha member becomes incapacitated.
Business What Japan’s METI–Infrastructure Talks Reveal About Corporate IT Security
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry convened talks with critical infrastructure operators on the threat of AI-assisted cyberattacks. The meeting highlights a broader pattern: many Japanese companies continue to rely on VPNs, and that dependence has made them a target.
The Jodo Ethic and the Spirit of the Ohmi Shonin Vol. 9 | Uri-te Yoshi Ⅱ
The Ohmi Shonin lived by a simple maxim: shimatsu shite kibaru — use everything to the last, and work without rest. Vol. 9 explores what that ethic looked like in practice, from a box lid made of recycled business papers at the Ohmi Shonin Kyodokan, to an eighteenth-century merchant's blunt advice on how to build wealth. The spirit, it turns out, is not so distant from the habits of Warren Buffett or Bill Gates.
Business Pictoria Raises $2 Million to Expand AI Character Business
Pictoria, a Tokyo-based AI character developer behind VTuber Tsumugi Nen, has raised 330 million yen ($2 million) in a combined equity and debt round. Canon Marketing Japan is among the investors.
Technology Helical Fusion Raises $17M in Series B First Close
Japanese fusion startup Helical Fusion has raised $17M in its Series B first close, advancing its Helix Program to bring demonstration device Helix HARUKA online around 2030.
Technology Qubitcore Raises $9.6M in Seed Funding to Advance Ion-Trap Quantum Computing
Qubitcore, a Japanese quantum computing startup, has raised $9.6 million in seed funding to advance its ion-trap quantum computer technology — an approach known for low error rates and long qubit coherence times.