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Hello and welcome to today’s news from TotemoTech on December 20th, 2023. In today’s news, PayPay, a popular mobile payment service in Japan, has announced an enhancement to its offline payment mode. Previously, users could make payments of up to 5,000 yen even without an internet connection. However, PayPay has now increased the limit to 50,000 yen, providing users with more flexibility in making offline payments.

Moving on to our next story, G7 intellectual property officials recently held a meeting on the metaverse platform called ‘cluster.’ Cluster, in collaboration with the Japan Patent Office (JPO), hosted the meeting on its platform. The JPO chaired the meeting, which took place on the 15th of December. This collaboration highlights the growing importance of virtual worlds and intellectual property rights.

In other news, NTT West, a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, has revealed additional cases of internal misconduct. Following an internal investigation, it was discovered that approximately 280,000 pieces of information were illegitimately taken, bringing the total number of compromised data to 9.28 million. This incident raises concerns about data security and the need for stricter internal controls.

Shifting gears, the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) has encountered a system issue with its official website’s opinion submission form. From late November to December 13th, some inquiries and opinions submitted through the form did not reach the CAA due to the technical glitch. The CAA is working to resolve the issue and ensure that all feedback is properly received and addressed.

In tech-related news, Google’s AI language model ‘Bard’ now supports integration with Gmail, YouTube, and Google Maps in Japanese. Users can now utilize Bard’s chat capabilities with these popular Google services, enhancing their overall user experience.

Additionally, NTT and Tokyo Electric Power Holdings (TEPCO) have announced their collaboration in establishing a new data center company. The joint venture aims to meet the increasing demand for data centers, particularly driven by the growing need for AI-generated content and services. The new company plans to open its data center in Inzai City, Chiba.

Lastly, the Information-technology Promotion Agency, or IPA, has launched a website that simulates a ‘fake security warning’ experience. The purpose of this website is to raise awareness about support scams, which have been on the rise. By providing a hands-on experience, IPA hopes to educate users and prevent them from falling victim to fraudulent support schemes.

That concludes today’s news update. Thank you for tuning in to TotemoTech. Stay informed and stay tech-savvy! Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.

Keywords - japan, tech, news