Hello, this is Kenji, presenting this week’s #techAsia newsletter from Tokyo. While most other places in this part of the world are celebrating Lunar New Year, Japan is a major exception, having officially switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1873 as part of its push to modernise, which back then meant adopting western styles.
While people following the lunar calendar are in festive mode as the new year starts, what has been capturing people’s minds in Japan is the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in northern Italy.
The Games are being broadcast every day on all six major TV networks and online services. The use of 25 drones to capture the action in snowboarding, ski jumping and speed skating, along with replays enhanced by artificial intelligence, are delivering new levels of liveliness and dynamism.