About Contributor

J.T. Quigley

J.T. is based in Tokyo, though he left his heart in the mountains of Hokkaido. When he isn't snowboarding or playing with his daughter, he covers the Japanese tech scene and its impact on the local culture at large. He's written about everything from medicine and science to foreign policy in a career that has spanned the US, China, and Japan. Follow him on Twitter @jtquigley.
Hypothetically speaking, to give their users a more accurate experience than current GPS can provide.

Commented 3 days ago on

Japan is pioneering satellite tech that’s accurate down to centimeters
Not sure how little your little ones are, but this thing is pretty big! For my daughter (she's just two now - but in the near future), I'd prefer something simple like the Docotch: https://www.techinasia.com/japan-docomo-telco-child-tracking-wearable-watch-docotch/

Commented 1 week ago on

Sharp’s batshit crazy new smartphone is… a robot
That's one big limiting factor, but it might also just be a bit much for the average consumer - even here in the land of Astro Boy and Gundam!

Commented 1 week ago on

Sharp’s batshit crazy new smartphone is… a robot
If I had to venture a guess, I'd say around US$1,000 - more than a regular smartphone (because robot) but less than something larger like Pepper. I'll be sure to post an update when Sharp shares more information!

Commented 1 week ago on

Sharp’s batshit crazy new smartphone is… a robot
That's actually the founder!

Commented 2 weeks ago on

Check out this hands-free virtual reality blowjob machine
it only counts if you reuse my sleeve ;)

Commented 2 weeks ago on

Check out this hands-free virtual reality blowjob machine
CEO offered to send me one once it's ready - stay tuned, friends :) #noshamewhatsoever

Commented 2 weeks ago on

Check out this hands-free virtual reality blowjob machine
Yes, Japan only - and apparently domestically-produced sticker sets as well. But as the platform grows, so do the chances of such pop-up shops appearing elsewhere!

Commented 3 weeks ago on

Line is turning Creators Market stickers into real-world merchandise
Check this (at the bottom) for starters: https://www.techinasia.com/startup-coverage-techinasia/ I'd recommend keeping it brief but hitting the main points - what you do (in simple terms, especially if it's a very technical startup), what makes it different, why it's better than others doing the same/similar. Be transparent about traction. I tell startups to pitch me like I'm a VC, because what we provide can be just as important.

Commented 3 weeks ago on

We’re the Tech in Asia editorial team. Ask us anything!
Really good-smelling cologne.

Commented 3 weeks ago on

We’re the Tech in Asia editorial team. Ask us anything!
The first rule about Night Crawl is YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT NIGHT CRAWL.

Commented 3 weeks ago on

We’re the Tech in Asia editorial team. Ask us anything!
Easy: https://www.techinasia.com/japan-used-panty-vending-machines-fact-fiction/ Why? It was fun as hell to write and I can point people to it whenever they ask me where the used panty vending machines are (something an expat in Japan gets asked about more than you'd possibly imagine). There's something about the kind of story that hits that intersection of culture and tech - Japan is brimming with these so keep posted for more in a similar vein ;)

Commented 3 weeks ago on

We’re the Tech in Asia editorial team. Ask us anything!
India. I want to eat curry three meals a day. Oh, and VCs are pumping like a gazillion dollars into the ecosystem these days, so there's ALWAYS something to write about.

Commented 3 weeks ago on

We’re the Tech in Asia editorial team. Ask us anything!
I just always loved writing. In school, I excelled at the subjects that involved writing reports and essays (and absolutely sucked at math/chemistry). My parents wanted me to go to law school, but I had an amazing English teacher in high school who took me aside one day and said it would be a waste if I didn't pursue a career in writing. She really put me on the path I'm on now, and I'm grateful for having been in her class. However, it's been a long, difficult road. I graduated university during Lehman Shock and struggled to find work. No one would hire me (other than freelance or unpaid internships) without five years experience in a newsroom, so I accepted a non-journalism job in Japan - I had always wanted to be a foreign correspondent anyway. It took about five years to get back into journalism full time. You gotta be willing to work for free/next to nothing to build a rapport. My best advice: find a seasoned journalist to be your mentor. It also helps to join a local non-profit for journalists (the Asian American Journalist Association, for example - and you don't have to be Asian, American, or a journalist to join) and visit the press club if you're in a big city.

Commented 3 weeks ago on

We’re the Tech in Asia editorial team. Ask us anything!
Print will never die, at least not in our lifetimes. I still prefer novels in paperback form over my Kindle, and I'd rather read a magazine on an airplane than stare into my iPad screen. That being said, I definitely don't see how newspapers will keep pace with the always-awake online media alternatives.

Commented 3 weeks ago on

We’re the Tech in Asia editorial team. Ask us anything!
Let me answer that question from the perspective of someone who wasn't always covering tech. I was on the foreign policy beat before joining TIA, at the peak of some major territorial disputes across the region. Politicians never wanted to talk to online media - they mainly focused on the likes of WaPo and NYT - so the content involved a lot of aggregation from the big boys and very little on-the-ground reporting. Not only that, but it felt like WWIII would break out at any time. Of course the entrepreneurial journey isn't all rainbows and butterflies, but it's amazing to be surrounded by positive people hoping to change the world (hopefully for the better). Instead of hunting down sources, they often chase me. Almost everything I write is from a face-to-face interview with a founder, and I get to focus on longform content (my favorite kind) over short news snippets. Another awesome thing is when you get to write about a completely unknown startup and find out that your piece led investors to them, often ones that would have never heard of them otherwise. Getting those thank you emails makes all the long, coffee-fueled nights at the keyboard worth it.

Commented 3 weeks ago on

We’re the Tech in Asia editorial team. Ask us anything!
(oh and startups here sometimes IPO super early as a fundraising strategy - https://www.techinasia.com/japan-ipo-shortcut-for-startups-mothers/)

Commented 3 weeks ago on

Asia’s top 20 startup unicorns (INFOGRAPHIC)
Short answer: domestic VCs invest peanuts, foreign VCs not very active. Hopefully 500 Startups' re-entry will spur other SV firms to give Japanese startups a boost.

Commented 3 weeks ago on

Asia’s top 20 startup unicorns (INFOGRAPHIC)
“Asaeda says he hopes to sell Pico Cassettes for US$15, depending on individual royalty agreements with potential IP owners.”

Commented 4 weeks ago on

Go back in time with retro game cartridges that plug into your smartphone
A mom and pop farm? Doubtful. A large-scale commercial farm (likely the only kind large enough to benefit from this kind of monitoring anyway) - probably. The farm isn't buying a satellite, they're subscribing to the eventual "constellation" of satellites.

Commented 4 weeks ago on

Japanese startup raises $15M to build satellites that are the size of your air conditioner