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Nami Hamaura says she feels less lonely working from home thanks to her singing companion Charlie, one of a new generation of cute and clever Japanese robots whose sales are booming in the pandemic.

Smart home assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa have found success worldwide, but tech firms in Japan are reporting huge demand for more humanlike alternatives, as people seek solace during coronavirus isolation.

“I felt my circle became very small,” said 23-year-old Hamaura, a recent graduate who has worked almost entirely remotely since April 2020.

With socialising limited, life in her first job at a Tokyo trading company was nothing like she had imagined.

So she adopted Charlie, a mug-sized robot with a round head, red nose and flashing bow-tie, who converses with its owner in song.

Yamaha, which makes Charlie, describes it as “more chatty than a pet, but less work than a lover”.

“He is there for me to chat with as someone other than family, or friends on social networks, or a boss I needed to produce a report for,” Hamaura told AFP .

She is a pre-launch test customer for Charlie, which Yamaha plans to release later this year.

“Charlie, tell me something interesting,” she asks while typing at her dining table.

“Well, well… balloons burst when you spray lemon juice!” he replies, cheerfully tilting his head to each side.

‘Every object has a soul’

Sharp said sales of its small humanoid Robohon were up 30 percent in the three months to September 2020 compared with a year earlier.

“Not only families with children, but also seniors in their 60s and 70s” are snapping up Robohon, which talks, dances and is also a working phone, a Sharp spokesman told AFP .

But the adorable android — first released in 2016 and only available in Japan — does not come cheap, with regular models priced between $820 and $2,250.

Charlie and Robohon are part of a new wave of robot companions pioneered by firms such as Sony with its robot dog Aibo, on sale since 1999, and SoftBank’s friendly Pepper, which hit shelves in 2015.

“Many Japanese people accept the idea that every object has a soul,” said Shunsuke Aoki, CEO of robot firm Yukai Engineering.

“They want a robot to have a character, like a friend, family or a pet — not a mechanical function like a dishwasher.”

Yukai’s robots include Qoobo, a fluffy pillow with a mechanical tail that wiggles like a real pet.

They will soon release their latest home assistant “Bocco emo”, which looks like a miniature snowman and allows families to leave and send voice messages through their phones.

Kaori Takahashi, 32, bought a Yukai robot-building kit for her six-year-old son to keep him occupied during the pandemic.

Robots feel normal in everyday life because they are in so many Japanese children’s films and cartoons, she said.

“I grew up watching anime shows ‘The Astro Boy Essays’ and ‘Doraemon’, which both feature robots, and my children love them too.”

‘Heartwarming feeling’

Studies have shown that therapeutic robot pets designed in Japan, such as fluffy mechanical seals, can bring comfort to dementia patients.

But the makers of Lovot — a robot the size of a small toddler, with big round eyes and penguin-like wings that flutter up and down — think everyone can benefit from a bot that just wants to be loved.

It has more than 50 sensors and an internal heating system, making it warm to touch, which it reacts to with squeaks of joy.

Manufacturer Groove X said monthly sales shot up more than tenfold after the coronavirus hit Japan.

A single Lovot costs around $2,800, plus fees for maintenance and software — but those without deep pockets can visit the “Lovot Cafe” near Tokyo instead.

One customer there, 64-year-old Yoshiko Nakagawa, called out to one of the robots fondly by name, as if to a grandson.

During Japan’s virus state of emergency, the capital became “stark and empty”, she said.

“We need time to heal ourselves after this bleak period. If I had one of these babies at home, the heartwarming feeling would probably do the trick.”

Kaspersky’s report on the impact of Covid-19 on SMEs in 2020 pointed out that as the pandemic has caused serious damage to businesses, many of them cut their budgets for information technology and information security solutions in 2021. Micro businesses and business households do not have enough money to hire workers in charge of information security.

Ransomware

Experts said ransomeware of different types ‘mushroomed’ in 2020, targeting more subjects and increasing the level of danger. They have targeted hospitals, medical and financial institutions, important agencies, factories and infrastructure items in order to increase the pressure and require ransoms.

Meanwhile, the level of awareness and vigilance of SMEs about the malware remains modest.

A report from Coveware showed that ransomware ‘favors’ SMEs with fewer than 100 officers with 55 percent of attacks targeting this group of businesses.

The majority of SMEs that are victims of ransomeware pay ransoms in exchange to get back for their important data.

A new characteristic of Ransomware 2.0 is that they not only encrypt data and require ransoms, but also blackmail victims in exchange for not making public the data.

Scamming via emails, mobile messages

Hackers exploit mistakes by officers and key personnel in enterprises and organizations to penetrate into their systems, and steal financial information and enterprises’ data.

Abnormal Security reported that the number of phishing emails disguised as invoices and payments has increased by 81 percent, causing a loss of $81,000 on average for every attack.

Experts found that it is easier to cheat people via mobile messages associated with links that people click on. This type of phishing has become favored by hackers.

Response

Ngo Tran Vu, CEO of NTS Security, said the Covid-19 pandemic has forcef SMEs to run a remote working regime, which is a high risk for businesses’ information safety.

“Officers working from a distance tend to be (careless) when accessing enterprises’ secret information. They may access businesses’ accounts from public wifi networks which can be hacked easily,” he said.

The devices they use, such as computers and smartphones, also cannot be protected well like devices at office which are protected by professional IT officers. Therefore, businesses need to set principles for information access to protect data.

“A plan for safe remote work and scenarios to respond to emergency cases are necessary for SMEs,” Vu said.

He went on to say that backup, both offline and online, on clouds will help reduce risks from ransomware.

Trong Dat

Ensuring information security for cloud computing a key national goal

The Ministry of Information and Communications has determined that the cloud computing platform is a key part of telecommunications infrastructure to focus on in the coming years.

Vietnamese team tops qualifying round of ASEAN information security contest

Pawsitive of the University of Engineering and Technology under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi excellently surpassed rivals to gain the first place at the ASEAN Student Contest on Information Security 2020’s qualifier on October 31.

HCM City has developed dozens of digital apps for the transport, housing, and healthcare sectors that offer many benefits to the public and businesses. File photo from ict-hcm.gov.vn

HCM CITY — The HCM City digital transformation programme has contributed to developing the city and bringing many benefits to its people and businesses.

Under the programme, a shared database of all sectors, ranging from housing, transport and environment to healthcare, has been created to connect and share data from the city’s administrative departments.

This helps social organisations, businesses and residents approach public information and services online provided through multiple means, including mobile devices.

Speaking at a conference about the database last month, Võ Thị Trung Trinh, deputy director of the Department of Information and Communications, said: “Data is shared and used mostly by district authorities, administrative departments, people and businesses. So utility applications become a necessary tool to serve people better.”

Dozens of applications in the transport, housing, and health sectors have appeared in recent years to offer benefits to users. They are easy to use and available on both Android OS and iOS operating systems.

Among the most downloaded apps are “TTGT TPHCM” developed by the Department of Transport to help people avoid traffic jams, and “UDI Maps” that warns about flooded areas from the HCM City Urban Drainage Limited Company.

The Department of Planning and Development has released the app “Thông Tin Quy Hoạch TPHCM”, providing information on the city’s housing development plan, while “SXD247” has been developed by the Department to offer information on real estate projects and administrative procedures.

The Department of Health has three apps: “Tra Cứu Khám Chữa Bệnh” for registering for medical examinations and treatment at city hospitals, and “Y Tế Trực Tuyến” for people to send information about violations committed in the health sector.

Another is “SYT.TPHCM” which helps medical practitioners and businesses register for licences or receive eligibility certificates for pharmaceuticals online.

In addition, the city has introduced apps that help people notify authorities about infrastructure incidents like broken water pipes, downed power lines and fallen trees.

The city is accelerating digitalisation transformation to fulfill its target of completing its shared database and open data ecosystem by 2025.

Trinh pointed out that the city has digitised about 60 per cent of civil status books, and the work is expected to be put into operation in June 2021.

Based on the civil status database, other departments like education and health will upgrade their database.

The Department of Education and Training will be able to forecast the school-age population to meet the needs of new students, while the Department of Health will set up a shared medical record system among hospitals in the city and the country.

Trinh said the building of a shared database was an important step to offer more digital applications to users.

When the city’s shared database and open data ecosystem are completed, they will be connected to national databases to serve the city’s e-government.

Under the digital transformation programme, HCM City targets offering all public services online by 2030.

The e-economy is expected to account for 40 per cent of the city’s gross regional domestic product, while annual labour productivity will increase at least 9 per cent by 2030.

The rate of residents and enterprises having electronic accounts for payments is expected to be more than 85 per cent by 2030.

Speaking at a conference to announce the programme in July, 2020, Dương Anh Đức, vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, said: “HCM City will become a smart city with e-government, e-enterprises and an electronic society by 2030.”

To obtain these goals, the city would strengthen communications and improve awareness of its staff, residents and enterprises, Đức said. — VNS

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s message on ASEAN’s anniversary

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has delivered a message on the occasion of the 53rd founding anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the 25th anniversary of Vietnam’s admission to the bloc.

In his message, he reviewed ASEAN’s development and achievements over the past 53 years as well as Vietnam’s contributions to the bloc as an active, positive and responsible member.

He stressed that a united, strong, prosperous and self-reliant ASEAN Community with a high international role and position may only be achieved if all of the ASEAN member countries “think community and act community”, pledging that Vietnam has been exerting efforts, together with other ASEAN members, to successfully implement this noble goal.

To mark the occasion, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) also hosted a flag hoisting ceremony at its headquarters in Hanoi on August 7.

Tens of tonnes of Vietnamese fresh longan enter Australian market

Vietnamese longan has characteristic aroma, small seeds and sweetness.

Large batches of Vietnamese fresh longan, tens of tonnes in size, have been shipped to Australia and entered regions in the south and west of the country over the past few weeks.

Recently, about 7.5 tonnes of longan originating from Mekong Delta provinces arrived in Australia on August 6 while 9 tonnes of longan grown in Hai Duong Province are being packed to be sent to Australia to participate in a longan promotion programme held by the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia.

All batches of longan are imported and distributed by 4 Ways Fresh, a company based in Australia specialising in the production and trade of agricultural products.

Japan resumes issuing visas for Vietnamese employees

The Japanese Embassy in Vietnam has resumed receiving visa applications from Vietnamese citizens who wish to travel to Japan for working purposes, according to Vietnam’s Department of Overseas Labour.

The visa issuance was restarted following four months of suspension to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The embassy began to receive applications again from July 27.

Specifically, visas will be granted to Vietnamese nationals travelling to Japan via direct flights for work or long-term stay for positions such as business managers, intra-company transfers, engineers/specialists in international services, nurses, highly skilled professionals and designated activities.

Vietnamese employees will be required to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days upon entering Japan.

48.6% of total COVID-19 patients in Vietnam made full recovery as of August 9 afternoon

A local resident makes a medical declarations at a PCR sampling venue set up at Nguyen Trai Secondary School in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, August 8, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Duy Linh)

As many as 395, or 48.6%, of the total number of COVID-19 patients in Vietnam have made full recovery as of August 9 afternoon, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The country reported another 29 COVID-19 cases, taking the national count to 841. All of the new patients are related to the central city of Da Nang, the current pandemic hotspot.

Of the total cases, 317 were imported cases that were quarantined right upon their arrival.

There are currently 178,695 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entering Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are being quarantined nationwide.

There have been 11 COVID-19 fatalities in the country, all of them had either been residents of the city or the nearby areas of Quang Nam Province and had been suffering from serious chronic diseases such as cancer, renal failure, and diabetes prior to becoming infected.

Vietnamese short film competes in Venice Film Festival

A Vietnamese short film entitled “Live in cloud – cuckoo land” has been chosen to compete in the Orizzonti Short Competition category at the 77th Venice Film Festival.

The 19-minute film will compete with 12 others from different countries around the world in the category for international films with new aesthetic trends and expressions.

“Live in cloud – cuckoo land”, which is directed by Vu Minh Nghia and Pham Hoang Minh Thy, is about a girl working in a wedding dress shop who falls in love with a street vendor.

Gojek app debuts in Vietnam

The platform has over 150,000 driver partners and 80,000 partner restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Gojek, the leading on-demand service and payment platform in Southeast Asia, officially debuted its app in Vietnam on August 5.

Customers can access services such as ride-hailing with GoRide, goods delivery with GoSend, and food delivery with GoFood on the Gojek app, available on both iOS and Android operating systems.

The platform has over 150,000 driver partners and 80,000 partner restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, offering a better experience to users with a simpler, cleaner interface and upgraded features.

In early July, GoViet announced the merger of its app and brand name with Gojek as part of a long-term strategic deal. Vietnamese users will also be able to use Gojek’s services in Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand using a single app.

COVID-19 contact tracing app Bluezone hits 10 million users

As many as 10 million of Vietnam’s 76.8 million smartphone users have downloaded a domestically developed contact-tracing mobile app to identify and alert people who have interacted with COVID-19 patients.

The smartphone app Bluezone relies on Bluetooth signal to log when two users are near each other, information that can later be used in contact tracing of COVID-19 cases.

The development of Bluezone has been overseen by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Health. It was launched on April 18.

Bluezone helps authorities to quickly identify people likely to be COVID-19 patents, helping to prevent larger outbreaks of the disease.