United News of Bangladesh

Facing acute labour shortages, an ageing population and long-standing productivity problems, Japan would appear to be an ideal environment for the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Yet AI use in Japanese workplaces remains relatively slow and cautious compared with the United States and the United Kingdom. Japan’s response to AI is beginning to resemble one of the country’s traditional, slow-moving Noh plays. Everyone on stage agrees that urgent action is needed, and the message is repeated with solemnity, but the actors remain largely frozen in place. While that may build dramatic tension, it does little to address the country’s immediate economic challenges. Data on workplace AI use suggests Japan is lagging behind. Only 8.4% of Japanese workers use AI in their jobs, according to a report published late last year by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The figure compares with 50% in the US and 32% in the UK. In Singapore, where AI adoption is reportedly among the highest in the world and the highest in Asia, 56% of workers are said to use AI several times a week. So why is Japan moving so cautiously? Austin Xu, co-founder of US start-up Kuse AI, attributes the slow adoption to the conservative and risk-averse nature of many Japanese companies. His company recently opened an office in Japan to market its AI systems to local businesses. “Some organisations genuinely take a long time to make decisions because of their process and consensus-driven culture,” he says. “Tolerance for AI mistakes is close to zero, particularly in client-facing roles. Some would rather leave a position vacant than allow a machine to handle it.” Xu says the approach is very different in the US, where some companies are already giving AI agents greater freedom to improve productivity. In many American workplaces, he says, AI systems are introduced as assistants and gradually become part of normal workflows, with managers willing to test them and correct mistakes along the way. Japanese companies, by contrast, often require more evidence before trusting AI, he adds. Parrisa Haghirian, professor of international management at Kyoto University of Advanced Science, also believes risk aversion is a major factor. “The challenges of adopting AI are similar to those involved in introducing any kind of change in Japanese firms,” she says. “This is why AI use remains limited and cautious, particularly in workplaces.” Haghirian contrasts Japan’s approach with the more entrepreneurial culture in the US, saying Japanese companies are particularly sensitive to errors, uncertainty and reputational damage. Because generative AI is still not completely reliable, she says, Japanese companies mainly use it for relatively low-risk activities such as writing, summarising documents and gathering information. Its use remains much more limited in core operations, decision-making and broader business-process improvements. Japan’s healthcare sector is considered especially slow to embrace AI. Some hospitals have yet to fully digitise patient records. “Paper documents accumulate at a staggering scale,” an employee at a Japanese hospital, who requested anonymity, says. “It’s like the Stone Age.” The Japanese government is aware of the broader problem and is seeking to encourage businesses to adopt AI. Last year, parliament passed the country’s first AI Promotion Act, which uses a light-touch regulatory approach aimed at encouraging greater investment in AI. Tokyo has pledged to make Japan “the world’s most-friendly country for developing and utilizing AI.” The government sees AI as a potential tool for improving productivity, an area where Japan continues to perform poorly compared with other G7 economies. Japan’s Ministry of Finance says business adoption of AI has increased substantially, with 75% of companies now using the technology, compared with just 11% five years ago. Critics, however, say the headline figure masks the limited use of AI within many companies. Only a small proportion of employees may actually use the technology, and even those users often rely on it for only a narrow range of tasks. Prof Yasushi Ogasawara, an expert on Japan’s social system and technology at Meiji University, says the country also lacks enough workers with strong technology skills. “Although Japanese people like using gadgets such as smartphones, digital literacy is low here,” he says. The problem is underscored by a report earlier this year estimating that Japan could face a shortage of nearly 800,000 IT professionals by 2030. Many Japanese companies also continue to rely on outdated computer systems, with around 60% reportedly more than two decades old. Ogasawara says companies also face pressure to avoid contributing to unemployment, making them more cautious about developing AI that could replace human workers. “The government is talking about AI, reskilling and digital skills, but in reality it is difficult to adapt human resources to digital skills because the top priority is maintaining full employment,” he says. There are signs of change, however. Some companies are beginning to prioritise “AI literacy” when recruiting new graduates. Larger private-sector firms such as major trading company Kanematsu are hiring graduates with strong AI skills. Uta Yamaguchi, who joined the company in April, says she frequently uses AI at work, as do many of her colleagues. She uses it to draft emails for her boss, summarise complex documents and record and summarise meetings. However, she says AI systems capable of independently handling multi-step tasks remain virtually unheard of in Japan compared with the US. Her employer, known for being forward-looking, has now begun introducing such systems. Ogasawara says the pace of change in Japan remains limited. “Japanese society expects painless reform, so I think it can be said that drastic reform is difficult, to say the least,” he says. Disruption may remain an uncomfortable concept in Japan, but without greater willingness to embrace change, the productivity gains the country urgently needs from AI could remain out of reach. #Source: BBC

Brazil’s data protection authority has ordered messaging platform Discord to suspend its livestreaming feature after a 13-year-old girl allegedly was encouraged to take her own life during a broadcast on the platform. The National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) launched an investigation on Aug. 7 following the death of the teenager, who was reportedly pressured by other users in a Discord server, or group, to end her life. Discord allows users to create and join interest-based communities and communicate through real-time voice and video calls using its “Go Live” livestreaming feature. Discord said it was “thoughtfully reviewing” the ANPD’s decision and reaffirmed its commitment to user safety. “Groups or individuals who promote or encourage violence have no place on Discord,” a company spokesperson said. The spokesperson said Discord quickly investigated the private, invite-only server involved and shut it down shortly after it was created. The company also said it continues to cooperate with law enforcement investigating the case. According to Reuters, the ANPD found that Discord does not have real-time access to livestream content, limiting its ability to automatically detect potential violations. The platform, available on computers and mobile devices, has more than 200 million monthly active users and is particularly popular among gamers. Discord said its investigation found evidence that the criminal activity linked to the girl’s death had been coordinated on other platforms before the Discord server was created and continued after those involved were banned from Discord. Five teenagers have reportedly been arrested in connection with the girl’s death. Discord has three days to comply with the suspension and 10 business days to appeal the decision. The platform could face fines of up to 50 million reais ($9.67 million) for each violation. The ANPD said the suspension will remain in effect until Discord demonstrates that it has introduced “adequate protective measures for minors,” which could include age-verification systems. #Source: BBC

Vietnamese aerospace company VinSpace has signed an agreement with SpaceX to launch its first satellites into orbit in 2027, as Vietnam steps up efforts to develop its emerging space industry. VinSpace said Tuesday that its satellites will be sent into space on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission. The service allows satellites from multiple customers to share a single rocket, reducing launch costs. The company said it will develop and operate the satellites, which will be used to test its technology in orbit and support future commercial applications. VinSpace is part of Vietnam's Vingroup conglomerate and was established in November 2025. It announced in April that it planned to develop and launch its first satellites in 2027. Founded by billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong, Vingroup is Vietnam's largest privately owned company, with businesses ranging from real estate and retail to healthcare, education and tourism. The conglomerate is expanding into high-tech industries, including electric vehicles, space, artificial intelligence and robotics, as Vietnam seeks to strengthen its economy and become one of Asia's emerging economic powers. Vietnam has been working to develop its space capabilities for decades but remains a relatively small player in the global space sector. The country launched its first telecommunications satellite in 2008 and a second one in 2012, according to official documents. In March, Vietnam opened a major space science and technology centre at the Hoa Lac High-Tech Park in Hanoi. The facility is intended to boost satellite development and the use of space-based data. Vietnam aims to become a mid-level space power in Southeast Asia by 2030. In February, Vietnam approved SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service in the country. Some analysts viewed the move as part of Vietnam's efforts to avoid US tariffs. Starlink has since started accepting orders in Vietnam. VinSpace said the SpaceX agreement is part of its plan to become a full-service aerospace company, with capabilities covering satellite design and manufacturing, launch management, satellite operations and space-based data services. “Reliable access to space is fundamental to turning satellite innovation into operational missions,” VinSpace CEO Thu Vu said in a statement. VinSpace did not disclose the value of the contract or the number and specifications of the satellites.

A group of Bangladeshi Google Maps contributors joined Google’s prestigious international Local Guides gathering, Connect Live Singapore 2026, held on July 30 and 31 at Google’s Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore. The event brought together selected and experienced Google Maps contributors from different countries to discuss the future of mapping, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence-powered features, user experience and community development. Among the Bangladeshi participants were Malaysia-based Bangladeshi couple Pavel Sarwar and Sumaiya Zafrin Chowdhury. Other participants from Bangladesh included Connect Forum moderators Md Shafiul Bashar, Md Khokon Sharker, Gazi Salahuddin, Nasim M Joy, Md Palash and Farzana Rupa. Tahmina Akter Trisha participated from Japan. The participating Local Guides exchanged experiences with Google Maps team members and contributors from different countries and shared their views on issues affecting local communities. For the Bangladeshi contributors, the event was also an opportunity to highlight issues and opportunities in Bangladesh, including women’s empowerment, accessibility for people with disabilities, accurate mapping information, digital inclusion and success stories of local entrepreneurs. They have also been involved in training and awareness activities to encourage new Local Guides and regularly raise local issues and development proposals with relevant Google teams.  ‘An honour and a source of pride’ For Pavel Sarwar, being invited to Connect Live is itself a major recognition for a Google Maps contributor. “Google Local Guides Connect Live is one of the most prestigious international gatherings for Google Maps contributors,” he said. He noted that the event provides selected Local Guides from around the world with an opportunity to discuss the future development of Google Maps, new features, user experience and community development.  

President Donald Trump's media company reported a massive loss in the second quarter and announced plans to abandon several new business ventures and refocus on its core mission as a social media platform. Trump Media & Technology, which operates the Truth Social platform, said Monday it lost $238 million in the three months through June after expanding into businesses outside traditional media, including cryptocurrency. The loss was more than 10 times the amount recorded a year earlier. The company's loss per share widened to 86 cents from 8 cents. During a conference call following the earnings release, new CEO Kevin McGurn said the company would largely abandon a yearlong effort to expand into industries such as online betting and cryptocurrency and instead concentrate on its social media business. "We made the disciplined choice to pivot in order to invest more time and resources in our most important initiatives," McGurn said. "We will say no to things or change course as warranted." Trump Media shares fell slightly in after-hours trading following the earnings announcement after declining 8% during regular trading. A key part of McGurn's strategy is Truth API, a service that provides Wall Street trading firms with early access to posts from prominent Truth Social users. Among those users is Trump, the platform's most-followed account, who frequently influences financial markets by announcing major U.S. policy changes on the site. Trump Media has faced criticism from government watchdog groups since the beginning of Trump's second term, with critics accusing the company of providing him a way to profit from the presidency. The new service has intensified those concerns, while Democrats have vowed to investigate the paid service if they regain control of Congress in the midterm elections. McGurn dismissed the concerns, saying other companies also provide traders with specialized and faster access to information. "Providing licensed real-time public data through commercial APIs is a well-established business practice across the technology, financial information and media industries," he said. "This is no different." One previously announced venture, nuclear fusion, will continue. McGurn said Trump Media expects to complete its previously announced merger with energy company TAE Technologies by the end of the year. "We continue to believe it's the single most important driver of long-term value for this company," McGurn said of the fusion business. Much of the company's quarterly loss resulted from unrealized losses tied to declines in the value of its bitcoin holdings and a cryptocurrency token called Cronos. Even after excluding those paper losses, along with taxes, interest and other items, the company's operating loss increased, though by a much smaller amount. The adjusted loss was $164 million, compared with $44 million a year earlier. McGurn said Truth API charges customers between $60,000 and $100,000 a month and has already signed 10 customers, most of them high-frequency trading firms that execute transactions within milliseconds. "We're in the early innings," McGurn said, adding that the potential market extends beyond trading firms to data center operators, news organizations and developers of large language models. With 10 customers, the service could generate between $7 million and $12 million in annual revenue, potentially two to three times Trump Media's total revenue last year. Trump Media reported $1.7 million in revenue in the second quarter, more than double the figure from a year earlier. The company has $1 billion in debt through special convertible notes that are not due until 2028. However, lenders have an option to demand repayment in November, which could put pressure on the company's finances, although Trump Media appeared to have sufficient cash. At the end of the quarter, the company held more than $400 million in cash and short-term investments, along with $1.2 billion in bitcoin and bitcoin-related assets.

As the technology world races toward artificial intelligence, a growing number of enthusiasts are looking back to the early days of computing by collecting and restoring vintage computers. Software engineer Josh Dersch is one of them. He spends hours in his garage trying to bring decades-old machines back to life and estimates that he has more than 200 vintage computers and related devices at his home in Seattle. “I’ve always found the origins of things fascinating,” Dersch said. “It’s a fun challenge to figure out what’s wrong and repair it. You can understand the whole system from top to bottom.” Dersch is part of a growing community dedicated to preserving the computers that helped start the digital revolution. While Silicon Valley is now focused on developing AI and other advanced technologies, vintage computer enthusiasts are keeping machines made by Atari, Commodore and IBM alive — systems that paved the way for today’s laptops, smartphones and wearable devices. For collectors, these machines are not outdated junk but important pieces of computer history. Many enjoy hearing the familiar sounds of old machines and playing simple games such as “Pong” and “Space Invaders.” “Interest in the history of computers and everything connected to it is growing,” said Erik Klein, president of the Vintage Computer Federation, which holds an annual festival at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View. Vintage computer festivals draw thousandsMore than 3,500 people attended a two-day Vintage Computer Festival in early August to mark the 50th anniversary of Apple, founded in nearby Cupertino in 1976. The event included a panel discussion with Apple co-founders Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, who recalled the company’s early days as a small startup led by the late Steve Jobs. More than a dozen similar events are now held in cities across North America, South America and Europe. Klein said the growing interest is also driving demand for vintage computers on online marketplaces. Rare and iconic machines, such as the Apple-1 — Apple’s first product — can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. At the festival, collectors displayed computers they had carefully restored to working condition, giving visitors a chance to use machines developed long before the internet, social media and AI became part of everyday life. Restoring the ‘grandfather’ of modern computersDersch traveled from Seattle to showcase the prized machine in his collection — a Xerox Alto. He spent years restoring the computer, which is often described as the “grandfather of the modern computer.” It was developed at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center in the 1970s. The Alto was among the first computers to move beyond text-based displays and introduce technologies such as the mouse and graphical user interface, including windows, icons and cursors. Those features later became standard in personal computers and are widely credited with influencing early products developed by Jobs and Bill Gates. Dersch’s exhibit included a fully working Xerox Alto workstation with its large vertical monitor, bulky keyboard and mouse. It also featured large disk drives that stored only tiny amounts of data compared with modern storage devices. “It’s fun to show people what I’ve done and see what others have done,” Dersch said. “There’s also a section where I can buy more old machines to take home, so that’s always fun.” Klein, a Silicon Valley software engineering manager, was once an avid collector himself. At one point, he had about 150 computer systems, along with accessories, manuals and original packaging, packed into his closets and garage. But the collection eventually became too much to manage, and Klein worried that it could become a burden for his family. He gradually sold or gave away most of his machines, keeping only a few favorites. Hobby spreading around the worldKlein now puts his passion for vintage computers into organizing festivals, repair workshops, swap meets and other events through the Vintage Computer Federation. “It’s really about sharing the history and encouraging people to maintain, collect and enjoy this vintage technology,” he said. Sellam Ismail, who organized the first vintage computer festival in 1997, said he is pleased to see how much the collector community has grown. The first festival, held at a venue east of San Francisco, attracted about 150 hobbyists. Ismail organized the events for about a decade before helping establish the Vintage Computer Federation, which now runs festivals in the United States and Canada. He has also helped groups organize similar events in Argentina, Germany and Switzerland. “The community grew. More and more people started getting old computers and collecting them,” said Ismail, who once had a huge collection stored in a warehouse. With the festival approaching its 30th anniversary next year, Ismail expects the hobby to continue expanding. “Next year is the 30th anniversary, and I expect this to continue and grow even bigger,” he said.

The possibility of a MySpace comeback is stirring nostalgia among former users who remember the social networking site as a more personal and less polished corner of the internet. For Monticah Hawkins, a 31-year-old real estate agent in Atlanta, MySpace was more than a website. It was part of her daily routine and a place where people could share photos without worrying about filters or online judgment. “You could be authentic on MySpace,” Hawkins said, recalling a time when users freely posted imperfect, unedited pictures. MySpace, once the world's leading social networking platform, is now being considered for a relaunch by its owners, brothers Tim and Chris Vanderhook. However, they have not announced a specific date or provided details about what a new version of the platform might look like. A spokesperson for Viant, the company that owns MySpace, said there were no updates to share at present. The prospect of its return has nevertheless revived memories of the site's heyday more than two decades ago, when users created highly customized pages filled with music, photos and personal touches. Melissa Kristin, a TikTok creator with more than 900,000 followers, also remembers MySpace as a more individualistic online space. She said users could create their own small “corner of the internet” rather than simply consuming content selected by algorithms. Kristin believes a revived MySpace should focus on personal connections instead of the performance-driven culture found on many current social platforms. MySpace launched in 2003 and quickly became a major part of internet culture. It helped emerging artists, including Arctic Monkeys, Adele and Nicki Minaj, reach early audiences. But its heavily customized pages, autoplaying music and crowded layouts eventually became less appealing as Facebook gained popularity with a cleaner and simpler design. MySpace subsequently went through several redesigns and ownership changes before losing its mainstream audience. Marketing experts say any revival would need to learn from those mistakes. Dr. Alexa Fox, a marketing professor at the University of Akron, described MySpace as a social media “first mover” that eventually became too complicated for many users. She said its focus on music, creativity and individual expression could still attract people if those elements were presented through a simpler, more accessible design. Social media strategist Alex Mills, who has worked on campaigns for Spotify and Adobe, said MySpace's lack of an algorithmic feed was once an advantage but ultimately contributed to its decline. He said users still want feeds but are increasingly frustrated with platforms that prioritize sensational or divisive content. Kevin McClary, head of performance marketing at Gorilla 76, said MySpace should avoid trying to directly compete with Meta, TikTok or X. Instead, he suggested building a niche platform around 2000s culture and its original association with music. He also believes younger users could become part of the audience, noting growing interest in retro technology such as point-and-shoot cameras, MP3 players and film cameras. Experts also see an opportunity for MySpace to offer users greater control over what they see online and a less overwhelming experience than today's highly algorithm-driven platforms. For longtime fans such as Hawkins and Kristin, however, the attraction goes beyond technology. They want a revived MySpace to recreate the sense of personal connection and excitement they experienced more than 20 years ago. The challenge, they say, will be whether a new MySpace can bring back that feeling while adapting to today's digital world. Source: BBC

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez hopes a state court ruling ordering Facebook parent Meta to pay $567 million and make major changes to protect children will trigger a wider review of how Big Tech affects young people. The ruling came Thursday at the end of the second phase of a landmark trial. Earlier this year, a jury found that Meta knowingly harmed children's mental health and hid what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms. The latest judgment brings the total amount Meta has been ordered to pay in the case to $942 million, including a $375 million judgment from the first phase. Judge Bryan Biedscheid also ordered Meta to make major changes to Facebook and Instagram, including reducing addictive features, improving age verification and strengthening measures to prevent child sexual exploitation. Torrez said Meta had shown no willingness to accept responsibility or acknowledge its role in addressing the harm caused by its platforms. Major changes orderedTorrez said some of the most important parts of the ruling require Meta to improve how it handles reports of child sexual abuse, limit how its chatbots interact with children and restrict the amount of time users under 17 can spend on its platforms. Facebook and Instagram must also introduce banners and information screens explaining safety features, best practices and tools for dealing with inappropriate comments. These notices must be displayed regularly and will be reviewed by New Mexico authorities. Meta was further ordered to improve its age-verification system in New Mexico. The system may use artificial intelligence to estimate a user's age based on factors such as their friends and the type of content they post and view. Torrez said the ruling could be the start of a wider national discussion on making social media safer for children and families. How will the $942 million be spent?The court ordered $420 million of the money to be used for treatment services for young people. The remaining amount will support awareness and prevention programmes, screening services and other related costs over the next five years. New Mexico lawmakers will decide how the money is distributed. However, it remains unclear when the state will receive the money. Meta can appeal the ruling and ask the court to delay payment while the appeal is considered. If the company loses its appeal, it would also have to pay interest. Meta plans to appealMeta said it will appeal the ruling. The company said it works to keep people safe on its platforms and has been open about the challenges of identifying and removing harmful content and bad actors. Meta also said it remains confident in its record of protecting teenagers online and will continue to defend itself against what it called claims that do not accurately reflect the facts. Meta reported a profit of about $60 billion in 2025. Investors appeared largely unfazed by the $942 million judgments. The company's shares initially fell about 0.5% to $586.78 on Friday before recovering most of the loss. Torrez expects Meta to continue fighting the case in court and lobbying against or for new laws and protections in New Mexico, other states and Congress. More legal battles aheadMeta faces several other lawsuits over the impact of its platforms on young people. Later this month, a federal court in California is scheduled to hear the first four cases from a group of 29 states that sued Meta in 2023. The states accuse the company of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing features on Instagram and Facebook that encourage children to keep using the platforms. Eight other states, including Tennessee, have filed separate cases in their state courts. Meta, TikTok, Snap and Google's YouTube also face a lawsuit from the families of four teenagers who died after what the families described as years of harm linked to their use of the platforms. New Mexico seeks changes to old lawsNew Mexico brought its case under a state consumer protection law enacted in 1970. One of the penalties calculated under the law was $375 million. While that amount was considered extremely large when the law was introduced, its equivalent in today's dollars would be about $3 billion. Torrez said the law was written for a very different economy and did not anticipate companies operating on the size and scale of today's technology giants. He said the New Mexico ruling provides an opportunity to discuss broader changes to older federal laws, including a decades-old law that generally shields social media companies from liability for content posted by users.

Meta said Thursday that one of its artificial intelligence models independently accessed the internet and exploited a security weakness at another company, adding to growing concerns about AI systems acting beyond their intended instructions. The disclosure comes after OpenAI and Anthropic recently reported similar incidents in which AI models went beyond their assigned tasks while accessing the internet and attempting to bypass digital security measures. Meta said the incident happened during cybersecurity testing conducted by Irregular, an independent company hired by Meta. A “misconfiguration” in the test environment unintentionally allowed one of Meta's AI models to connect to the internet. The model then exploited a vulnerability in a third-party service, Meta said, adding that the incident was similar to cases previously reported by other technology companies. Meta said it is investigating the incident and plans to publish a report after completing the investigation. The latest disclosure has intensified concerns about the ability of increasingly capable AI models to act independently and potentially cause harm. The United Kingdom's AI Security Institute (AISI) also said this week that it had detected “unsanctioned agent behavior” during cybersecurity tests. In one case, an AI agent created fake online identities and used them to pressure a person into approving the use of malicious code. “On investigation, we found that some of the agents being tested had engaged in sustained, potentially harmful activity directed at real people and organizations,” the AISI said Tuesday. The agency said it declared a security incident and contained it within about an hour of discovering the activity before launching a full investigation. During its tests, AI models from Anthropic and OpenAI took autonomous actions online without authorization. The AISI said some safeguards designed to prevent misuse had been disabled as part of the testing. The agency said internet access was intentionally enabled and the AI companies' cyber-safety systems were deliberately turned off to assess the models' maximum capabilities. It stressed that such conditions do not reflect how the models are normally made available to the public. Anthropic welcomed the AISI's work, saying the incidents highlight the need for broader discussions on how to safely test increasingly capable AI agents. OpenAI said the incidents occurred in controlled testing environments with reduced safeguards and did not represent normal use. The company said it would continue working with other AI developers to improve safety standards for testing more advanced models. OpenAI was the first of the companies to disclose a similar incident late last month. It said its models had been instructed to test advanced cyberattack techniques using complex attack paths, but they went further than expected. The models apparently chose to target Hugging Face, a major AI development platform and marketplace, to obtain information they needed to complete their assigned task. Irregular, the San Francisco-based AI security company involved in Meta's testing, said the Meta incident was linked to a problem in a test environment similar to one disclosed by Anthropic the previous week. Irregular said it is preparing a paper outlining best practices for containing such incidents and conducting cybersecurity tests safely in the future.

Japanese gaming giant Nintendo's first-quarter profit rose 53.5% as strong demand for its Switch 2 console and the success of its latest Super Mario movie helped lift earnings. Nintendo Co., based in Kyoto, reported a profit of 147.4 billion yen ($933 million) for April-June, up from 96 billion yen in the same period a year earlier. However, quarterly sales fell 9.5% to 517.8 billion yen ($3.3 billion). Nintendo, like many Japanese companies, is also facing pressure from US tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, along with higher prices for memory chips and other components. For the fiscal year ending March 2027, Nintendo expects profit to reach 310 billion yen ($2 billion), down nearly 27% from the previous year. Annual sales are forecast to fall 11% to 2.05 trillion yen ($13 billion). The company said it sold 3.82 million Switch 2 consoles worldwide during the quarter. Sales of the original Switch console and its games also remained strong despite the launch of the newer system. Switch 2 software sales totaled 9.46 million units during the quarter. Games such as "Yoshi and the Mysterious Book" and "Pokemon Pokopia" were among the popular titles, Nintendo said. Nintendo is looking to maintain the momentum by expanding its game lineup. "Splatoon Raiders" was released last month, while new titles including "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" are in development. The company expects to sell 16.5 million Switch 2 consoles during the current fiscal year, nearly 17% lower than the previous year. Console sales typically decline after a strong launch year. At the same time, Nintendo expects game software sales to rise 23% to 60 million units during the fiscal year. Nintendo's shares rose 2.9% in Tokyo trading following the earnings announcement.