Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

An article reporting that 16% of US adults don’t agree the Earth is round drew a wave of responses on 5ch’s Science News+ board. While some pointed to religion or poverty as underlying factors, the thread evolved into a debate over ways to verify the Earth’s roundness for yourself — from watching ships vanish over the horizon to laser experiments.

16% of US Adults Don’t Agree the Earth Is Round… The Background Behind Why the Crackpot “Flat Earth” Theory Persists

Kazushi Matsumura, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University

That the Earth is round seems like an unquestionable fact of common sense.

Source: president.jp / Original article here

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Science News+) thread “[Pseudoscience] 16% of US Adults Don’t Agree the Earth Is Round… The Background Behind Why the Crackpot “Flat Earth” Theory Persists”.

Under a special provision of Japan’s revised Personal Information Protection Act, sensitive data such as medical history can now be shared without the individual’s consent, provided the purpose is AI development or statistical research. In response, an online petition calling for operational safeguards has gathered more than 30,000 signatures.

On 5channel, opinions split over whether data is really being handed over complete with names and addresses, and just how thoroughly it’s actually anonymized. Posts citing Diet testimony — in which Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara and Minister Matsumoto reportedly said that stripping out personally identifiable information is “difficult in practice” — fueled growing unease about what this law change really means on the ground.

“My information, shared without my knowledge…” The woman behind the petition calling for “operational safeguards” on the revised Personal Information Protection Act’s special provision: Tokyo Shimbun Digital

August 18, 2026, 06:00 — Article for paid subscribers only

An online petition calling for operational safeguards on the revised Personal Information Protection Act’s special provision — which allows sensitive information such as medical history to be shared without the individual’s consent for the purposes of AI development or statistical research — has gathered more than 30,000 signatures.

Source: tokyo-np.co.jp / Original article here

*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5channel (Breaking News Plus) thread ““Don’t hand over our medical histories to AI developers without asking” — the woman behind the petition calling for “operational safeguards” on the revised Personal Information Protection Act’s special provision.”

A survey by MM Research Institute found that about half of people with no experience using a foldable smartphone clearly said they “don’t want to buy one.” On 5ch, users voiced practical concerns — the durability of the fold crease, the weight, whether the battery can even be replaced — while others predicted that “once it comes from iPhone, it’ll take off overnight.” Opinions were split.

MM Research Institute, which conducts research and analysis in the IT sector, released survey results on awareness, usage, and purchase intent regarding foldable smartphones, shedding light on domestic attitudes toward the devices.

Of the respondents, 544 had experience using a foldable smartphone, while 540 had none.

Plenty of people say they’d “like to try buying one” — but what’s the number one reason among those who flatly say they won’t?

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “Foldable Phones: About Half Clearly Say “I Don’t Want to Buy One”… Whether the “Foldable iPhone,” Expected Fall 2026, Succeeds Will Be the Litmus Test for the Category’s Future.”