Bloomberg SoftBank Corp made official its plans for a fifth-generation cellular networking service, something all Japanese carriers are racing towards, in Tokyo. SoftBank, the reliable revenue stream underpinning Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank Group Corp, will start by selling four 5G smartphones from March 27. It’s getting out ahead of incoming rival Rakuten Inc, whose 4G network will begin service on April ...

Bloomberg Japan’s government will offer financial assistance to small businesses as part of a second round of emergency measures against the coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. Japan Finance Corp, wholly owned by the government, and other organisations will provide interest-free loans for small- and medium-size companies that are experiencing a sharp drop in revenue, he said. The government aims ...

Bloomberg Huawei Technologies Co says coronavirus is making it harder to defend itself against a US racketeering and trade-secrets theft prosecution. Thomas Green, a lawyer for the Shenzhen, China-based telecommunications giant, said at conference in the case that travel restrictions have made it impossible for defence lawyers to gather evidence. The US State Department last month issued a do-not-travel warning ...