First karaoke machine recognized as entertainment tech 'milestone'

The world's first karaoke machine was honored Thursday as a "milestone" that created a new brand of entertainment by a U.S. organization dedicated to promoting technological advancement.
At a ceremony in Tokyo, a plaque was handed to the family of Shigeichi Negishi, who invented the machine that was manufactured and sold as the "Music Box" in 1967. Negishi died last year at age 100.
"He was very grateful for people enjoying karaoke around the world, although he didn't imagine it to spread globally when he created it," said Akihiro Negishi, the inventor's son, at the ceremony.
The original karaoke machine was a cube measuring 30 centimeters on each side. It had a microphone, tape player, and coin box for payment.
The honor, named the IEEE Milestone, is bestowed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers on technologies that have made significant contributions to advance society and industry. Items become eligible to receive the award 25 years or more after they were developed.
© KYODO

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The Mainichi

14 hours ago

• The Mainichi

Remote Japan island, population 11, aims to become global manga hub

KAMIJIMA, Japan (Kyodo) -- Visitors to Takaikamishima, in western Japan, are welcomed by a colorful cast of characters from Japanese manga which far outnumber the island's 11 residents where a revitalization project is underway. Over thirty murals depicting characters from manga decorate buildings fronting the harbor of Takaikamishima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea in Ehime Prefecture. The murals are the face of an initiative aimed at keeping the 1.34-square-kilometer island on the map by turning it into a hub of manga culture. On April 27, the island's quiet was broken by a parade of around 20 students from elementary and junior high schools in the town of Kamijima, of which Takaikamishima is a part. The students arrived on the first ferry of the day, trailed by dignitaries and reporters, for the opening of the Takaikamishima Manga School. Long-time island visitor Osamu Hasebe, 76, leads the manga-themed initiative. The opening of the school marked another step towards Takaikamishima becoming what Hasebe hopes will be a center for manga known around the world. "If students from here go on to become professional artists, I think this will become a kind of sacred place for manga," Hasebe said during the school's opening ceremony. Hasebe invited established manga artists to teach special classes on the opening day. Students were taken through techniques of character drawing by teachers including Shinbo Nomura, creator of the manga "Tsurupika Hagemaru." Naruto Maegami, a first-year junior high school student, joined the classes from the island of Iwagijima. "It was fun. The teacher's explanation was easy to understand," he said. Housed in Takaikamishima's renovated former elementary and junior high school, which closed in 2023, the manga school has three classrooms and a manga reference room. In March, the school began accepting student applications for a series of weekend classes, scheduled for early summer, teaching the basics of manga. Takaikamishima Manga School was over eight years in the making for Hasebe and his long-time friend Sadamu Kimura. Kimura, 74, grew up on the island and returned to settle there around 20 years ago. Hearing the lively voices of the children and the school chime ring, Kimura said with tears in his eyes, "I recall the days where kids were here. I'm so happy." In the 1950s, Takaikamishima, officially called Takaikamijima, had a population of around 300. Around 70 families made a living on the island through fishing and agriculture, according to the notes made by Kimura on a website introducing the island under the manga initiative. In 2007, when Hasebe was invited by Kimura to visit the island, he fell in love with it. The population at the time was just 51. The pair tried to revitalize the island by holding events, but the number of visitors they attracted was fleeting. They wondered what they could do to keep attracting people to the island. In a bid to stop Takaikamishima from becoming uninhabited and attract visitors, the pair started the manga initiative in 2016 with a mural inspired by the manga "Dr. Koto's Clinic," painted on the wall of the island's community center. Hasebe sought the cooperation of the manga's creator Takatoshi Yamada for the project, an acquaintance of his. Starting with the completion of the first mural about 10 years ago, Yamada introduced him to other artists. As the murals increased, so did the number of visitors. To accommodate the increase in visitors, Hasebe opened the "minshuku" lodging facility Nataore no Ki in 2017, converting an abandoned home. In October last year, Hasebe jointly opened the island's only cafe, Manga Tei, with Masanori Baba, 50, who had been a company employee in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. According to a 2023 count by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, there are 14,125 islands in Japan. Baba chose Takaikamishima to move to with his family. The island's first new residents in 15 years relocated in April 2024 -- Baba, his wife, and their two young daughters. In search of a lifestyle change, Baba answered a call from the island looking for people willing to relocate and help with revitalization efforts. Along with running the minshuku and cafe with his wife, Baba is involved in a myriad of activities, including heading the island's neighborhood association and, reluctantly, the volunteer fire brigade. Baba, who says the news of his family's arrival spread well before they moved, has already decided that he does not want to leave the island. "After experiencing the lifestyle here, I don't think it's possible for me to return to city life," he said. He hopes to see Takaikamishima's population triple in his lifetime. For that to happen though, the island needs an economy. He hopes that the manga school, minshuku and cafe will bring students and tourists to the island and with them, opportunities. "I'd be happy if people who are interested in the island came up with ideas about what they would like to do here. I hope we are overwhelmed with people who want to relocate here," Baba said. Takaikamishima is one of 256 so-called remote islands, where living conditions are harsh and populations are in decline, which Japan has targeted for support in infrastructure and revitalization under the Remote Island Development Act. Despite a combined population of around 340,000, less than 0.3 percent of the population of Japan, the islands play a key role in maintaining the country's territorial waters and strategic economic zones, according to the land ministry. Takaikamishima became part of the town of Kamijima in 2004. Kamijima Mayor Toshiyuki Uemura welcomes the approach taken by Hasebe and Kimura to overcome the island's challenges. "It's hard for people who live on islands to come up with ways to develop the community," he said. "That they decided to implement this manga project is a wonderful development that we never would have thought of." Lessons by professional manga artists for 10 students of various ages started in earnest in May. The school plans to hold more classes down the road and an intensive course this summer. "I look forward to the day when people from all over the world will visit here," Hasebe said. (By Tom Shuttleworth)

Japan Today

12-06-2025

• Japan Today

First karaoke machine recognized as entertainment tech 'milestone'

The world's first karaoke machine was honored Thursday as a "milestone" that created a new brand of entertainment by a U.S. organization dedicated to promoting technological advancement. At a ceremony in Tokyo, a plaque was handed to the family of Shigeichi Negishi, who invented the machine that was manufactured and sold as the "Music Box" in 1967. Negishi died last year at age 100. "He was very grateful for people enjoying karaoke around the world, although he didn't imagine it to spread globally when he created it," said Akihiro Negishi, the inventor's son, at the ceremony. The original karaoke machine was a cube measuring 30 centimeters on each side. It had a microphone, tape player, and coin box for payment. The honor, named the IEEE Milestone, is bestowed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers on technologies that have made significant contributions to advance society and industry. Items become eligible to receive the award 25 years or more after they were developed. © KYODO

Kyodo News

12-06-2025

• Kyodo News

First karaoke machine recognized as entertainment tech "milestone"

KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 17:50 | Arts, All The world's first karaoke machine was honored Thursday as a "milestone" that created a new brand of entertainment by a U.S. organization dedicated to promoting technological advancement. At a ceremony in Tokyo, a plaque was handed to the family of Shigeichi Negishi, who invented the machine that was manufactured and sold as the "Music Box" in 1967. Negishi died last year at age 100. "He was very grateful for people enjoying karaoke around the world, although he didn't imagine it to spread globally when he created it," said Akihiro Negishi, the inventor's son, at the ceremony. The original karaoke machine was a cube measuring 30 centimeters on each side. It had a microphone, tape player, and coin box for payment. The honor, named the IEEE Milestone, is bestowed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers on technologies that have made significant contributions to advance society and industry. Items become eligible to receive the award 25 years or more after they were developed. Related coverage: Japanese idol group Arashi to disband after spring tour next year Unreleased song of late Taiwan singer Teresa Teng discovered in Japan