According to The Australian Financial Review, further evidence has emerged of the flood of investment flowing into wind and solar power, defying earlier doubts about the level of penetration of renewable energy on the national grid.
As of the end of December, there were 4,417 megawatts of renewables projects under construction around the country, up by almost 500 MW from a month earlier, according to data released on Thursday by Green Energy Markets, an adviser on clean energy.
Wind farms under construction will produce twice as much power every year as the existing Snowy Hydro scheme, and when combined with wind farms already in operation, wind will supply five times power electricity each year, the firm said. Across wind and solar, projects committed in 2017 should generate more than 10,000 gigawatt-hours a year.
"The level of investment commitments to new utility-scale renewable energy capacity in 2017 has dwarfed prior years, blasting away doubts about what Australia could achieve," it said.
In December, renewable plants contributed 16.3 per cent of the electricity generated across Australia's main power grids, with the biggest contribution from wind, at 1150 gigawatt-hours, the firm calculated.
The report comes days after the Clean Energy Regulator confirmed that the 2020 target for large-scale renewable energy investment would be met early, after record capital spending on projects in 2017.

Ref: http://www.afr.com/business/energy/solar-energy/wind-solar-investment-on-a-roll-ahead-of-2020-target-20180124-h0nzwq
 
If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/2020
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, three trucks move along the Shin-Tomei Expressway in an experiment conducted on Jan. 23 in which the lead driver controlled the speed and braking of the trio of vehicles.
Imagine if a single driver could be in charge of three trucks at the same time. No more chronic shortage of truck drivers in Japan, for sure.
An experiment Jan. 23 in Shizuoka Prefecture effectively pulled off the driving feat.
The driver behind the wheel of the lead truck in a three-vehicle convoy controlled the brakes and accelerators of all three vehicles from his seat in the experiment using wireless transmission.
The two trucks following the lead vehicle did have drivers controlling the steering, admittedly.
Toyota Tsusho Corp., a Nagoya-based trading company, was commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and other agencies to conduct the experiment that utilizes autonomous driving technology.
Trucks from different manufacturers were used and they traveled about 15 kilometers in total on a section of the Shin-Tomei Expressway.
The organizers of the experiment hope to commercialize the technology by 2020.

Ref: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201801240026.html

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/138452591 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, takeover tensions around oil and gas play AWE Ltd have risen to fever pitch with the emergence of a potentially knockout $602 million all-cash offer from Japanese trader Mitsui and still some suggestions this third suitor may not be the last.
Mitsui's 95¢ a share offer easily trumps the $526 million deal the energy producer sealed with Mineral Resources before Christmas at 83¢ a share. It also eclipses the bid from China Energy Reserve and Chemicals Group at 73¢ a share that kicked off the takeover tussle but which is now well out of the running without a substantial increase.
AWE shares, which were trading at 45¢ as recently as mid-October, surged 16.5 per cent to 99¢, signalling that at least some investors believe the bidding war may have further to play out.
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Ref: ​http://www.afr.com/business/energy/oil/mitsui-enters-race-to-take-over-awe-20180128-h0pq1x

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/awe 
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, as more employers became desperate to fill vacant positions amid a severe labor crunch, the number of foreigners working in Japan soared 18% on the year to 1,278,670 as of the end of October.
The data in a report released Friday by the labor ministry translates to a fifth consecutive year of increases. It is also the highest number since the requirement for businesses to report on their foreign workers took effect in 2007.
The report also shows that foreigners made up about 2% of all employees in Japan. The number of such workers began rising sharply in 2012, jumping by roughly 600,000 over the last five years.
The number of businesses employing foreigners reached 194,595 at the end of October, up 12.6% from a year earlier.
At 372,263 people, Chinese accounted for 29.1% of all foreigners employed in Japan. Vietnamese and Filipinos made up 18.8% at 240,259 and 11.5% at 146,798, respectively. Vietnamese workers increased most sharply, jumping some 40% on the year.
By status, there were 257,788 interns in job-training programs and 259,604 foreign students, with both categories increasing by more than 20%. Nearly 80% of the interns worked in manufacturing or construction, while over half of the foreign students were employed in retail or service jobs.
Highly skilled workers in specialized or technical fields similarly shot up 18.6% to 238,412.
The Japanese government does not issue work visas for unskilled jobs, although many such jobs remain unfilled amid the labor shortage. The surge in the number of foreign interns and students working in Japan indicates that those people are filling the gap.
While an increasing number of Japanese businesses are expressing interest in hiring foreign workers, the current regulations place limits on the number of interns allowed in and their length of stay. Some are calling for a debate on long-term labor and other issues concerning foreign workers given Japan's economic situation.

Ref: https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Economy/Record-number-of-foreigners-working-in-Japan

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
​https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/5909178 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Australia’s obsolete car makers could be brought back to life if the government gets behind electric vehicles in 2018 and starts giving drivers incentives to buy them, the Electric Vehicle Council says.
"We have all of the mineral resources to create things like batteries and the componentry that fits within electric vehicles, there's an opportunity for us to have a role in the automotive market," said Behyad Jafari, chief executive of the Electric Vehicle Council, which represents car manufacturers.
The council is pushing for a co-ordinated national plan to encourage and support the purchase of electric vehicles.
Scott Benjamin, the technical director of intelligent transport for engineering design group WSP, says international vehicle makers are importing components for electric vehicles and bolting them together in Australia, but there is interest from local companies in making vehicles here, potentially using 3D printing.
WSP has discussed the potential for local manufacturing with several companies, including French group Navya, which has been running trials of an electric and autonomous "Intellibus" in Perth for the Royal Automobile Club, and US group Local Motors, which has built a 3D printed car.

Ref: http://www.afr.com/business/could-electric-cars-revive-car-manufacturing-in-australia-20180118-h0kdyn
 
If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/5408497
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, a seven-week trial of cab-sharing services in Tokyo will kick off next Monday, the first of its kind in Japan.
On Thursday, two taxi groups in Tokyo, Nihon Kotsu and Daiwa Motor Transportation, revealed details of their new apps that let customers find other riders to share a cab with. Customers will be able to book a cab through their mobile apps and if they want to share a ride, the app will match them up with other passengers heading in the same direction. The service will be available on 949 taxis in Tokyo.
The trial is among many initiatives aimed at revamping the Japanese taxi industry, which has traditionally been heavily regulated in terms of fares it can charge and the number of cars on the road. Unlike China and the U.S., the likes of Uber and Lyft are essentially banned in Japan. But the emergence of disruptive forces like Uber has brought the industry to a turning point, especially as it is struggling to get customers because of its relatively high fares.
"To be honest, we do feel worried that the popular opinion in Japan will push for the introduction of private car-hailing apps [like Uber]," said Ichiro Kawanabe, chairman of Nihon Kotsu and Japan Federation of Hire-Taxi Associations. Kawanabe said that private cab-hailing is not suitable for the Japanese market where taxis are known for their safety and quality. 
"Our cab-sharing service can offer customers cheaper rides while increasing the productivity of drivers and ensuring the quality remains top-notch," he added.
While the trial is one step toward reforming the industry, there seems to be a few catches that could hinder the cab-sharing service from becoming widely accepted.
First, the apps are only offered in Japanese for now, which makes it difficult for foreigners and travelers -- many of whom are more familiar with cab-sharing services than the locals -- to take part in the trial. The companies said they wanted to capture the local market first before offering the service to foreigners.
Kawanabe emphasized that the service is eyeing foreign tourists as potential customers. "In large events like the Olympics in 2020 and other sports events, we expect the demand for taxis to surge and cab-sharing services can come to good use," he said.
Second, two different types of cab-sharing services will be rolled out, which could confuse customers. The two participating taxi groups will launch two separate apps that function quite differently.
The app offered by Nihon Kotsu works in a similar way as UberPOOL, the sharing function offered overseas by Uber. Customers will specify a pick-up and a drop-off point on the map, and the app will automatically find another rider going in a similar direction. The fare -- around 20-40% cheaper than a normal taxi ride -- will be displayed at the time of booking.

Ref: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Trends/Tokyo-to-trial-cab-sharing-apps-but-to-Japanese-speakers-only

 If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/8358253
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, aiming to help the growing ranks of travellers from abroad, Japan Post will soon offer automated language translation at post offices as well as services to take care of luggage.
The automated translator will debut in April at all 20,000 or so post offices run by the Japan Post Holdings mail services unit. It will convert English, Chinese and South Korean to Japanese and back. An app on a post office tablet device will accept spoken input and render translations, including for industry terms and the names of such services as Yu-Pack parcel shipping.
The system includes a translation engine from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. Post offices in popular tourist areas may use it to offer sightseeing information as well.
Related investment will be limited to development spending, since the post offices already use tablets in a service launched last year for keeping an eye on seniors living alone.
With more tourists shipping souvenirs back home from post offices in Japan, the company seeks to further fuel the momentum by removing language barriers. It also will improve services for foreigners working for Japanese companies in such areas as facilitating account setup and remittances.
Separately, the company will offer temporary luggage storage from this March in areas popular with tourists. For 300 yen to 600 yen (US $2.70 to $US5.40), travelers will check luggage at a post office. They will confirm space availability, make reservations and pay, all by smartphone.
Coin-operated lockers and luggage-checking facilities around major train stations and tourist attractions often fill up. Post offices in such prime locations will offer open space to hold luggage.
The company will also deliver luggage to travelers' hotels or next destinations via Yu-Pack. The fee for a suitcase will be 1,000 yen to 2,000 yen.
Japan Post has been brainstorming ways to have its huge network of post offices do more than deliver the mail and serve as branches of Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Insurance.
As the government seeks to increase Japan's visitor count from about 28 million last year to 40 million in 2020, encouraging trips off the beaten big-city path is one challenge. Post offices throughout the country could help draw more travelers to smaller localities when their foreigner-friendly services become widely known.

Ref: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Japan-Post-readies-services-catering-to-foreign-tourists

 If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/8922725
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Japan's largest railway operator, East Japan Railway, or JR East, plans to start operating shared residences for foreign students as part of a project to make the most of unused properties, and in line with the government's target of having 300,000 foreign students in the country by around 2020.
The company is in the process of converting vast tracts of company-owned land, including former railway yards, power stations and employee housing, into new income-earning business lines, including retail space, hotels and bicycle parking.
One promising model for converting idle property at low cost is by turning old employee housing into rental apartments. The company has set its sights on an anticipated influx of foreign students looking for clean, affordable accommodations.
The first shared house for foreign students is set to open in spring next year about an eight-minute walk from Tokyo's Higashi-Koganei Station, about 20 minutes by train from Shinjuku on the JR East Chuo Line.
The three-story, 37-year-old building was formerly used by JR East employees. After renovations are complete, the premises will have total floor space of about 1,000 sq. meters, 70 private rooms, a shared kitchen, bathrooms and common areas.
The location will be managed by JR East Urban Development, a subsidiary of the railway company. Day-to-day operations, including selection of residents, will be outsourced to JSB, a Kyoto-based specialist in rental homes for foreign students.
The team began accepting applications for residents in mid-December. Monthly rent will be around 60,000 yen ($US 532), including administrative fees. In addition to foreign students, Japanese students and university employees are eligible to live in the complex.
JR East plans to open several more residences in next spring, including an apartment building in Tokyo's Mitaka city with a nursery school onsite. With a growing number of working women in Japan, the shortage of nursery schools has become a problem.
Another location to be opened in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, will serve as a multigenerational complex. In addition to rental apartments, the site will include elder-care facilities.
JR East plans to open more rental facilities with a goal of operating 3,000 units by the year through March 2027.

Ref: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Share-houses-for-foreign-students-part-of-JR-plan-to-reuse-land
 
If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/jr
​

According to The Australian Financial Review, Queensland is in a historical sweet spot for home price growth with an analysis of interstate migration showing that the gap in home price between Sydney and Brisbane could soon start narrowing.
In 2002, the median Brisbane home price equated to just 41 per cent of a Sydney home – a historical low. But interstate migration to Queensland started to surge, peaking in 2003 at about 40,000. 
Home prices started to rise as the interstate migration rose and the gap between median Sydney and Brisbane prices started to narrow.
Brisbane home prices were able to reach as much as 78 per cent of a Sydney home price in 2008.
CBRE researcher Ally McDade points to Brisbane's median home price now being about 43 per cent of a Sydney home price and that interstate migration is surging.
Stockland analysis shows that most interstate buyers to Queensland are coming from NSW, representing about two thirds of total interstate purchases in Stockland's south-east Queensland communities.
Victorian buyers accounted for a further 12 per cent of interstate purchases, followed by South Australia (8 per cent) and the ACT (6 per cent).
Andrew Whitson, Stockland group executive and CEO of residential, said: "It is no surprise that interstate buyers looking for affordable, high-quality new homes and an appealing lifestyle close to all services are turning their attention to Queensland," Mr Whitson said.
"The Sunshine State has so much to offer buyers and we expect these trends to continue into 2018," he said.
Golden State development director Jim Watson said "A typical scenario is a Western Sydney home owner who can sell their house where they have had a $200,000 mortgage for $800,000, buy a house in Queensland two streets back from the beach on the coast for $400,000, buy a Jims Mowing franchise for $80,000 and have $100,000 in the bank for the first time in their life."

Ref:http://www.afr.com/real-estate/does-queenslands-immigration-rise-point-to-house-price-rebound-20180116-h0jh0q

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/4627115 
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Toyota Tsusho will acquire a 15% stake in Australian lithium-mining company Orocobre in hopes of securing stable supplies of the key mineral for eco-car batteries.
The Toyota Motor group member will invest some 292 million Australian dollars ($US 232 million) under plans announced Tuesday, taking the stake through such means as private placements.
Lithium is used in cathodes of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. The growing popularity of electrified vehicles powered by such batteries is fueling demand for the metal.
The duo created a lithium exploration joint venture in 2012, and production at the Salar de Olaroz salt lake in Argentina began in late 2014. The site's current annual capacity of 17,500 tons amounts to roughly a tenth of global demand.
Toyota Tsusho and Orocobre plan to spend a total of 31 billion yen ($US 279 million), including proceeds from the share sale, to expand output capacity. The investment decision will be finalized by mid-2018. Expanded output would begin in the second half of 2019, with plans to eventually increase capacity by 140% from current levels to 42,500 tons a year. Toyota Tsusho will have exclusive sales rights to the lithium.
Electrified vehicles are gaining traction around the world as greener alternatives to autos powered solely by internal combustion engines. The British and French governments are moving to ban the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2040.
The global market for rechargeable lithium-ion battery materials is expected to more than double from 2016 levels to about 2.9 trillion yen in 2021, according to Tokyo-based information company Fuji Keizai.  Lithium prices have been on the rise thanks to strong demand.
As Chinese companies raise their stakes in resource projects, Toyota Tsusho seeks to sharpen its edge by securing stable supplies of lithium through strengthening its partnership with Orocobre.

Ref: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Deals/Toyota-Tsusho-buying-chunk-of-Australian-lithium-miner
 
If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/260-ev
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