According to The Asahi Shimbun, a sophisticated system to warn people of localized heavy rain up to 30 minutes in advance is being tested in a demonstration experiment that began July 23 in areas around Tokyo.
The system, developed by National Institute of Information and Communications Technology and Nagoya University and others, is planned to be put into practical use in time for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Cumulonimbus clouds that unleash torrential rain develop within as little as 10 minutes and can lead to flash floods and landslides. Downpours triggered by the clouds last up to several tens of minutes, lashing concentrated areas with sometimes lethal effects that have been felt increasingly in recent years, such as in this month’s rain and related disasters in western Japan.
Until now, weather radars have been only able to observe underneath cumulonimbus clouds, and so are unable to quickly detect when they are growing and likely to produce heavy rain.
The system being trialed uses a “multi-parameter phased array” weather radar that takes just 30 seconds to assess the 3-D forms of cumulonimbus clouds, compared to five minutes using conventional weather radars.
In addition, the new radar’s sophistication means it can produce weather maps of areas as small as 250 meters square, enabling it to forecast specific locations where heavy rain is set to fall 30 minutes beforehand.
The radar has been installed at Saitama University in Saitama Prefecture and covers a radius of up to 80 kilometers.
People taking part in the experiment, which runs until Oct. 31, receive e-mail alerts warning them of impending heavy rain in their areas.
Participants can register two locations, such as their home and workplace, to receive the notifications on.
Organizers gathered 2,000 volunteers to take part in the experiment to test the system’s effectiveness. Participants will be asked questions on their experience of the system after using it.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201807240040.html

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​http://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/5181281
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According to The Australian Financial Review, most lung cancer is still treated with cisplatin, an old form of chemotherapy that contains platinum today.
But only 30 per cent of patients benefit and, along the way, they often develop serious side effects including kidney damage.
The scientists, led by Professor Neil Watkins, were trying to figure out why chemotherapy wasn't more effective.
As Watkins pondered a large map of a dataset, he recalled de Kretser talking about follistatin and suddenly, saw a possible connection.
This week, an elegant and compelling study has been published in the journal, Science Translational Medicine.
It is proof of principle that mixing follistatin with the chemotherapy, not only turbocharges its effectiveness but prevents devastating kidney damage.
In mice it increased the odds of success from 10 to 70 per cent. Their lung tumours shrunk, they were protected against kidney damage and survived longer.
If this translates to humans – and there is a strong expectation it will - it could transform treatment for many lung cancer patients.

https://www.afr.com/news/casual-chat-with-former-governor-of-victoria-leads-to-lung-cancer-breakthrough-20180725-h135ek

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​http://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/5179544
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Australian scientists have developed an "early warning system" that has the potential to alert doctors to an impending heart attack and then provide them with tools that may prevent it.
The system has proved effective in mice and there is a strong expectation it will translate to humans. Trials in humans are now being prepared. 
This world first research led by the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute is published in the premier cardiovascular medical journal, European Heart Journal.
Every year 54,000 Australians suffer a heart attack and 8,600 die as a result of a one. That means, on average, heart attacks claim almost one Australian an hour.

Ref: https://www.afr.com/news/australian-researchers-develop-an-early-warning-system-for-heart-attack-20180726-h135kr

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​http://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/9140075
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Japan's major corporations are headed for a spending binge on research and development in the current fiscal year through March, with 43.9% planning record outlays, according to a survey by Nikkei Inc.
The survey of R&D activities for fiscal 2018, which started in April, showed that total R&D spending by major Japanese companies will rise 4.5% from the previous fiscal year, marking the ninth consecutive year of increase.
Japanese manufacturers, especially those in the auto sector, are aggressively investing in state-of-the-art technologies, such as artificial intelligence and autonomous driving, on the back of strong business performance. Such technologies are seen key to future competitiveness.
The survey covered 231 major companies whose R&D spending plans for the current fiscal year could be compared with those for the previous year.
The total amount of spending by the companies surveyed is expected to reach 12.478 trillion yen (US$112 billion) in the current fiscal year.
By industry, auto sector investment will rise 6.4% this year to more than 4 trillion yen. Investment by the basic materials sector will climb 6.5%, while that by the machinery sector will surge 9.9%.
More than half of companies in the auto, basic materials and machinery sectors said they plan to invest record amounts in the current fiscal year.
Investment by the information technology sector will increase just 1.9% to around 4 trillion yen in the current fiscal year.
Automakers are doubling down in such areas as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and connected cars in a race with Google and other European and the U.S. technology companies.
The automakers are not adhering to a strict policy of in-house development, and are instead looking to take advantage of an open climate of innovation that may see them getting involved in external collaborations.
Toyota Motor, the biggest R&D spender, will invest a record 1.08 trillion yen to expedite the development of autonomous driving technology, connected cars and electric vehicles. Toyota is accelerating efforts to undertake joint development projects and form alliances
"It is important to make partners," said President Akio Toyoda.
Honda Motor, which has seen a biggest increase in the R&D investment, is joining the Apollo plan to advance autonomous driving technology, pushed by the Chinese internet search company Baidu. Honda is the first Japanese automaker to join the plan.
Nissan Motor is proceeding with the development of new services, including a trial self-driving transport service with DeNA, a Japanese provider of mobile and online services.
Materials company Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings plans to spend 160 billion yen, up 15.2% from a year ago, on the development of high-performance materials.
Air-conditioner maker Daikin Industries will step up the development of energy-saving technologies and next-generation refrigeration with a budget of 68 billion yen, up 9.5% from a year ago.
Technology companies are focusing largely on auto-related applications. Sony will focus on onboard image sensors that will be the eyes of cars, aiming to become the market leader in the field, as well on sensors for smartphones.
Panasonic, on the other hand, is prioritizing automotive batteries and developments in artificial intelligence. The company is developing the basic technology for solid-state batteries, participating in a joint development project with partners such as Toyota.
In the promising field of the internet of things, Mitsubishi Electric aims to foster collaboration between its divisions in areas such as factory automation, automotive devices and artificial satellites. It will bring to bear its research facilities for the development of internet-of-things technologies for smart factories and automated driving.
Rival Hitachi aims to step up development of artificial intelligence and software technologies to support its Lumada internet-of-things platform, which it aims to grow into a core earner. The company is working with researchers at the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University and Stanford University. The company's budget for open innovation projects has increased by over 60% from fiscal 2015.
The R&D budgets of Japanese companies are eclipsed, however, by those of the U.S. tech giants. Google parent Alphabet plans to spend some 1.8 trillion yen, while Apple plans to spend 1.2 trillion yen.
By these standards, the international competitiveness of Japanese companies in technologies and software to support automated-driving, artificial intelligence and the internet of things is not especially high. There is pressure on them to spend more just to maintain their competitive positions.

Ref: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Major-Japanese-companies-set-for-R-D-spending-binge
 
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http://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/434431649
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Australians scientists have developed what could be the world's first blood test to detect early-stage melanoma. They have proof of concept for the test which, if confirmed by further research, could be ready for use in three years.
With 79 per cent diagnostic accuracy, the test has the potential to save lives, suffering and the expense of treating late-stage melanoma.
The scientists, from Edith Cowan University in Perth, published their results in the journal Oncotarget.
If the test reaches 90 per cent accuracy in the next trial, it could be used, together with visual forms of detection, to make an early diagnosis. This could save many negative biopsies, which cost the public purse $73 million a year.
The test, MelDx, has been submitted for an international patent, and aims to provide greater diagnostic certainty prior to biopsy.
"Patients who have their melanoma detected in its early stage have a five-year survival rate between 90 and 99 per cent," says lead researcher and PhD candidate Pauline Zaenker.
If it has already spread, the five-year survival rate drops to less than 50 per cent.

Ref: https://www.afr.com/news/australians-develop-promising-blood-test-for-early-melanoma-20180717-h12s5q

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
​http://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/7652294
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, a mountain of corrugated boxes filled with knitwear, hoodies, skirts and other garments from popular brands among leading retailing websites is stored at a warehouse of Osaka-based inventory clearance agent Shoichi.
The unused clothing items that would otherwise be thrown away are part of a huge volume of the unsold inventory in Japan that is produced as more fashion products are supplied to the market at much cheaper prices.
According to Shoichi officials, 300,000 to 400,000 garments are usually kept at the storehouse.
“Those goods came here for various reasons, such as being unsold and slightly frayed,” said Shoichi Yamamoto, president of Shoichi. “Some of them have never hit the store shelves.”
Shoichi purchases 5 million items at around 10 percent of their original prices from 600 apparel firms, manufacturing plant operators and other businesses a year. After removing their tags so consumers cannot identify the brands, the garments are sold on Shoichi’s website, event venues and elsewhere.
Although Shoichi makes promotional efforts such as showing photos taken to make the fashion goods appear to be more appealing, the leftovers can be sold at only 17 to 18 percent of their original prices.
However only very lucky garments can arrive in resale agents like Shoichi. Most of the unsold clothing items are simply disposed of without ever being worn.
Hundreds of millions of new fashion items are disposed of annually without being used in Japan, leading to the country’s rampant exploitation of foreign workers.
Behind the trend is a recent tendency among apparel companies to follow suit and provide a vast amount of products at unreasonably low prices, which threatens the lives of those working in the sewing industry.
An industrial waste processing company in Tokyo was recently asked to discard the dead inventory of a famous brand that operates a retail shop in the capital’s posh Ginza district.
“We accepted three truckloads of clothes, footwear, bags and other items,” said a company official. “We were told to pulverize and incinerate all of them.”
The firm was also asked to show photos of the disposal processes so it could be confirmed that all the unsold goods were properly processed.
“If the products are resold through illegal channels, it could damage their brand image,” said the official. “If they are stored at warehouses, they are regarded as assets and subject to being taxed. So they should be incinerated.”
Although there are no statistics on how many new garments are left unsold and discarded annually in Japan, the amount of those articles can be estimated by deducting the number of purchased garments from the total market supply.
The difference between supply and demand is more than 1 billion. As some of the leftovers are resold, garments that are discarded by various means, such as being incinerated as well as pulverized and mixed with plastic for use as fuel, are estimated to total 1 billion a year.

Ref: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201807210001.html

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​http://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/102046795
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According to The Australian Financial Review, BlueScope Steel signs the largest solar power purchasing deal ever by an industrial energy user in Australia, to lock into cheap renewables generation and rein in its energy costs which have ballooned by more than $50 million in the past two years.
The seven-year contract will underpin a new 500,000-panel solar farm to be built in the NSW Riverina district by ESCO Pacific and will cover a fifth of all the steelmaker's Australian electricity purchases.
John Nowlan, head of Australian steel products at BlueScope, said the supply will sit alongside the steelmaker's existing arrangements for round-the-clock power to feed its plants.

https://www.afr.com/business/energy/electricity/biggest-solar-deal-bluescope-to-use-500000-solar-panels-20180719-h12wox

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​http://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/2118058 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, the estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in January to June rose 15.6 percent from a year earlier to 15.89 million, a record for the six-month period, the Japan Tourism Agency said Wednesday.
If the pace of increase is maintained, the annual figure will top 30 million for the first time. The government aims to attract 40 million foreign visitors in 2020 when Tokyo hosts the Olympics and Paralympics.
Increases in budget airline flights, mainly in East Asia, led to robust growth, with Chinese independent travelers and cruise ship passengers pushing up the total figure, according to the agency.
By country and region, China accounted for the largest number of foreign tourists at 4.05 million, up 23.6 percent, followed by South Korea at 4.02 million, up 18.3 percent, and Taiwan at 2.51 million, up 9.5 percent.
In June alone, 2.70 million foreign tourists visited Japan, up 15.3 percent from a year before.
The agency said a major earthquake last month in the Kinki region centering on Osaka had little impact on foreign visitor numbers, except for those from South Korea, adding it will keep an eye on the possible impact of deadly torrential rain in western Japan earlier this month.
A separate report showed spending by foreign tourists between April and June totaled 1.12 trillion yen ($US 9.9 billion), up 4.2 percent from a year earlier. In the six-month period through June, the amount of such spending reached to 2.24 trillion yen, up 9.3 percent from a year earlier.
Spending per visitor in the April-June quarter declined 3.5 percent to about 144,000 yen, apparently due partly to a fall of spending by Chinese visitors on items such as cosmetics and pharmaceutical products.

Ref: https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Foreign-visitors-to-Japan-top-15m-in-record-first-half

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​http://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/1500 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, the global healthcare deal frenzy is set to continue for at least another 18 months as technology giants including Amazon, strategic players and private equity firms step up their fight for limited assets.
That is the view of MinterEllison healthcare partner Shane Evans, who also expects Australia's healthcare and adjacent sectors will be a hive of activity for some time to come.
"[Elevated transaction activity] is here to stay even for the medium to long term," he said. Australia was getting "outsized attention" relative to the Asia-Pacific region.

Ref: https://www.afr.com/business/banking-and-finance/healthcare-deal-rush-has-plenty-more-steam-20180718-h12u0p

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
​http://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/ma
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According to The Australian Financial Review, the miner shipped 88.5 million tonnes during the three months to June 30, which was broadly in line with analyst estimates.
Rio has vowed to ship between 330 million and 340 million tonnes of iron ore from Western Australia in 2018, and is on track to achieve that goal at the half way mark, having shipped 168.8 million tonnes since January 1.
Rio's strong output in the June quarter coincided with Brazilian miner Vale shipping a record volume of iron ore in the same period; Vale produced 96.8 million tonnes and sold 86.5 million tonnes during the period.
The extra supply appears to have weighed on prices for iron ore in recent weeks.
Rio said it received an average of $US63 per tonne for its iron ore in the first half of 2018.

Ref: https://www.afr.com/business/mining/rio-tinto-iron-ore-exports-surge-20180716-h12rp9

 If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
​http://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/9965839
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