According to The Australian Financial Review, off-the-plan buyers are being offered unprecedented flexibility to customise their apartments including reconfiguring the entire floor plan for free, as concerns about the quality of new building construction continued to weigh on sales.
While buyers of luxury apartments like the recently sold $140 million Lendlease pads in Barangaroo have generally enjoyed the option to tailor their homes, a growing number of developers are now making this as a standard off-the-plan offering.
Elena Lane Cove developer Hyecorp has offered buyers complete flexibility to customise their apartments, including changing the floor plans, adding an extra bathroom or amalgamating the apartments.
"Buyers have the option to make certain modifications and customisations to their apartments and we offer this service for free.
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https://www.afr.com/property/residential/made-to-order-apartments-are-becoming-standard-20191024-p533wj

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/2552144
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, a plan to convert an elevated highway into a park is underway in Ginza, a bustling Tokyo neighborhood known for its luxury shopping scene.
In light of plans to move another Tokyo thoroughfare underground, Taito Yamamoto, head of the Chuo Ward where Ginza is situated, seeks to build a new underground highway to replace the Tokyo Expressway and to turn the old road into a green space.
Yamamoto presented the plan to Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike on Monday. "I hope to create a green promenade full of people, like the High Line in New York," he said, referring to a park built on old freight train tracks that has become a popular tourist destination.
"We will draw on examples overseas to find a new use" for the road, Koike said. "This is a radical idea that symbolizes a vision for an era after the auto era."
The 2 km Tokyo Expressway connects the Yaesu and Shinbashi districts. Its operating company, which counts advertising agency Dentsu and property developer Mitsubishi Estate among its investors, also runs large shopping malls in the area. Rent from these properties allows the company to open the road to the public for free.
Chuo Ward is also proposing to turn a stretch of another highway near the old Tsukiji fish market into a park.
"I want to create a symbol for Tokyo as a green an environmentally friendly city," Yamamoto said.
He urged Koike to complete the redevelopment of the Tsukiji site by 2029. "It will be difficult to maintain foot traffic in the area if we take 20 years or more," he said, while pushing for a new subway line to connect central Tokyo to the coast.
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Life/Tokyo-highway-seeks-new-life-as-NY-style-park-in-the-sky

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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/1352989 
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, an electric car with enhanced energy efficiency developed by a Nagoya University team led by a Nobel laureate will make its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show starting Oct. 24.
The next-generation "All GaN Vehicle" is about 20 percent more efficient than current models thanks to the special gallium nitride (GaN) material used in its inverter.
The car was developed by a team at the university's Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability headed by Hiroshi Amano, co-winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics for the development of blue light-emitting diodes.
Amano is a professor of electrical engineering at the institute.
The motor show at the Tokyo Big Sight in the Odaiba area will be open to the public on Oct. 25 and run until Nov. 4.
Motors in electric cars are powered by an inverter that converts DC into AC in the battery. Normally silicon is used in the inverter, but Amano's team employed GaN to achieve greater energy efficiency.
The team created a prototype buggy measuring three meters long and weighing about one ton. During test runs, the vehicle reached speeds of about 50 kph, but the group wants to improve that to 100 kph by the end of the current fiscal year.
"This is the first electric vehicle operated using GaN," Amano said. "The challenges we are still facing include cost and reliability of the equipment. We want to create a vehicle that people want to use."
The group is seeking to install the inverter in vehicles for sale from about 2025.
While a green buggy prototype was made for the test runs, the vehicle to be displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show will be blue to honor Amano for his work on developing the more energy-efficient and eco-friendly blue LEDs.
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http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201910230050.html

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/ev1873785 
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According to the Reuters, printing and technology services provider CSG Ltd said it received an offer from Japan’s Fuji Xerox Co in a deal worth A$139.3 million (US$95.46 million).
Under the proposed offer, Fuji Xerox Co will pay A$0.31 per CSG share, which represents a premium of 31.9% to CSG’s last closing price on Oct. 23.
CSG said in the statement it has entered in a preliminary deal agreement with Fuji, which is a unit of Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings Corp.
It also recommended shareholders vote in favour of the transaction.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-csg-m-a-fuji-xerox/australias-csg-receives-takeover-offer-from-japans-fuji-xerox-for-95-million-idUSKBN1X22OJ

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/5575732 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, rental markets have weakened during the past three months as demand struggles to soak up the excess supply created by high investor activity during the recent housing boom, the latest CoreLogic Quarterly Rental Review shows.
Nationally, rental rates dropped 0.3 per cent over the September quarter, reversing the 0.3 per cent gain recorded during the previous quarter.
Canberra recorded the biggest decline of 1.1 per cent, followed by Sydney which had a 1 per cent fall.
Regional markets fared better with a 0.3 per cent rise in rents, but rental growth has slowed compared with a year ago.
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https://www.afr.com/property/residential/rental-market-weakens-following-housing-boom-20191015-p530tw

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/5355514 
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Japanese companies have committed to move away from the practice of burning plastic waste and embrace a cycle of reusing materials as they risk losing environmentally conscious investors to U.S. and European peers making better progress on recycling.
Household goods producer Kao is encouraging consumers to use shampoo, soap and detergent in refillable bottles. The company says it has reduced plastic use by 93,000 tons compared with when all its products came in single-use containers.
Kao has vowed to have 300 million containers with low environmental impacts -- including those made of bioplastics -- in the market annually by 2030, as well as to recycle 100% of plastic waste at all of its factories and other locations.
Kao is a founding member of a consortium fighting plastic pollution. The group, established in January, includes 265 companies and associations such as Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings.
"We're going to develop plastic recycling technologies, including collecting plastic waste, rather than burning it," said Michitaka Sawada, president and CEO of Kao, who also heads the consortium.
Chemical and materials makers are joining the effort. Kuraray is investing $15 million in a U.S. plant to produce biodegradable plastics for food packaging starting early next year. Mitsubishi Chemical is set to license bioplastics-related patents to others.
The question is whether businesses will adopt new materials, which tend to cost at least twice as much as conventional products. Suntory Holdings is among the companies making a commitment to do so. The beverage giant says it will stop buying fossil fuel-based materials by 2030, replacing them with items made from used plastic bottles and bioplastics.
These efforts to eliminate waste are intended to create a circular economy, where products are made from recycled materials and, in turn, are recycled themselves. Such a system would pump at least 20 trillion yen (US$ 187 billion) into Japan's economy, or nearly 4% of gross domestic product, according to one estimate.
The trend of switching to alternative materials and recycling waste into new raw materials is accelerating overseas. Chemical companies BASF of Germany and Braskem of Brazil have taken the lead in mass production of bioplastics, and today 2 million tons of such plastics are used each year internationally -- 50 times the volume in Japan.
U.S. consumer product behemoth Procter & Gamble has committed to use 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2030. British-Dutch peer Unilever is also among a group of companies pledged to switch to reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025.
These companies are responding to growing calls from ESG investors -- focused on environmental, social and governance issues -- to bolster sustainability efforts. Japanese businesses fear losing such investors if they do not play catch-up.
The Japanese government has vowed to slash one-quarter of single-use plastic litter by 2030 and reuse or recycle 100% of plastic waste by 2035 under a plan released in late May. Tokyo touts that the country is responsible for less than 1% of global marine plastic pollution and that its plastics recycling rate was 86% in 2017 -- one of the highest in the world.
But the international community disagrees with the assessment. A 2018 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development set Japan's recycling rate at 20% -- below the roughly 30% average in the European Union. The OECD assessment did not recognize thermal recycling, which uses energy generated during burning and accounts for 60% of Japan's recycling efforts.
The problem for Japan is the sheer volume of plastic waste, which totaled 9.03 million tons in 2017, up 0.4% on the year. The average person in the country wasted slightly more than 30 kg of plastic packaging a year in 2014, more than those in China and the EU.
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Environment/Japan-Inc.-plays-catch-up-in-scramble-to-bioplastics2

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/3567435

According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Japanese technology group Hitachi has partnered with Thai conglomerate TCC Group to install building control systems powered by "internet of things" across the Asia-Pacific region.
Hitachi reached an agreement with TCC group company Frasers Property, marking its first comprehensive collaboration in the urban development segment. Hitachi's internet of things platform Lumada will analyze data to optimize Frasers' existing and future buildings for energy use and crowd efficiency. The developments are mostly located in Southeast Asia, Australia and China.
The two sides also agreed to jointly spend 100 million Singapore dollars (US$ 73 million) over five years to develop control systems and other tech dedicated to Frasers.
"Hitachi's digital technology will increase the value Frasers' assets, and we'll move forward with 'infrastructure as a service,' the next generation in urban development," said Hitachi President Toshiaki Higashihara.
Lumada's artificial intelligence, for example, will analyze building traffic and use the results to shorten elevator wait times. The AI will direct foot traffic in a way that prevents crowding in the first place.
In addition, sensors affixed to principal equipment will assist Lumada in predicting breakdowns, which will streamline maintenance. Room temperatures will be adjusted to match the number of people in the building, saving energy.
Listed in Singapore, Frasers holds a portfolio worth S$33.6 billion as of the end of June. Properties include residential homes, hotels and shopping centers.
Frasers is a major participant in the One Bangkok project, Thailand's biggest private redevelopment project slated for completion in 2026. The massive 167,000 sq.-meter site will hold office and residential buildings, a shopping center and hotels.
An estimated 200,000 people are expected to visit One Bangkok each day. Hitachi and Frasers aim to transform the project into a smart city.
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Hitachi-to-help-Frasers-residences-and-malls-operate-smarter

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/5968380 
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, to find supernovas and more quickly detect asteroids on a collision course with Earth, researchers have started a new astronomical observation system of the night sky.
The system, called Tomoe Gozen, is equipped with high-performance cameras to film a huge area of the night sky and artificial intelligence technology to analyze the collected data.
It was developed mainly by researchers at the University of Tokyo and fully introduced at the university’s Kiso Observatory on Oct. 1.
“We want to make a finding that will surpass our expectations,” said Shigeyuki Sako, an assistant professor of astronomy at the Institute of Astronomy of the university’s graduate school.
The observation system is named after Tomoe Gozen, a female warlord who was active in the late Heian Period (794-1185) and has links with the Kiso region.
The system features a 105-centimeter Schmidt telescope at the observatory and 84 wide-angle video cameras. It can record a large celestial area with a size equivalent to 84 full moons and collect up to 30 terabytes of data--comparable to that of 10,000 films--in one night.
The system is designed to vividly capture how the universe changes in a short time.
Under the plan, observations will be conducted on 100 nights a year to analyze changes in the locations and brightness levels of more than 100 million celestial bodies observed daily.
The system is also expected to annually identify 100 asteroids approaching Earth.
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http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201910190001.html

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/2957834
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According to The Australian Financial Review, BHP's top executives have talked up the potential of copper as one of the company's most attractive long-term businesses, saying the company was well placed to respond to an expected demand surge of at least 500 per cent during the transition to a low-carbon world.
"If you look at whether it be solar power or wind power, the requirements for copper in both of those renewable energy technologies is significant” Chairman Ken MacKenzie told the company's London annual general meeting.
"I drive an electric car myself and it has four times the amount of copper in it than a fossil-fuel powered car. So we feel very good about our position in copper."
CEO Andrew Mackenzie said rising copper demand during the transition to renewable energy could stoke investment in copper production to between five times and 20 times today's level.
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https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/bhp-hopes-renewables-push-will-help-it-cash-in-on-copper-20191018-p531vd

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/bhp9085498
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it will roll out a prototype of a new model of its fuel-cell vehicle Mirai at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, which will open on Oct. 24.
The automaker aims to extend the driving range of the new model by about 30 percent by completely redesigning the fuel-cell system of the current Mirai model, released in 2014.
Toyota is planning to sell the new Mirai in Japan, North America, Europe and other regions from late 2020.
The prototype has lower lines, more elegant proportions and improved ride comfort, compared to the current model.
“We need to aim for developing a model that appeals to consumers with an excellent performance to encourage more people to buy fuel-cell vehicles,” said Yoshikazu Tanaka, chief engineer of the Mirai.
Fuel-cell vehicles run on electricity generated using a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in the air.
The automaker regards the vehicles as the “ultimate eco-friendly cars” since they don’t emit carbon dioxide while on the road.
Global sales of the current Mirai model stood at around 10,000 by August. More hydrogen stations are needed to promote the wider use of fuel-cell vehicles.
Meanwhile, Toyota’s luxury Lexus brand announced that it will unveil its first concept car that runs on electricity at the Tokyo Motor Show, which continues through Nov. 4.
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http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201910110049.html

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