According to The Australian Financial Review, mining and energy investment in Australia is likely to rise for the second consecutive year in 2021, marking a decisive turning point after a long, steep decline that set in after the resources boom peaked nearly a decade ago.
The Department of Industry said an ''inflection point'' in resources sector investment had been reached when $30 billion of projects were approved in 2019, with the value of committed projects rising to $39 billion in the year to October 2020.
New iron ore mines under construction by BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group were a big factor in the rise, along with Adani's construction of the Carmichael mine and Arrow Energy's gas investment in Queensland's Surat Basin.
The surge in investment may have been bigger had it not been for the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted resources companies to defer billions of dollars worth of project decisions.

https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/resources-sector-investment-rebounds-20201120-p56gf8

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www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/6375125.html?lang=ja 
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According to The Nikkei Asia, Nippon Telegraph & Telephone on Tuesday announced the completion of its tender offer for the remaining shares in subsidiary NTT Docomo, a move it sees as key to seizing the initiative for the next level of wireless technology after its slow start on 5G.
At NTT's annual R&D forum, President Jun Sawada suggested that the wireless carrier will be integral to IOWN, the telecommunications group's vision for networks based on optical technology, seen as key to unlocking sixth-generation wireless.
"By making Docomo stronger, we want to promote activity that will make Japan and the world more prosperous through IOWN," Sawada said.
The IOWN, or Innovative Optical and Wireless Network, initiative aims to develop networks that can handle data volumes 100 times as high as existing technology, with minimal lag. Should this bear fruit, NTT sees it as an opportunity for Japan, which has been outpaced in 5G by China, South Korea and Western countries, to lay the foundation for future global networks and for NTT itself to compete with the likes of Google and China's Huawei Technologies.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Telecommunication/NTT-goes-all-in-on-6G-for-return-to-global-stage
 
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www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/ntt6g.html?lang=ja
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According to The Australian Financial Review, NSW's plan to replace stamp duty with land tax could depress housing-market activity in the run-up to implementation of a new regime as people planning to buy could hold off doing so until given the chance to avoid the up-front stamp duty hit, said economist Shane Oliver.
But while plans to give buyers the choice of paying stamp duty upfront or take on a higher land tax every year could slow sales in the short term, it would also likely boost sales once the policy kicked in and people were able to save the tens of thousands of dollars currently paid the state government, Dr Oliver said.

https://www.afr.com/property/residential/stamp-duty-fix-may-cause-short-term-hit-to-property-demand-20201117-p56fb2

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www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/nsw.html?lang=ja
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According to The Nikkei Asia, Japanese materials manufacturer AGC has developed a smart mirror that allows customers to apply makeup while receiving visual advice from beauty professionals on the same glass sheet -- a creation with the potential to help maintain social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The product, comprising a special mirror placed atop a built-in monitor, can also let users try out various cosmetics virtually and check the results quickly in the mirror after making choices.
Many department stores in Japan now limit face-to-face consulting by beauty advisers due to the spread of COVID-19. The new device can help improve services by having customers perform self-makeup at the counter, an AGC official said.
AGC plans to start marketing the product called Mirroria, as early as in the first half of 2021.
A mirror is usually coated with metal film to reflect light. But as the film blocks light, it cannot be used on a display monitor. AGC, a major manufacturer of glass sheets for monitors, used its optical technology to create a mirror that does not need metal film.
Other companies have also developed similar products, but AGC's device can generate much sharper images both on the mirror and on the screen, an AGC official said. Previously, if users made displayed images brighter, reflections in the mirror became darker and more difficult to see.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Japan-s-AGC-brings-AI-to-makeup-routine-with-smart-mirror

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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/agc.html?lang=ja

According to The Asahi Shimbun, the newest helpers at a construction site here in Japan don't need breaks and will work until they're programmed to stop.
Kajima Corp., a leading general contractor, is showing off cutting-edge robots it is using to assist with building.
The company said it aims to use the robots to cover personnel shortages and improve the labor environment.
Kajima showed off its Yokohama Gate Tower construction site in the Minato Mirai area in Yokohama’s Nishi Ward to the media to offer a glimpse of what the future of construction could look like.
Two workers used a robot called an “assist machine” to set up external walls. Normally cranes would be used from the rooftop for this task, but the company said the machine can save on labor and time.
The contractor also showed off a robot that automatically smooths concrete floors.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13941536
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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/9235165.html?lang=ja
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According to The Australian Financial Review, BHP has created an internal ''venture capital'' division to make seed investments in early-stage technology companies and start-ups, as part of chief executive Mike Henry's desire to drive innovation across the multinational mining company.
Expected to be dubbed "BHP Ventures", the division will make and manage a portfolio of minority shareholdings in technology companies whose intellectual property could be deployed across BHP's mines and oil rigs.
BHP has hired for the ventures unit across Australia and the US this year, and the new team has been urged to prioritise investments in technology that could boost safety, productivity and operating efficiency at BHP's sites.

https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/bhp-s-in-house-venture-capital-push-20201116-p56f1d

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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/bhp4468492.html?lang=ja
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, just like at sea, motorists in need of emergency assistance can now summon help by sending an SOS in Japan.
An increasing number of new cars are equipped with an emergency SOS button to assist drivers in the event of an accident, serious illness or road rage.
The safety feature was introduced for luxury cars about 20 years ago, but it has rapidly spread widely in recent years, thanks to its user-friendliness and convenience.
For the new Levorg, Subaru Corp.'s mainstay station wagon unveiled, owners can add the optional SOS button in the overhead console. When the button is pressed, the driver can speak to the operator at an emergency call center.
The button was introduced for the first time along with a function that sends an automatic notification when the vehicle's airbag is deployed.
The emergency button with similar functions is equipped as standard on all Kicks models rolled out in June by Nissan Motor Co. It is also offered as a standard or optional feature on Honda Motor Co.'s new Fit, released in February, and Mazda Motor Corp.'s three models including the MX-30 that went on sale in October.
About 30 models of Toyota Motor Corp.'s vehicles, or half its lineup, come with the button as standard.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13900796
 
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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/sos.html?lang=ja
 

According to The Australian Financial Review, housing sentiment has almost rebounded to pre-COVID-19 levels, with home owners less worried about the state of the property market, says the ME Quarterly Property Sentiment Report.
The latest edition of the report, conducted in October 2020, says 38 per cent of Australians in the property market feel "positive" about it, which is just 4 percentage points below the October 2019 level. Positive sentiment had dropped to 29 per cent in April at the peak of the pandemic, when large parts of the country were in lockdown.
Sydney has seen a resurgence of positivity, with 42 per cent of the city residents surveyed in October saying they feel positive about the market, up from 29 per cent in June.
The report shows many home-owner-related worries have eased since earlier this year, with only 49 per cent worried about the value of their property falling, down from 64 per cent in April, while 29 per cent are worried about paying back their home loan once deferrals end, down from 31 per cent in June.

https://www.afr.com/property/residential/housing-sentiment-bounces-back-to-pre-covid-19-levels-20201111-p56dh7

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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/covid-191357318.html?lang=ja
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, Honda announced that its Legend is the first vehicle in the world to receive a semi-autonomous classification that allows driving with no hands on the steering wheel in traffic congestion on expressways.
The automaker plans to put the luxury sedan equipped with the automated driving system on sale within fiscal 2020, which ends in March 2021.
According to the transport ministry, the automated driving system is a level 3 on the five-level scale for self-driving technology.
That means a driver can allow the system to take full control of the vehicle but must be ready to override if the situation dictates.
Honda says the system will be put into use for the first time in the world.
The vehicle is equipped with five sensors called LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) using laser light as well as five radar devices and two cameras. Those special sensors can collect full information on the shapes of objects in the vicinity of the car.
The vehicle price has not been released yet, but it is expected to be higher than the current model, which carries a sticker price of about 7.25 million yen (US$ 68,839) or higher, including tax.
Initially, Honda was aiming to market the new vehicle within 2020, but the launch has been delayed due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13924197

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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/4027249.html?lang=ja
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, Japanese researchers said they used an electromagnetic wave to quickly confirm early-stage breast tumors measuring less than 0.5 millimeter, an achievement that could lead to far faster cancer detections.
The scientists, primarily from Osaka University, said the method, which makes tiny tumors clearly visible, could lead to new diagnosis equipment for not only breast cancer but also other kinds of carcinoma.
The technology can spot tumors much faster than the conventional days-long method, which requires cells to be sampled and stained for diagnosis, the researchers said.
“Healthy and unhealthy tissues can be promptly distinguished from each other with the technology,” said Kazunori Serita, a specially appointed assistant professor of terahertz wave engineering at the university’s Institute of Laser Engineering. “I expect it to be of great help in pathological diagnosis.”
The researchers took advantage of a phenomenon where the application of laser light to a special substance known as non-linear optical crystal generates the terahertz wave, a sort of electromagnetic wave that lies between radio waves and lights.
The team put a breast cancer specimen on the crystal before applying the laser light from the other side of the crystal. Imaging terahertz waves that passed through the sample vividly showed breast cancer tumors smaller than 0.5 mm.
The technique also distinguished early-stage breast tumors from their advanced counterparts, they said.
Breast cancer is defined as Stage 0 when cancer cells do not spread outside milk duct and lobule tissues. When the lump measures 2 centimeters or less with no lymph node metastasis, the tumor is deemed as in Stage 1.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13892197

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/057478287.html?lang=ja
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