According to The Nikkei Asian Review today, Honda Motor looks to take the business jet market by storm with its newly certified aircraft, having focused on design and comfort along with performance to compete with industry heavyweights.

Long-awaited payoff
More than 2,000 Honda Aircraft personnel, government officials and others gathered Wednesday at the company's plant in Greensboro to celebrate a triumph nearly 30 years in the making. The flagship HondaJet, in development since 1986, was awarded type certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, marking the aircraft as safe for flight.
Michimasa Fujino, president of the Honda Motor unit, took the podium amid raucous applause. "Achieving FAA type certification for the HondaJet is a monumental milestone for Honda," he said. "We designed, tested and have now certified this clean-sheet design aircraft -- an unprecedented challenge" for the company.
The global business jet market was worth around US$22 billion in 2014, up 4.5% from a year earlier, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reports. Billings dipped following the 2008 global financial crisis, but North American demand has led market growth as the economy recovers. U.S. conglomerate Honeywell International, which produces electronic aerospace components, forecasts global demand for 9,200 such new jets, worth US$270 billion, by 2025.

Strong debut
The HondaJet is classified as a very light jet, carrying just seven people including the crew. The aircraft aims to edge out other high-end business jets including Cessna Aircraft's Citation Mustang and Embraer's Phenom 100. Each of the trio has a maximum range of roughly 2,200km, about the distance from London to Rome.
At US$4.5 million, the HondaJet is the priciest of the three. But its fuel economy leads its class, nearly 20% higher than average. Its maximum speed and cruising altitude also outstrip those of its rivals. The jet "can more than compete when such factors as the abundance of space and lack of noise in the cabin are taken into account," Fujino said.
Citation Mustang sales totaled 408 units from 2008 to 2014, while 318 units of the Phenom 100 were sold. The HondaJet has attracted over 100 orders already. The first unit could be delivered to a North American buyer this month. The company plans to make 50 more in 2016. Annual production capacity will be raised as high as 100 units after 2017. Honda Aircraft also might sell engines, including to companies refurbishing used jets, as it aims to start turning a profit in five years.

Spirit of innovation
The HondaJet is "more than just a new model," Fujino said. "We've used new technology to build an aircraft that will create new value."
That spirit of innovation has its roots in Honda Motor's founding principle: an intense focus on craftsmanship. The jet's most readily apparent characteristic is the comfort of its cabin. Honda strives to minimize the space given over to mechanical components while maximizing room for passengers. The cabin can fit four in seats that face one another, with 2.18 meters from backrest to backrest -- 15-20% roomier than competitors' layouts. The plane also features a fully private lavatory, a rarity for its class.
The HondaJet's unique over-the-wing engine mount, designed to permit a spacious cabin, continues the Honda tradition of unconventionality.
Honda Aircraft aims to capture more than 30% of the very-light-jet market, and it will depend on customer satisfaction and the jet's actual performance. Cessna has amassed a number of maintenance sites around the world as well as expertise in providing emergency repairs, flight operation support and other services. Building a similar network will be key in keeping the HondaJet aloft.

Ref: http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Honda-s-flagship-business-jet-ready-for-takeoff?page=1
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According to The Australian Financial Review today, construction heavyweight Lendlease will open a factory in Sydney next year with plans to manufacture $1 billion worth of pre-fabricated building material over the next five years.
The potential savings in time, waste, and labour effort are significant. For Lendlease's Australian property chief, Tarun Gupta, that means increased safety, lower costs and better productivity.
The western Sydney factory will employ 40 to 50 workers at peak production. Another 15 to 20 more staff will be devoted to the high-tech design work required for pre-fab products.
"These jobs currently don't exist in NSW. These are new jobs leveraging the innovative technology that we are pursuing," Mr Gupta said. "That should lead to better efficiency and therefore better productivity."
Construction time on some projects could be cut by as much has 50 per cent. Pre-fabrication also limits wastage, often amounting to 10 per cent to 15 per cent on sites.
The more that's done in a factory, the faster and cheaper building becomes.

Ref: http://www.afr.com/real-estate/commercial/development/lendlease-factory-to-spearhead-1b-construction-disruption-20151208-gliao6
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According to The Asahi Shimbun today, along with being environmentally friendly, fuel-cell vehicles are also being souped up by Japanese automakers to serve as emergency power sources in the event of natural disasters.
Honda Motor Co. gave a demonstration at the recent Tokyo Motor Show of how an FCV can power home electronics and medical equipment in times of disaster when fuel for generators is in short supply.
Honda connected its new Clarity Fuel Cell vehicle to a Power Exporter 9000, a rectangular external power feeding device recently developed by Honda, which can provide electricity to an average household for about seven days.
Because the Power Exporter 9000 can transmit electricity in more stable waveforms than conventional power generators for home use, medical equipment and other highly delicate devices connected to the device can be operated with precision, a Honda official said.
The Power Exporter 9000 and Clarity Fuel Cell FCV will be available to the public next spring.
FCVs are considered zero-emissions vehicles because they are powered by electricity generated through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere and emit water instead of harmful greenhouse gases.
Automakers working on the new technologies said that FCV drivers will be able to hook up their eco-friendly cars to an external power feeding device at emergency evacuation centers to provide electricity for heating and lighting.
Toyota Motor Corp. has also enabled its Mirai, an FCV that has been commercially available since the end of 2014, to provide electricity the car has generated through an external power feeding device for use at homes.
At the Tokyo Motor Show, which ended on 8 Nov. Toyota also unveiled its FCV Plus, a concept car that can share power it has stored with other eco-friendly vehicles.

Ref: http://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASHD863QNHD8UEHF015.html

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According to The Australian Financial Review today, the Australian Turnbull government's innovation statement was released on Monday. Here's what's on offer:

1. Stable science investment:
By far the largest funding is reserved to provide stable funding for science infrastructure, previously funded year to year. Now, it will receive $459 million in total over four years, with most funding kicking in from 2017.

2. Tax:
Investors will be able to get a 20 per cent tax offset, rather than a deduction and a capital gains tax exemption. This will cost $106 million over four years, with most funding kicking in after 2017.  For example if someone invests $200,000 and claims the offset they will reduce their income tax by $40,000.

3. Start-ups:
For established start-ups this will bring forward the point at which they get their tax break, offering a 10 per cent tax rebate for venture capital investments to expand existing start-ups.

4. Bankruptcy:
Laws will be changed to reduce the default bankruptcy period from three years to one year.

5. University funding incentives:
The government will allocate $127 million over four years of research block grant funding towards collaboration between industry and universities. This includes new arrangements to measure the "non-academic impact and industry engagement" of universities, with the first national assessment due in 2018.

6. Visas:
There will be a new entrepreneurs visa created to bring in international talent, and post-grad students with STEM or ICT talent will be fast-tracked for permanent residency to begin by November 2016.

7. Offshore 'landing pads':
The government will allow Australian entrepreneurs to more easily travel to Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv and three other unknown locations, likely in Europe and Asia.

8. Cyber security:
A new "Cyber Security Growth Centre" will be established at a cost of $22 million over four years, to be set up by mid-2016.

9. Government body:
The government will create a new board in the Industry Department called Innovation and Science Australia, as well as a new innovation and science committee of cabinet.

10. Summer schools:
There will be more funding for coding programs for year 5s and year 7s and ICT summer schools for year 9s and 10s. This will take $84 million of the funds over four years and start next year.

11. CSIRO:
The government will hand back $200 million to the CSIRO, placed into an innovation fund aimed at co-investing in new companies and existing start-ups developed by the CSIRO itself, publicly funded research agencies or universities.

Ref: http://www.afr.com/news/politics/innovation-statement-at-a-glance-20151206-glgwza

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According to The Nikkei Asian Review today, Japan's ruling party is considering giving small and midsize businesses a 50% tax break for three years on purchases of production equipment, hoping to stimulate capital investment.
A company capitalized at up to 100 million yen (US$808,340) would pay just half of the annual 1.4% fixed-asset tax on procured equipment costing at least 1.6 million yen apiece, including manufacturing and power generation machinery. Such items account for around 90% of capital investment by some 2.5 million small and midsize companies in Japan, with the purchases reaching 1.04 trillion yen in fiscal 2014.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's tax panel will incorporate the proposal by the economy and internal affairs ministries into a reform outline to be compiled Thursday. The change will be implemented under new legislation aimed at boosting the productivity of smaller businesses.
Purchases made between fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2018 would receive the 50% tax break for the following three years. Hundreds of thousands of smaller companies in Japan are expected to benefit, with tax savings seen totaling an annual 10 billion yen or so.
To qualify, the equipment will have to improve output per hour or energy efficiency by at least 1%. The idea is to encourage businesses to increase production efficiency and save energy.
Japan is also planning to cut the effective corporate tax rate below 30% next fiscal year. Since only companies that turn profits pay corporate taxes, that reduction will not help the money-losing businesses that constitute nearly 70% of all small and midsize enterprises in Japan. The government and ruling coalition hope the additional step will help small businesses in regional cities.
"If we give tax cuts on [newly purchased equipment,] even loss-making companies will benefit from capital investment," said Akira Amari, state minister for economic and fiscal policy, told reporters here Sunday.
China, South Korea, and such European counties as the U.K. and France do not levy fixed-asset taxes on company equipment. Japan is trying to move toward the more internationally common practice of not taxing assets that depreciate.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has set a goal of lifting Japan's gross domestic product to 600 trillion yen through expanded capital spending and wage increases. Lifting lagging regional economies is deemed crucial to reaching that target.

Ref: http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Policy-Politics/Japan-to-ease-tax-burden-on-smaller-businesses

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According to The Asahi Shimbun today, robots of all shapes and sizes were showing off their dexterity and prowess in working alongside humans at a trade show in Tokyo, Japan on 2 Dec.
The biennial International Robot Exhibition kicked off at the Tokyo Big Sight convention centre in Japan, with manufacturers displaying robots that can work with human workers on assembly lines and elsewhere, often tackling the most gruelling tasks.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. introduced its newest robot, which unlike bulky automatons, takes up only about the same space as a human worker.
The robot is able to perform conventional parts assembly, as well as do work that requires a high level of skill and precision, such as placing a soy sauce container the size of the tip of a finger in the right position in a lunchbox.
Industrial robot giant Fanuc Corp. showed off a green robot that demonstrated its lifting capacity by hefting a tire. According to Fanuc, the robot can carry materials weighing up to 35 kilograms, thereby reducing the physical burden on human workers on vehicle assembly lines.
Previously, industrial robots had to be kept in a fenced-off area for safety reasons. However, regulations were eased two years ago, enabling some robots to work right alongside humans if sufficient safety precautions are taken, such as robots being automatically shut down if they are touched by a human.
The deregulation has paved the way for the development of robots that can assist humans in work processes that used to depend entirely on manpower.
According to estimates by Nomura Research Institute Ltd., the tasks undertaken by about 49 percent of Japanese workers could be replaced by artificial intelligence and robots in 10 to 20 years.
Robots will not be confined to industrial factory floors. It is expected that they will also play a big role in the agricultural industry, where the aging working population is a growing concern.
Utsunomiya University and computer maker NEC Corp. displayed an agricultural robot that can select ripe strawberries and harvest them without touching the fruit.
At the booth of German industrial robot manufacturer Kuka, flower artist Takayuki Tanaka was seen creating a flower arrangement with a robot assistant, which put flowers handed to it by Tanaka in a position in line with the instructions.
Kokoro Co. displayed its “Actroid,” a life-size female android. Actroid’s natural humanlike body movements are the result of manipulating 50 or so cylinders inside the robot with air pressure.
An Acrid works at the reception desk of the Henn-na Hotel, a facility that opened in July inside the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture.
The International Robot Exhibition will run through 5 Dec.

Ref: http://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASHD362PBHD3UEHF013.html

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Australia's fast-growing but vulnerable international education industry has long sought a co-ordinated government approach to managing its interests and issues. And the nearly $19 billion-a-year sector appears to be at last achieving cut-through with the Turnbull government.
In September, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appointed Liberal Tasmanian senator Richard Colbeck as the country's first minister for international education and tourism.
Alongside the development of a national strategy for international education, the appointment of a dedicated minister is viewed as a game-changer by universities and private and public colleges.
Australia has been on a roller-coaster ride with international education since the 1950s.
At various times, our share of international students market has surged, plateaued and crashed, with currency fluctuations and changes to Australia's immigration policy both affecting the market.
The international student sector brought in $18.77 billion to Australia in the year to September, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.
The robust demand from overseas students is being fuelled by the low Australian dollar, restrictive visa policies in competitor countries, especially Britain, and continuing positive performances on university league tables.
In August, there were 566,013 full-fee paying international students in Australia on a student visa. Of these, 262,000 were enrolled in a university, with the rest attending vocational and English language colleges and schools.
But Australia learnt as much between 2009 and 2012 when overseas student arrivals slumped.
The reason? There was a sharp appreciation in the value of the Australian dollar. But expensive student accommodation costs here, awkward and costly visa processing, and international news reports of incidents involving overseas students in Sydney and Melbourne also had a hand in the downturn.
The education sector has since benefited tremendously from the introduction of streamlined visa processing and the dollar's depreciation since 2013.
It's now 30 per cent cheaper for international students to study here compared with in 2011.
"We need a champion minister because sometimes the immigration department makes decisions in isolation from the education department," says Phil Honeywood, the executive director of the International Education Association of Australia, referring to the appointment of Senator Colbeck as minister.
"We need someone who can cut through."
There are eight peak bodies involved in international education sector but the IEAA is the only cross-sector one. As a result, the IEAA co-ordinates the peak bodies involved in the TAFE and universities sectors and in English language training so that the sector presents a united voice to government and the public.

Ref: http://www.afr.com/news/special-reports/export-and-trade/many-challenges-but-education-sector-growing-again-20151201-glc9go

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According to The Asahi Shinbun today, Teijin Ltd. has developed the first “wearable cosmetics” clothing range that promises to actively soften the skin with fabric soaked in an ingredient used in beauty products.
The line will consist of six garments, Teijin announced on 30 Nov. The manufacturer says the products, including women's undergarments and arm covers, help retain skin moisture to prevent dryness and roughness.
The products will be sold under the Raffinan brand at the company’s online shop and other outlets starting around March 2016.
Additionally, sports gear giant Descente Ltd. also announced on 30 Nov that it will market a new clothing line of seven items that incorporates the Teijin garments from March 2016.
According to Teijin, the clothes are made from polyester fibres infused with malic acid, a common ingredient in skin-care products that helps maintain a mildly acidic skin surface--the right condition for a healthy complexion.
Teijin researchers have perfected a technique to make the fibre retain most of the malic acid even after 50 washes.
In May Teijin obtained a license for manufacturing and sales of the wearable cosmetics garments from the Tokyo metropolitan government based on the pharmaceutical and medical device law.
A Teijin spokesperson said that the manufacturer is the first company in Japan to acquire such a permit for manufacturing cosmetics in the form of clothing.
The products, which will be priced between 1,500 yen (US$12) and 4,000 yen, are aimed at women in their 30s and 40s.
Teijin will also pitch the fabric for use by other clothing makers.

Ref: http://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASHD15TRVHD1UEHF014.html

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According to The Australian Financial Review today, while residential property prices might fall in 2016, it will be limited to less than 10 per cent with "little significant downside risk" to the housing market, ANZ Bank has said in its latest housing update.
"Despite the headwinds facing the housing market through the second half of 2015, we see little significant downside risk to the housing market outlook in 2016. That is not to say house prices won't fall. They may," ANZ's senior economist, David Cannington and economist Daniel Gradwell said.
Auction clearance rates across the country have continued to slide with Sydney taking the lead. Sydney clearance rates have fallen to below 60 per cent from a high of 90 per cent in April.
ANZ said the overall Australian market is not overvalued because salary and wages were still growing and interest rates were at record lows.
It is forecasting a 3 per cent price rise for NSW, 3.2 for Victoria, 2 in Queensland and an overall 2.8 per cent for Australia.
ANZ's predictions are more modest against SQM Research's 4 to 9 per cent price growth in Sydney for 2016 and 8 to 13 per cent for Melbourne.
ANZ said "The housing shortage remains high, but strong building activity and slower population growth will limit gains."
But foreign buyers would continue to soak up stock in Australia as foreign interest in Australian housing remained strong especially in Sydney and Melbourne, ANZ added.
A lower Australian dollar and ample apartment stock would continue to lure foreign buyers.

Ref: http://www.afr.com/real-estate/house-prices-will-fall-no-more-than-10pc-but-anz-says-modest-growth-more-likely-in-2016-20151130-glbbzt

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