According to The Asahi Shimbun, real estate markets in metropolitan areas continue to thrive, with the average price of a new condominium in Tokyo’s 23 central wards reaching 111.81 million yen (US$719,000) in 2024.
Although this represents a 2.6 percent decrease from 2023 due to fewer ultra-luxury units being sold, the figure still exceeds the 100-million-yen mark for the second consecutive year, according to data released by the Real Estate Economic Institute Co.. In the rest of Tokyo, the average price climbed to 58.9 million yen, up 8.9 percent, while in Kanagawa Prefecture, it reached 64.32 million yen, up 6 percent. Saitama and Chiba prefectures also saw significant increases, with average prices of 55.42 million yen, up 13.8 percent, and 56.89 million yen, up 18.9 percent, respectively. These increases are primarily attributed to rising construction costs. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15598819
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese venture announced that a private jet operator in India has pre-ordered 50 of its "flying cars," crediting shareholder Suzuki Motor Corp. for offering support toward realizing the agreement.
SkyDrive Inc., based in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, and JetSetGo Aviation Services Ltd. are considering operating a flying car business in the state of Gujarat, India, where Suzuki has a factory. They intend to expand the business across India. The Gujarat state government and SkyDrive have already reached an agreement to jointly resolve issues such as traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. SkyDrive is currently still developing its small electric aircraft, commonly known as eVTOL. It aims to gain type approval, a performance standard certificate needed before mass-producing vehicles or parts, in 2026. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15604514
According to The Asahi Shimbun, a futuristic “human washing machine” that caused a stir at the 1970 Japan World Exposition has undergone a 21st century makeover for the Osaka Kansai Expo in April.
The original machine, exhibited by Sanyo Electric Co., now Panasonic Holdings Corp., didn’t catch on commercially. But more than a half century later, Osaka-based showerhead maker Science Co. is developing the new version based on cutting-edge technology. It plans to exhibit the “Mirai Ningen Sentakuki” (human washing machine of the future) inside the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion run by the Osaka prefectural and city governments. Visitors to the exhibition site will be allowed to try it out. The company is also planning to release a home-use edition. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15482351
According to The Asahi Shimbun, Japanese companies that emit more than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually will be tapped to participate in the government’s carbon emissions trading system, set to take effect in fiscal 2026, the industry ministry said.
The program is expected to apply to between 300 and 400 companies, mainly in the steel, electricity, aviation, logistics and food manufacturing sectors. Under the system, each company will be assigned an emissions quota, with penalties liable when those limits are exceeded. Emissions trading, a type of “carbon pricing” which charges companies based on their CO2 emissions, has been adopted worldwide as a measure to help reduce global warming. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15517987
According to The Asahi Shimbun, a research institution here has developed the world’s first automated manufacturing equipment to create next-generation perovskite solar cell panels.
Officials at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) say the equipment speeds up the process and improves the quality of the perovskite solar panels. The panels have conventionally been made manually. Perovskite cells, also known as “flexible solar cells,” are lightweight and thin. They can be used at locations, such as rooftops or curved walls, where it would be difficult to install conventional silicon solar cells. Moreover, perovskite solar cells can generate power even when it is cloudy. They could become a key instrument in efforts to curb global warming. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15464123
According to The Asahi Shimbun, fruit processor and vendor Dole Japan Inc. refuses to let bananas that are unsellable go to waste. It turns them into charcoal.
It is hoping its banana-based fuel will become commercially available for use in barbecues and other leisure activities early in 2025. Tokyo-based Dole Japan said it aims to reduce food loss. “We expect to sell charcoal at certain retailers and online shopping sites,” said Dole Japan President Hiroshi Aoki. “We will be releasing it as early as next spring, provided our preparations are completed smoothly.” Finnicky Japanese consumers shun bananas that have skin blemishes, are bruised or too big, no matter how tasty they are. Dole Japan said it is forced to discard 20,000 tons of the fruit annually in the Philippines and elsewhere. In 2021, Dole Japan initiated the Mottainai Banana Project with producers and other entities to make use of those bananas for drinks and confectionery. About 900 tons of bananas were recycled in 2023 under the initiative. Dole Japan is looking to raise the figure to 5,000 tons within a few years. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15469085
According to The Asahi Shimbun, theoretically, anyone might be able to sink shots like Michael Jordan with a little help from an artificial intelligence “friend.”
A system developed by Fujitsu Ltd. captures a player shooting hoops with cameras and digitally analyzes their movements on the spot with AI technology. The company’s booth at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC) trade show, which opened here on Oct. 15, shows the skeletal breakdown of a participant’s movements versus a top player side by side on a screen. Fujitsu said players can improve their shooting form more efficiently by utilizing the AI system. An aspiring Noh actor, for example, could also learn from the differences in how they move compared to a master with skeletal tracking, the company said. The theme of Fujitsu’s exhibition is “the future where AI becomes our buddy.” https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15467857
According to The Asahi Shimbun, sustainable aviation fuel will be key to keeping planes in the skies from fiscal 2030 under a government push to decarbonize the aviation industry.
The industry ministry decided on the policy after a meeting of an advisory panel, according to a source. It plans to revise the relevant government and ministry ordinances concerning the policy during the next fiscal year starting April 1. The aviation industry is struggling to shift from fossil fuels that are a key culprit in releasing heat-trapping gases. While traditional jet fuel is refined from crude oil, the bulk of sustainable versions is created from waste cooking oil. The latter’s total carbon dioxide emission in the process from production to actual use is said to account for only 20 percent of the former. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15453064
According to The Asahi Shimbun, Bridgestone, a byword in tire manufacturing, has developed what every car owner dreams of: a tire that doesn’t puncture.
Dubbed Airfree and still in the developmental stage, the tire will not fit all types of vehicles, however. It relies on plastic spokes between the rubber on the tire’s surface and the metal wheel rim. The 1-centimeter-thick spokes are designed to cushion shocks from the road surface in place of a traditional inner air tube. An obvious benefit is that there is no risk of getting a flat, nor need to check on tire air pressure and other maintenance concerns. Initially, Airfree will be aimed at buses and other vehicles that crawl along. Bridgestone Corp. plans to market the tire in 2026. The company envisions the tires being fitted to community buses that many communities, especially in rural areas, operate for residents and tourists. Small electric buses that travel at under 20 kph are also in the company’s sights. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15482201
According to The Asahi Shimbun, sludge generated through sewage treatment is set to be marketed by city officials here as the perfect fertilizer rich in nitrogen and phosphorus.
Nitrogen is an indispensable ingredient to the growth of plants. As for phosphorus, Japan relies mostly on imports, but its prices are continuing to soar. Officials are hoping to market 1,000 tons of sludge-derived fertilizer annually. Sewage sludge is mostly comprised of dead bodies of microorganisms that have ingested and decomposed human waste. Around 20,000 tons of sewage sludge is generated in Nagoya every day. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15438412 |
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