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PlayStation Falls Short as Nintendo Dominates

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Sega Sammy Lifted by Games and Pachinko

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Sega Sammy Holdings reported healthy profits for the March-September period, with video games, amusement machines, pachinko, and pachislot offering solace for disappointing results from its resort businesses.

For the six month period, Sega Sammy reported ¥135 billion (US$1.2 billion) in overall sales and ¥12 billion (US$106 million) in company profits.

The largest contributor by far was the Entertainment Contents segment, which produced ¥107 billion (US$946 million) in net sales.

The company statement noted that “there has been a growing interest in the revitalization and growth of the game market on a global scale,” specifically citing “major changes to the market environment, such as the expansion of download sales for PCs, home video game consoles, etc., the emergence of cloud gaming services, and the diversification of platforms.”

Sega Sammy’s catalogue of console game titles have been selling briskly, and even the amusement machine UFO Catcher merited a mention.

Also notable was the Pachinko and Pachislot Machines segment, which saw its sales bounce back to more than double what they had been in the same period last year, in the early stages of the pandemic. Sega Sammy sold about 31,000 pachislot machines and 23,000 pachinko machines in the six-month period, recording a total of ¥23 billion (US$202 million) in net sales.

On the other hand, the firm’s resort business has suffered setbacks.

Although not having a major impact on its immediate financial fortunes, it was the Genting Singapore-Sega Sammy consortium which most observers expected to become Yokohama’s partner in developing the major Integrated Resort (IR) including a casino at Yamashita Pier. The election of a firmly anti-casino mayor, however, has brought that initiative to naught.

That leaves Sega Sammy with only its Phoenix Seagaia Resort in Miyazaki Prefecture and its 45% stake in the Paradise City IR in Incheon, South Korea, both of which have suffered downturns in connection with the Covid pandemic. This segment thus produced only ¥3.8 billion (US$33 million) in sales and operated at a loss of ¥4 billion (US$35 million).

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Orix Estimates US$9.5 Billion for Osaka IR

Posted on November 7, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Orix Corporation estimates that it will cost about ¥1.08 trillion (US$9.5 billion) of investment funds to open the Osaka Yumeshima Integrated Resort (IR), including a casino.

As Orix’s own contribution, it expects to spend about ¥270 billion (US$2.4 billion) in the initial stage.

Orix still anticipates that it and MGM Resorts will each hold a roughly 40% stake in the IR consortium, with a variety of other firms holding the remaining 20%.

Cited as likely partners are France’s Vinci Airports, Kansai Electric Power Company, Kintetsu Group Holdings, and Panasonic.

Orix President and Chief Executive Officer Makoto Inoue anticipates that the Osaka government will submit its IR proposal to the central government for licensing in April next year. If permission is granted—as is widely expected—the Yumeshima IR would open its doors to the public “around 2029.”

At present, Orix’s income projections are not counting on the possibility that large numbers of foreign visitors will return to Japan, even at the end of the decade. Indeed, Orix’s conservative income projections are only about half of what has been estimated by its main partner, MGM.

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Drone Delivery Begins for Remote Island

Posted on November 6, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Takamatsu-based drone startup Kamomeya has launched an unmanned drone delivery service between Mitoyo city’s Suda Port in Kagawa Prefecture and Awashima island, which is about four kilometers distant and administratively within the same city.

The company aims to boost access to consumer products through the drone delivery system for those living on the thinly-populated island. Awashima’s population is about 170 people.

Masato Ono, the president of Kamomeya, noted that the idea of using drones to deliver products between the island and the city center came to him while he was a volunteer at an art festival on Awashima island. He noticed that an ordinary shopping run would take residents half a day, since islanders have to travel to the city center to buy necessary goods.

The delivery route enables residents on Awashima island to order a range of products at the cost of only ¥500 (US$4.45) for door-to-door delivery service. They receive the goods within the same day if they order in the morning.

The flight itself takes about seven minutes one way.

In this project, Kamomeya is partnering with a local convenience store, offering forty kinds of goods for delivery. Residents have reacted by saying that they are grateful for the drone delivery service, though they also wish to see an expansion of the range of purchasable products.

Currently, the route operates every day in principle, except during bad weather, which is unfortunately quite frequent in the area.

Founded in 2014, Kamomeya intends to expand its services for remote islanders.

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Hello Drone Education Project

Posted on November 5, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — VFR Inc., Towa Nasu Resort, and a total of eighteen companies have jointly launched the “Hello Drone Project,” aiming to educate the Japanese public.

As the first step, the toy drone VFRee-T01 has become available for purchase, an aircraft small enough to fit in the palm of a hand.

Additionally, a new attraction has been opened at Nasu HighlandPark (a theme park in Ibaraki Prefecture) for visitors to personally experience flying the toy drones and to test their skills.

VFR has also launched the Japanese-language “Drone Expedition” (Doron Tankentai) YouTube channel for discussions about drones and their potential uses in daily life.

VFR CEO Koichiro Yuasa explained, “In order to grow the industry, it is necessary to have a mechanism that can target high interest from Gen Z young people… Therefore, we decided to launch the Hello Drone Project to raise awareness of drones and to promote a correct understanding about them.”

Japanese laws are currently quite strict as regards drone flights. Generally speaking, most areas around major cities, including Tokyo and Osaka, are either no-fly zones or else prohibit individuals from flying drones without special permission.

By promoting the Hello Drone Project, the participating companies hope to educate the public and to create a future where individuals can safely utilize drones on a day-to-day basis.

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Konami Casino Division Returns to Profits

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Konami Holdings has reported that its Gaming & Systems division, which produces casino equipment, returned to profitability in the March-September period of this year.

The firm’s sales had been hit by the pandemic effect, largely because many casinos in the United States suspended their operations and so weren’t in the market to purchase new equipment.

However, a Konami statement explained that “as a result of the vaccine rollout in North America, some restrictions, including entrance restriction on casino facilities, were relaxed. In America, economic restrictions were almost completely lifted and the market is revitalizing.”

Slot machine production is one facet of Konami’s business, but it does particularly well with its Synkros casino management system, which makes more data-driven and efficient oversight of casino floors possible.

Konami is particularly celebrating that the major new Resorts World Las Vegas facility opted to install the Synkros system.

In sum, the Konami Gaming & Systems division’s business profit for the six-month period reached over ¥1.8 billion (US$16 million).

Casino gambling is illegal in Japan except within the framework of the Integrated Resorts (IRs) expected to open in the latter half of this decade, but Japanese companies like Konami, Sega Sammy, Aruze, and others have been casino equipment suppliers to overseas markets for many years.

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Japanese Harvesting Robot in Tomatoworld

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — A new tomato harvesting robot manufactured by Kamakura-based startup inaho has been set loose on Tomatoworld, a horticultural information and education center in the Netherlands.

Takahito Shimizu, managing director of inaho Europe, explains that putting the robot in Tomatoworld allows more people to become aware that such technology currently exists. It also enables the company to receive feedback from growers for future improvements.

Before being put to use in Tomatoworld, the tomato harvesting robot had undergone field trials with growers in Japan. inaho concluded that the robot helps reduce human working hours by around 16% when being set up to harvest during the nighttime.

On the other hand, since the robot identifies ripe fruits by color and size, the differences between Japanese and Dutch growers’ harvesting practices may cause difficulties.

Shimizu explained that farmers’ standards for the appropriate color of the fruits and the harvesting frequency varies between Japan and the Netherlands. Therefore, by deploying the robot to Tomatoworld, inaho expects to gain more insight about Dutch farmers, and thus to adjust the differences accordingly.

inaho’s tomato harvesting robot was developed in 2020, aiming to solve labor shortages arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

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Government Certifies SkyDrive Flying Car

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — On October 29, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) announced that it had accepted a “type certificate” application submitted by SkyDrive for its SD-03 model eVTOL (flying car).

A type certificate certifies that the design, structure, strength, and performance of a newly-developed aircraft meets the necessary safety and environmental requirements for each type of aircraft. Certification is only granted after the aircraft had gone through a battery of studies and tests, including strength tests and flight tests.

This is the first time that MLIT has accepted an application for a type certificate for a flying car.

SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa stated, “SkyDrive and MLIT have been discussing how to safely develop and test this type of aircraft since the public-private council to promote urban air mobility was launched in Japan in 2018 and SkyDrive received permission for the first outdoor test flight of its flying car. We are very pleased that our application for type certification has been accepted and we will continue to work in close partnership with the government and MLIT to complete our development of a wholly safe and reliable flying car.”

The Tokyo-based eVTOL startup aims to make its full debut at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka.

Separately, SkyDrive has also announced that it has signed a supporter agreement with Tokyo-based EY Strategy and Consulting.

Under this agreement, EY’s team of consultants will support SkyDrive in a broad range of areas, including conducting research on domestic and international markets and competitors; designing business strategies, roadmaps, and business plans; and developing products and services.

Founded in 2018 by Toyota engineers, SkyDrive has been developing flying cars and drones with its company’s mission of “revolutionizing mobility.”

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ANRA Brings SmartSkies to Japan

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Washington DC-based ANRA Technologies has announced that it will participate in live drone flights over Hokkaido and will be demonstrating its airspace management and drone delivery software platform, SmartSkies.

SmartSkies allows drone pilots to obtain approval for drone operations within controlled or sensitive airspace using a mobile application or web portal. It provides real-time, automated processing of airspace authorizations based on criteria set by stakeholders or regulators.

The current demonstration, to be held in Wakkanai city, Hokkaido, is part of a national drone and robot management project led by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), and including, in addition to ANRA, Bird Initiative, NEC Corporation, All Nippon Airways (ANA).

The NEDO Drones and Robots for Ecologically Sustainable Societies (DRESS) demonstration aims to test a platform for coordination and negotiation between operators, which is essential to avoid crashes between drones. The project employs Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, allowing these negotiations to occur automatically.

The relevant AI is being researched and co-developed with the RIKEN institute and the Industrial Technology Research Institute.

Currently, ANRA SmartSkies is also being utilized in countries such as the United Kingdom.

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Sony Sells Off GSN Games Division

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Sony recently announced that GSN Games, a division of its wholly-owned Game Show Network subsidiary, will be sold to Scopely, a California-based mobile gaming firm, for US$1 billion.

GSN Games is known for its free-to-play mobile and online game titles, including Solitaire TriPeaks, Bingo Bash, and Wheel of Fortune Slots.

Sony executives reportedly judged that GSN Games provided too few synergetic benefits to other Sony businesses to be worth holding on to.

Sony Pictures Entertainment, the unit directly concerned, expects to gain half of the purchase price in cash and the remaining half in Scopely shares.

The timeline for the transaction has yet to be decided, but afterwards Sony Pictures will become a minority shareholder in Scopely.

Launched in 2011, privately-held Scopely has published a number of successful gaming franchises. Its revenues tripled from 2018 to 2020, having closed out 2020 with more than US$900 million of sales.

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DoorDash Expands Japan Service Area

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — DoorDash, an online food ordering and delivery company launched in Japan this June, has expanded its service areas in Miyagi, Okayama, and Saitama prefectures.

DoorDash Technologies Japan announced that, starting from October 27, delivery services will be available in the following regions: Ishinomaki (Miyagi), Osaki (Miyagi), Higashimatsushima (Miyagi), Soja (Okayama), Kasaoka (Okayama), Asakuchi (Okayama), southern Kurashiki (Okayama), and the major cities of Saitama Prefecture.

It was originally available only within Sendai city, Miyagi Prefecture.

Ryoma Yamamoto, DoorDash Japan’s representative and country manager, told the media that he is pleased DoorDash has been able to expand its service areas. In addition, he says that DoorDash will continue to “build a system that allows Dashers (delivery partners) to deliver beloved local gourmet foods from our restaurant partners to customers while contributing to the local economy and communities.”

Takashi Kanamori, chief of the planning division of the sushi restaurant Umai Sushikan, commented that “the company has been very supportive of its restaurant partners.”

Founded in 2013, DoorDash is currently the largest food delivery company in the United States, and has chosen Japan as its first Asian expansion country in June this year, putting it in direct competition with UberEats.

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XTurismo Hoverbike Goes on Sale

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — A.L.I. Technologies is now accepting customer orders for the XTurismo Limited Edition hoverbike at a price tag of ¥77.7 million (US$680,000).

It is equipped with a conventional gasoline engine and four battery-powered motors. The company has also revealed that the top speed is 100 kilometers per hour.

The maximum flight time is recorded as being 40 minutes, in line with previous announcements.

At Tuesday’s well-attended launch event, the hoverbike’s ability to fly was demonstrated for a gaggle of journalists at Fuji Speedway. The craft lifted only about five meters off the ground, moved slowly through the air for a little over a minute, and its propellers were rather loud, but it definitely can do at least the basics of what was been advertised.

The XTurismo Limited Edition is about 3.7 meters long and weighs about 300 kilograms.

Japanese law will not allow hoverbikes to be flown over the streets of the cities. For the time being owners would be limited to locations such as the race track where the press demonstration took place.

The company previously announced that customer deliveries would begin by the end of 2022.

During its recent exhibition in Daikanyama, Tokyo, Akihabara News took the following video footage of the craft.

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Yamato Explores Drug Delivery by Drone

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Major transportation firm Yamato Holdings is signing cooperation agreements with remote communities to test the concept of making deliveries of prescription drugs to elderly residents by drone.

“Regarding the receipt of prescription drugs,” a company statement explains, “many customers currently have ample opportunity to go directly to dispensing pharmacies and other outlets, but as the population ages, it is expected that demands for delivery will increase, especially in mountainous areas and rural areas.”

To address this expected need, Yamato has signed agreements with two local governments–Wake town (population 14,000) in Okayama Prefecture and Naka town (population 7,500) in Tokushima Prefecture.

Yamato will work with the local authorities to collect information, gather needed permissions, and conduct practical tests with an eye toward creating a system whereby elderly people in remote areas can receive their medicines without the need for traveling to a pharmacy, which in some cases may be quite distant.

Also in mind is that such services may be needed in the wake of natural disasters, which sometimes cut off rural residents from the outside for a period of time when train lines or roads are temporarily severed.

The practical tests along the Yoshii River basin in Wake town are expected in late November, while the tests in Naka town are expected sometime in December.

Last year, Yamato announced that it was collaborating with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to develop a 400 kilogram payload-class cargo pod for an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aerial system.

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SkyDrive Experiments over Osaka Bay

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — SkyDrive conducted on Friday practical experiments over Osaka Bay aimed at providing data for eVTOL (flying car) development.

In the demonstration experiments, a SkyLift drone weighted down by luggage repeatedly lifted off to an altitude of about twenty meters and then flew about fifty meters offshore. The purpose was to collect data related to the impact of sea breezes and the rate of battery depletion.

The experiments were well covered by the local media, and perhaps the real objective of the experiments were heighten public awareness of the emerging eVTOL industry and to invite a higher degree of social acceptance.

Indeed, about two hundred local people gathered to watch the experiments, and they were handed questionnaires to gather their opinions.

SkyDrive’s efforts are also being promoted in connection with the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, which is shaping up to become a major showcase for eVTOL technology in Japan.

SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa told the media, “Since many people from overseas will visit the Expo, we would like to proceed with development so that people can experience the possible changes in their future lives and in their means of transportation.”

In addition to SkyDrive, four of its partners–Obayashi Corporation, Kansai Electric Power Company, Kintetsu Group, and Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance–also participated in the experiments.

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JAL Flying Car Survey in Osaka

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Japan Airlines (JAL), quickly following up on its announcement this week that it is forming an eVTOL (flying car) partnership with Avolon and Vertical Aerospace, has revealed that it will be conducting an eVTOL survey in Osaka together with its longer-established partner, Volocopter.

The “Demonstration Test toward the Realization of eVTOL” is part of JAL’s preparations for the 2025 World Expo, where the company is planning to conduct “scenic flights to view the area around Yumeshima” for various passengers.

Next month, JAL will conduct test helicopter flights over Yumeshima, the planned site of the Expo, to “investigate the constraints on the flight environment and ground facilities.”

This will be followed up next February by collaborating with Volocopter to conduct Osaka resident surveys. These will involve giving some residents an opportunity to experience eVTOL “virtual flights” in an effort to determine the prospects for social acceptance.

Both JAL and Volocopter are participants in the local government’s Osaka Roundtable on a Moving Revolution Society in the Sky.

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JAL Ties Up with Avolon on Flying Cars

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Japan Airlines (JAL) has made another strategic move in the eVTOL (flying car) industry by tying up with Avolon, a Dublin-based global aircraft leasing company.

The alliance aims to identify potential local partners and customers, as well as to examine infrastructure requirements, for the purpose of introducing one of the world’s first eVTOL ride sharing businesses in Japan by 2025, in time for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka.

Tomohiro Nishihata, managing executive officer of JAL, commented that this alliance “represents an important step towards the social implementation of air taxi at Osaka Kansai Expo in 2025. Our partnership with Avolon, lays out the pathway towards achieving air mobility revolution in Japan.”

Domhnal Slattery, CEO of Avolon, added, “We continue to identify partners who share the same vision to revolutionize air travel through zero-emissions eVTOL aircraft and shape the future of travel. This latest long-term partnership with JAL aligns us with one of Japan’s leading airlines on their journey to sustainability and to decarbonizing air transport.”

Additionally, through this partnership JAL will have a right to purchase or lease up to fifty Vertical Aerospace VA-X4 eVTOL aircraft from Avolon, with the option to purchase or lease up to fifty additional units.

Nishihata explains, “The introduction of VA-X4 will also contribute to reduce our environmental impact and we fundamentally believe that sustainability will be the engine for future growth across our business and region. We look forward to collaborating closely with Avolon and Vertical on the roadmap to certification for the VA-X4 with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau.”

UK-based Vertical Aerospace is the same eVTOL maker that the Marubeni Corporation teamed with less than a month ago with a very similar objective. In Marubeni’s case, it made a conditional pre-order of up to two hundred VA-X4, the same aircraft connected with the new JAL-Avolon deal.

Until this latest announcement, JAL was understood to be working mainly with Germany’s Volocopter on developing eVTOL services for Japan. In February 2020, the Japan Airlines Innovation Fund invested in Volocopter, and last September a “cooperation agreement to promote the development of the urban air mobility industry” was unveiled.

It has not been clarified what, if anything, JAL’s new partnership with Avolon and Vertical Aerospace portends for its existing links with Volocopter.

It is clear, however, that Volocopter keenly retains its Japan ambitions, having just joined the Osaka Roundtable on a Moving Revolution in the Sky.

Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter commented, “We are honored to be seated at the Osaka Roundtable and take flight at an important milestone of the Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai. Japan’s and Osaka’s commitment to urban air mobility commercialization and its open approach allows us to be involved in pioneering them into the future of mobility.”

The same announcement from Volocopter notes that JAL recently reserved both its VoloCity eVTOL and the VoloDrone for future use.

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Next Meats Upgrades Plant-Based Short-Rib

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Next Yakiniku Short-Rib 2.0, the latest plant-based short-rib product by Tokyo foodtech startup Next Meats, has just the market.

The original Next Yakiniku successfully entered the alternative meat market and drew media attention in Japan since its release last year. After local barbecue chains such as Yakiniku Like started serving the plant-based beef cuts, Next Yakiniku became available nationwide as well as overseas, including in places such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.

The latest product, Short-Rib 2.0, has improved upon the original Short-Rib 1.1. It provides a chewier texture and more closely resembles real beef. In addition, its protein content is 5% higher. The improved yakiniku sauce tastes identical to traditional Japanese-style barbecue.

The Next Yakiniku Short Rib 2.0 is purchasable on Next Meats’s online store and gradually it will be supplied to local retailers and restaurants, before also being exported to overseas markets.

Next Meats announced in August that it is building a first-of-its-kind, eco-friendly production facility called the Next Factory in Niigata Prefecture aiming to be a “one-stop hub dedicated to alternative protein products.”

Next Meats has set out a vision of replacing all animal meats in people’s diets by 2050.

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Bartini Flying Car Gains Japan Distributor

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Bartini, an overseas developer of an eVTOL (flying car) model, has reached an agreement by which Tokyo-based AirMobility will become its exclusive distributor in the Japan market.

Bartini CEO Ilya Khanykov commented, “We at Bartini are very pleased to conclude a distributor agreement with AirMobility in Japan, one of our important markets. We know that Japan values the environment, community, safety, high quality innovation, and aesthetics, and we believe that the flying car we have developed will definitely meet that need.”

Bartini’s corporate headquarters are in Delaware, but its main R&D center is in the suburbs of Moscow. It boasts that it is “based on traditional former Soviet aviation technology.”

Bartini’s eVTOL models aim for high energy efficiency, redundancy, and space-saving utilization. They are being equipped with hybrid engines using batteries and hydrogen fuel.

Bartini expects that its flying cars will be able to achieve a cruising range of up to about four times that of most battery-powered eVTOL, with a top cruising speed around 300 kilometers per hour.

Cabin comfort is another key focus of the Bartini designs.

AirMobility was established in Tokyo in 2019 with the aim of developing eVTOL-related sales and infrastructure, building and providing related services, and the introduction of eVTOLs models into the Japanese market that have been developed overseas.

In January, AirMobility established a cooperation agreement with Terra Drone related to eVTOL services, though few details have been released.

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