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Roboship Explores Future of Marine Vessels

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Nippon Yusen Autonomous Cargo Ship

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Backed by the Nippon Foundation, Japan’s largest shipping company, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line), plans to have a container ship pilot itself from Tokyo Bay to Ise city, Mie Prefecture.

The 380 kilometer voyage will be the world’s first test of an autonomous ship in an area with heavy marine traffic.

Shipping firms Mitsui OSK Lines and Nippon Yusen are working with shipbuilders to share both costs and expertise. Nippon Yusen is also working with Norwegian maritime company DNV to collect and analyze data on vessel condition and performance.

According to a recent survey by the National Association of Domestic Tanker Shipping, about 40% of Japan shipping crew are now 55 years or older. Employing autonomous ships in Japan would address the impending issue of the country’s aging and shrinking workforce.

Not only would this yield lower insurance premiums and improved safety, but the Nippon Foundation also acknowledges a heightened efficiency that will improve Japan’s economy by an estimated US$9 billion by 2040.

For the test run taking place next February, information will be relayed to a support center on land to feed directions to the unmanned vessel using satellite technology, onboard sensors, and Artificial Intelligence. In the case of an emergency, the ship can be steered remotely from this base.

The trial run will allow an exploration of what regulatory hurdles and industry standards are required to make autonomous ships ready for regular use.

The autonomous ships may be ready for practical use by 2025.

The Nippon Foundation aims to continue backing the development of autonomous ships with the goal of making up 50% of Japan’s local fleet autonomous by 2040.

According to Allied Market Research, the global market for autonomous shipping could grow to around US$166 billion by 2030.

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Drone Fund Invests in VFR

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Drone Fund, a Tokyo-based venture capital company, has made an investment of an undisclosed sum in VFR Inc., a Tokyo-based drone industry related company.

Kotaro Chiba, a representative of Drone Fund, explained, “As set as a government goal for 2022, the Level 4 autonomous vehicle ban will soon be upon us. Demands for drone safety and reliability are rising globally, and I believe that VFR, which has solid technological capabilities, will play a major role in this.”

VFR, established last year as a firm with roots tracing back to the old Sony Vaio personal computers, focuses on providing core technologies for drone development, manufacturing, and infrastructure, with a special interest in integrating 5G technologies into the drone world.

It also builds quality control systems to enhance, improve, and standardize the mass production of drone-related components.

As for Drone Fund, this is part of its third fund for drone industry development. Although investment figures have not been made available, the company states that it has so far invested in more than forty drone-related firms in Japan and overseas.

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Sendai Anti-Disaster Tech

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Sendai city, Miyagi Prefecture, has launched programs to help technology companies in the region partner up with major companies for disaster management initiatives.

Prime Value, a digital content producer based in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, has linked with communication provider NEC Platforms to create a system to address the need for rapid delivery of food and daily necessities to evacuation centers.

Prime Value President Ryoji Yoshida has designed the service with accessibility in mind, as the system allows orders to be placed by phone, fax, or the internet. It will convert information about orders placed via phone and fax into a digital format.

The company also aims to create a database of previous order records to help determine what kind of relief supplies and foods are needed during emergencies.

To address problems that occur during and immediately after a disaster, software developer Andex in Sendai is developing two mobile phone apps.

One app guides people to evacuation centers by showing the route to the nearest shelters; the other app will be used to support the operation of the centers by using Artificial Intelligence to recognize the gender, age, and number of people in a shelter to determine necessary supplies.

In 2018, Andex obtained a license for regional broadband mobile wireless access so that if mobile carriers restrict calls in times of disaster, Andex will not be affected.

Similarly, developer Trek Co. created a system that uses tablets installed at the entrance of evacuation centers to recognize the faces of evacuees and send data on their age and gender to local governments. With a 5G network, people can quickly be notified where their family members have evacuated based on their photos, and then share information on how crowded shelters are.

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JP Rakuten Drone Delivery in Mountains

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — JP Rakuten Logistics has conducted what are believed to be the first successful unassisted, non-visual deliveries of packages by drone in a mountainous area of Hakuba village, Nagano Prefecture.

In the tests, the drone repeatedly delivered about seven kilograms of food and drinks to a mountain lodge about 1,600 meters higher in altitude. The round trip was about ten kilometers in distance.

In accordance with Japan’s drone legislation, drones can make unassisted deliveries so long as they drop their payloads from a height of one meter or less.

In March of this year Japan Post and Rakuten announced a cross-company alliance, and this was followed the next month by the establishment of JP Rakuten Logistics, 50.1% owned by Japan Post and 49.9% owned by Rakuten.

Rakuten’s drone division was folded into the new venture company, which hopes that drone deliveries can play a role in the future by reducing costs for labor and transportation.

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Holoportation from United States to Japan

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Xordac Prime

PORTL (Tokyo) — The world’s only single-passenger, life-like, interactive holoportation machine will beam-in tech investor Marina Haba from Los Angeles to our Roppongi studio on October 6.

PORTL will be introduced to the media and public for the first time, when Los Angeles tech investor Marina Haba, along with her son Tairi, is beamed in via hologram to a PORTL unit in Tokyo, appearing in life-sized, volumetric 4K for an interactive meeting with her eldest son Issei.

Attendees will witness the revolutionary telecommunications technology, as Haba appears as if she’s really there–and is able to interact in a much more meaningful and impactful way than any other digital communications platform.

Haba along with her husband Joe Wallace was an early partner in PORTL which has been backed by venture capitalist Tim Draper (known for Tesla and Skype). She is also known in Japan as an heir of the massive Maruhan entertainment empire. The event will take place on the morning of October 6 at the studio of Ideal Systems.

PORTL, invented by CEO David Nussbaum, was recently named the top innovation at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2021 by Reuters, and IT World named it the Telecom Startup of the Year. PORTL previously beamed Japanese “Virtual Girl” Rin Asobi in avatar form from Tokyo to the Saturn Science Fiction & Horror Awards in Los Angeles, where she was able to interact live with fans.

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Japan’s Proposal for Global Food Security

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — At the UN Food System Summit on September 23, outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga outlined Japan’s three point strategy for global food security.

“It is vital to consider the entire process of food production and distribution as integrated ‘food systems,’” said Suga.

The most notable initiative is Japan’s strategy for sustainable food systems: Measures for Achievement of Decarbonization and Resilience with Innovation (MeaDRI), launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in May 2021.

The UN defines “food systems” as the constellation of activities involved in producing, processing, transporting, and consuming food.

The first point listed in Japan’s strategy, “achieve both productivity improvement and sustainability,” aims to drive innovation, digitalization, and the utilization of science and tech for food systems.

Suga referenced MeaDRI and how it will be used for the development of sustainable food systems with lower environmental burden, including decarbonization of the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries.

This involves greener production materials/machineries, development of “super” plant varieties with less environmental impact, long-term decarbonization of farmlands, forests and oceans, and higher efficiency based on data science and Artificial Intelligence.

The second and third points announced at the summit are to “maintain and strengthen free and fair trade” and to “take the climate and food and culture of each country and region into account.”

Professor Naoko Ishii of the Center for Global Commons, elaborated on Japan’s role in global food security, saying “Through an active contribution to global rule-making processes, Japan can help build truly sustainable food systems worldwide.”

Japan will host the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit in December where further strategies for achieving Sustainable Development Goal targets will be discussed.

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Nagasaki Casino Resort Concept Images

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Nagasaki Prefecture has released concept images of the Integrated Resort (IR) including a casino that Casinos Austria International has proposed to build at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo city.

This represents the most extensive visualization available of one of the casino resorts that might be licensed by the central government sometime next year.

The image at the top is of the European-style casino that would sit at the heart of the facility, and is of course the most controversial aspect of the proposed US$3.2 billion development.

Ten additional concept images are provided below, beginning with six images of how the facility may look from the outdoors.

The following four images are of the exhibition and conference facilities, regarded by the Japanese government of one of the most crucial reasons why IRs are needed in the country.

Although not a focus of the current set of concept images, there are planned to be several high-end European-style hotels on the IR grounds as well, including an extensive renovation of the existing Hotel Europe.

If licensed, would target a FY2027 date for opening to the public.

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Honda Enters the Flying Car Race

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Honda Motor has revealed that it is developing its own model of eVTOL (flying car) that it plans to put into commercial development at the beginning of the 2030s.

The Honda eVTOL will be distinguished from almost all other eVTOL models by the fact that Honda is planning to equip it with a hybrid engine, not a fully electric engine as other developers are working on. It’s not clear what this means in terms of its carbon emissions, but Honda expects that this will allow for superior capabilities.

The model eVTOL exhibited possesses two wings with four propellers on each wing. The cabin for the occupants is designed to be spacious.

In terms of flight performance, the Honda eVTOL is expected to have a maximum cruising distance of about about 400 kilometers, considerably longer than most other eVTOLs being developed around the world. The firm expects that this will make it possible to transport passengers between cities.

In addition, it is expected to be capable of a maximum speed of about 270 kilometers per hour and have a cruising altitude between 1,800 to 3,000 meters. The weight-carrying capacity is expected to be about 400 kilograms.

The company expects to have a competitive advantage on other eVTOL producers based not only on its status as one of the world’s leading automakers, but also as the producer of the HA-420 HondaJet, which gives it rich experience in the aircraft industry, including the regulatory aspects of the business.

The timeline being sketched out is that practical tests of the Honda eVTOL will begin in the United States in 2023, regulatory approval gained near the end of the decade, and then the launch commercial operations in earnest at the beginning of the 2030s.

Honda is currently looking more at the North American market for its eVTOL than its home market of Japan.

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A.L.I. Smart Agriculture Drones

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — A.L.I. Technologies has announced that its agricultural remote sensing drone services have cumulatively reached 36–or more than three-quarters–of Japan’s prefectures in its first two years of business.

These remote sensing operations refer to the visualizing of the growth of crops based on aerial images taken by drone. The data from these images is then utilized to decide where additional fertilizer needs to be spread, and in this way it is possible to significantly reduce labor costs in managing the farmland.

According to A.L.I., an increasing number of Japanese farmers are becoming willing to employ high technology solutions.

Tokyo-based A.L.I. Technologies was founded in September 2016, and in addition to its agricultural drone services, it is also developing cloud rendering services for 3D rendering and the XTurismo Hoverbike, a one-person eVTOL, or flying motorbike.

The firm is capitalized at about ¥100 million (US$910,000).

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Caesars Joins Wakayama IR Consortium

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — In an entirely unexpected move, Caesars Entertainment has joined the project of the Clairvest Group, giving heft to the proposed Wakayama Integrated Resort, including a casino that Caesars would operate.

“We are thrilled to partner with Caesars Entertainment,” said Eddie Woo, representative director of Clairvest Neem Ventures. “Caesars and Clairvest Neem Ventures share a common vision for Japan’s national IR program. Not only will it serve to enhance the economic recovery from the Covid pandemic through increased international visitation, but we are confident that together we can create a resort that provides significant local economic stimulation in Wakayama Prefecture, throughout the Kansai region, and the rest of Japan.”

Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment, added. ”Caesars is an iconic brand, and we are proud to partner with Clairvest Neem Ventures to bring it to Japan. We believe our experience blends perfectly with Clairvest Neem Ventures’ and look forward to creating something special with them for the Kansai region.”

It was previously mooted that France’s Groupe Partouche would be the casino operator for the Wakayama IR. According to journalist Muhammad Cohen, who broke the story at ICE365, Caesars has now “replaced” Partouche within the consortium, although none of companies involved have yet confirmed that information.

Other players such as William Weidner’s AMSE Resorts Japan and esports entrepreneur Mario Ho are believed to still be members of the Wakayama IR consortium.

The press release does clarify that Caesars will have “no capital commitment” at the initial stage of its entry into the Wakayama consortium. However, since it is the largest casino entertainment company in the United States that is now affiliating with relatively tiny partners, it invites speculation that Caesars may ultimately buy out the Clairvest and others’ stakes some years down the road.

The move into Wakayama represents a major reversal of policy for Caesars Entertainment, which officially announced its withdrawal from the Japan IR market in August 2019.

While the firm had built up a strong Japan-based team in the two years before that date, including a campaign launched in September 2018 called the “100 Year Partnership for Japan,” this all came to a sudden stop when the company was acquired in a blockbuster US$17.3 billion merger with Eldorado Resorts.

There was no specific reason why Caesars ended its efforts in Japan, except that the new leader of the gargantuan company, Tom Reeg, felt that all efforts should be focused on the US market. Not only did Caesars give up its hunt in Japan, it also pulled out of a major project in Incheon, South Korea, that was in the process of construction.

Caesars reemergence in Asia now is the first time that the company under Reeg’s leadership has authorized a return to international expansion.

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Woven City Collaborations

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Toyota’s Woven City, envisioned as a “living laboratory” for full-time residents and researchers who will test and develop smart city technologies, is coming closer to fruition with a number of new collaborations.

Various companies are developing partnerships with Woven Planet Holdings, the subsidiary of Toyota overseeing the development of Woven City, located in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Eneos Corporation, a leading company in the hydrogen business that operates 45 commercial hydrogen refueling stations in the four major metropolitan areas in Japan, announced in May that it has agreed on a new partnership with Woven Planet to explore the utilization and application of hydrogen energy at Woven City.

Through this effort, its aims to help achieve a carbon-neutral society by 2050 as Japan and many other countries around the world have committed.

Isuzu Motors and Hino Motors announced on June 8 an agreement to proceed with talks on the utilization of the Automated Mapping Platform (AMP) developed by Woven Alpha, a group company of Woven Planet.

The AMP is a connected crowdsourced software platform that supports the creation, development, and distribution of high definition maps. The Woven Alpha team plans to develop the AMP to become the most globally comprehensive road and lane network high definition map platform enabling high-precision localization support to automated driving vehicles.

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) will collaborate with Woven Alpha to explore safety measures for advanced driver assistance systems with the AMP. Together the companies are conducting both lab-based and field test research for the development and deployment of improved safety functionality.

This collaboration will explore the technical requirements of using the AMP together with MFTBC advanced driver assistance systems as well as the advantages of using the AMP high definition maps over conventional maps. The first proof of concept will focus on the application of the AMP to provide an accurate Entering Curve Speed Warning developed by MFTBC using its heavy-duty Super Great trucks.

Level 5, the self-driving division of Lyft, was acquired by Woven Planet on July 10. It will also be acquiring the former Lyft division’s significant sensing, computing, and software assets, and the Level 5 strategic capabilities in automated driving systems.

Carmera, a US-based spatial Artificial Intelligence company that specializes in developing scalable, next-generation mapping solutions for automated mobility, was acquired by Woven Planet on August 10.

They will join Woven Planet’s AMP team with Carmera’s strengths in map updates and other technologies to complement and help expand upon the high definition mapping platform Woven Planet has already built.

Woven Capital, Woven Planet’s US$800 million global growth-stage investment fund, has also been putting money into other companies to further the developments at Woven City.

Nuro Inc., a leading robotics company providing autonomous delivery, was Woven Capital’s first investment in January. Nuro will be designing and engineering electric self-driving road vehicles to transform local commerce through autonomous delivery for things such as groceries.

Woven Capital invested in Ridecell Inc. on July 17. As a leading platform powering digital transformations and IoT automation for fleet-driven businesses, Ridecell will turn “data overload into automated and efficient business operations” in Woven City.

Woven Planet’s recent collaborations have been in line with its vision of “Mobility to Love, Safety to Live,” with multiple initiatives to make automated transportation safer and more accessible.

Announcements for future partnerships in other fields are expected, as Woven Planet has received 4,700 applications since June for collaborations from areas including agriculture, healthcare, and education.

Woven City is expected to hold a partial public opening in 2024.

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J-Power: 650MW in Wind Energy by FY2024

Posted on September 28, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — With several new projects under construction and renewal of old turbines, Electric Power Development (J-Power) expects to have 650 megawatts of wind energy in service by FY2024.

At present, J-Power has about 540 megawatts of wind energy operating at 23 locations around Japan. This is equivalent to more than half of the electricity generation capacity of a conventional nuclear reactor.

The wind farms tend to be rather small, with the average number of turbines at a single site averaging about twelve. Geographically, they are widely spread from Kagoshima to Hokkaido.

J-Power has two new wind farms under construction, a 42 megawatt site in Hokkaido and a 34 megawatt site in Ehime, each of which will feature ten turbines.

Moreover, there are two sites in Hokkaido with a combined generation capacity of 35 megawatts that are currently offline for renewal.

In its latest announcement, J-Power has revealed that its oldest wind farm, the twenty-year-old Nikaho Kogen Wind Farm in Akita, is also entering a renewal process. In its case, its fifteen existing aged wind turbines, which each have a capacity of 1.6 megawatts, will be replaced with six new 4.3 megawatt wind turbines supplied by Siemens Gamesa.

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Osaka Approves MGM-Orix IR Bid

Posted on September 28, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Osaka Prefecture has officially selected the MGM Resorts-Orix Corporation consortium’s bid for the construction of a major urban Integrated Resort (IR) including a casino at the Yumeshima site in Osaka Bay.

The approval of the ¥1 trillion (US$9.1 billion) bid was widely anticipated because no other consortium opted to challenge MGM-Orix in the final Request for Proposal round.

Bill Hornbuckle, president and CEO of MGM Resorts International, stated, “Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City have implemented a comprehensive and well considered selection process to achieve the goal of developing a world-class Integrated Resort in Osaka, and I am honored that we have been selected as the partner for Osaka. No other place has a brighter and more enjoyable future for tourism and hospitality than Japan, and Osaka is a good place to launch that future.”

MGM Resorts has been working toward this result for the better part of a decade in a methodical and determined fashion. Its “Osaka First” policy was officially declared in January 2019, but long before that time it had focused on this location more than any other in Japan.

While at one point there was speculation that it might go higher, the ¥1 trillion investment figure has also been on the table for quite some time. Then-Chairman and CEO James Murren publicly dropped that number as early as November 2017.

Once it opens its doors in the latter part of this decade, it is estimated that the Yumeshima IR will pull in over 20 million visitors on an annual basis and produce yearly revenues of about ¥540 billion (US$4.9 billion).

MGM and Orix will be equal partners in the consortium with about 40% ownership each. The remaining 20% will likely be taken up by a wide range of smaller partners.

The planned IR will have a floor area of 770,000 square meters, including a casino, an international conference hall, an exhibition hall of about 20,000 square meters, and large-scale accommodation and entertainment facilities. About 15,000 people will be directly employed.

All three of the candidate prefectures—Osaka, Wakayama, and Nagasaki—have now selected their IR consortium partners. The next step is the joint applications to the national government for licensing.

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Mitsubishi Seeks Canadian Blue Hydrogen

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Mitsubishi Corporation and Shell Canada Products have signed a memorandum of understanding for the production of blue hydrogen.

The low-carbon hydrogen will be produced along with the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) close to the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Scotford, located near Edmonton.

Scotford is involved in the Polaris CCS project, an initiative by Shell to explore low-carbon opportunities, and the memorandum with Mitsubishi is a step forward in its development.

Edmonton is considered to be Canada’s first hydrogen hub as its abundance of natural gas resources and proven carbon dioxide storage capacity make it conducive to blue hydrogen initiatives.

The first phase of the project aims for production of 165,000 tons of hydrogen a year via a natural gas feedstock which will be converted into low carbon ammonia that will in turn be exported to Asian markets, mainly focusing on Japan.

The collaboration allows Shell to achieve a more significant role in the export of hydrogen and is presented as being progress towards Japan’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

Mitsubishi aims to start construction of the facility by 2030.

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Food Production on the Moon and Mars

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture has joined the space race with a subsidy program for the development of food production methods on the Moon and Mars.

The ministry explains, “In order for Japan to contribute to the international community, enhance its presence, and strengthen its competitiveness, it is necessary to promote the technological development required on the Moon and Mars. One of the important factors is the technology to achieve high quality of life while securing stable food.”

The winner of the public tender offering, presumably a domestic research institute, will receive up to ¥310 million (US$2.8 million) in taxpayer funding over five years.

The government envisions a need for food sources to be developed which do not depend on deliveries from Earth. This food might be cultivated in underground bases on the Moon and Mars, perhaps including lab-grown meat made from extracted cells of animals like cows and pigs, as well as the production of foods like rice, soy beans, and produce.

The recycling of organic waste will likely be critical to these efforts.

In August, it was reported that Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) would link up with Space Foodsphere, a Tokyo-based space food research group, with the aim of creating sustainable food sources on the Moon.

JAXA plans to establish a base on the Moon in the first half of the 2030s, and ambitious startups like ispace hope to push the timeline for Moon bases as much forward as possible.

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Marubeni Flying Car Alliance with Vertical

Posted on September 26, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Just days after Marubeni Corporation announced a pre-order for up to 200 eVTOL (flying cars) from UK-based Vertical Aerospace, the two firms revealed that they were forming an alliance to serve the Japan market.

The ultimate aim of the alliance is to create one of the first eVTOL taxi services in Japan. It is said that this could, for example, make possible flights between Tokyo Station and Narita Airport with only 14 minutes of flight time. This compares with the 53 minutes it currently takes between these two points via the Narita Express train service.

In the earlier stages of the alliance, it will focus on matters such as conducting market research and investigating regulatory issues with related ministries and agencies. It will also look into the issue of developing vertiports, most likely in collaboration with other business partners.

Finally, the alliance will make efforts to foster social acceptance of flying car services.

The alliance hopes that the first air taxi services might begin in Japan in 2024 or 2025.

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Demon Slayer: New Mission

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — In the twenty-sixth and final episode of the first season of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Muzan Kibutsuji dismantles the lower rankings of the Twelve Kizukis, while Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu are assigned another mission.

The episode begins with the Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu continuing their training while maintaining Total Concentration Breathing Constant.

The remaining five lower rank kizukis, are summoned to a strange dimension that is controlled by a demoness with a biwa (short-necked wooden lute) using Blood Demon Art. The kizukis wonder why they have been gathered and why Rui (lower five) has not arrived, indicating that they were not aware that he had been killed.

Muzan Kibutsuji shows up under the guise of a female demon and the kizukis bow in his presence. He reveals that Rui was killed and admonishes the lower rank for being so weak. When one of the demons talks back, he kills him immediately.

One of the kizukis tries running when he realizes Kibutsuji is about to kill all of them, and is immediately killed. Kibutsuji announces that he is dismantling the lower rank kizukis and proceeds to kill all but one.

Kibutsuji gives the remaining kizuki more of his blood and demands him to kill the Hashiras, and specifically asks him to bring back the demon slayer with the hanafuda earrings, referring to Tanjiro.

Meanwhile, the Kasugai Crow assigns Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu to the Mugen Train, which Rengoku the flame Hashira was assigned to a few weeks ago. The crow notifies them that the demon is still at large and more people are dying, therefore, they were being summoned as back up for Rengoku.

It is revealed that Shinobu Kocho had recommended Tanjiro to the Master for the Mugen Train mission as he had exceeded all her expectations.

Tanjiro says his goodbyes to Kanao Tsuyuri and she flips a coin to decide if she should answer him. For the first time, she talks to Tanjiro. She explains that she makes all her decisions based on the side the coin lands. She explains that nothing matters enough to her that she can make a decision, but Tanjiro does not accept that.

He grabs her coin and flips it, if it lands on tails she continues using the coin to make decisions, and if its head she listens to her heart. It lands on head. Kanao is left speechless, and Tanjiro leaves her with a smile.

The Kocho triplets pack them food for the journey. Tanjiro manages to catch Giyu Tomioka, the water Hashira, before he leaves and thanks him for all his help and support.

The boys reach the Mugen Train station, and Inosuke is baffled by the vehicle as he has never seen one before. The train leaves the station and boys climb aboard.

The episode ends with them headed into the night, with Nezuko strapped securely on Tanjiro’s back.

All First Season Episodes

Demon Slayer: Cruelty

Demon Slayer: Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki

Demon Slayer: Sabito and Makomo

Demon Slayer: Final Selection

Demon Slayer: My Own Steel

Demon Slayer: Swordsman Accompanying Demon

Demon Slayer: Muzan Kibutsuji

Demon Slayer: Smell of Enchanting Blood

Demon Slayer: Temari and Arrow Demon

Demon Slayer: Together Forever

Demon Slayer: Tsuzumi Mansion

Demon Slayer: The Boar Bares Its Fangs

Demon Slayer: More Important Than Life

Demon Slayer: House with Wisteria Crest

Demon Slayer: Mount Natagumo

Demon Slayer: Let Someone Go First

Demon Slayer: Master a Single Thing

Demon Slayer: A Forged Bond

Demon Slayer: Hinokami

Demon Slayer: Pretend Family

Demon Slayer: Against Corps Rules

Demon Slayer: Master of the Mansion

Demon Slayer: Hashira Meeting

Demon Slayer: Rehabilitation Training

Demon Slayer: Tsuguko, Kanao Tsuyuri

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Source: Akihabara News – Demon Slayer: New Mission

Small is Beautiful for SkyDrive Flying Car

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Xordac Prime

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — In a press conference for the foreign media held this week in Tokyo, SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa explained that his firm is aiming to build the world’s smallest eVTOLs (flying cars).

“As our product is very small, it can land on almost any building in the Tokyo area, or gasoline stations or convenience store parking lots,” Fukuzawa asserted. “Especially in Japan and Asian countries, the SkyDrive type will be more affordable.”

Fukuzawa later suggested a comparison to the automotive industry in the past century. Before the 1973 oil shock, large gas-guzzling American cars dominated the global market, but when gas prices rose sharply, Japanese automakers with their smaller sizes gained global popularity.

In a similar fashion, Fukuzawa believes that a SkyDrive two-seater, launched in 2025, will be able to carve out its own niche in the global market, perhaps especially in Asia and developing nations where public spaces are constrained.

Fukuzawa cited Southeast Asia in particular as a global region where his Japanese startup might begin its overseas expansion.

The current SD-03 model which is undergoing testing is a single-seat eVTOL, but the firm’s plans call for the development of the SD-XX which can carry either two people or one person and a considerable amount of baggage.

Fukuzawa says that in the early days of industry, there will be a human pilot conducting taxi services between fixed vertiports in Japan, but later, perhaps after a decade or so, the eVTOL will become autonomous and the vehicles will be sold directly to private individuals.

Fukuzawa himself and many core engineering members of SkyDrive’s one hundred member team previously worked for Toyota Motor. When SkyDrive launched in 2018, it had backing from the famous Japanese automaker, though the precise relationship at the moment is unclear.

Overall, SkyDrive has received about US$48 million in three rounds of funding from various sources, including the Development Bank of Japan.

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