Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Amazon.com will buy solar power from the trading house Mitsubishi Corporation under a major corporate power purchase agreement.

Amazon will purchase the power provided by 450 solar power stations developed by West Holdings, located in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area and Tohoku region. Mitsubishi will gather the generated electricity and provide it to Amazon’s data centers, logistics centers, and offices.

The agreement will last ten years, providing a total of 22,000 kilowatts of electricity.

Other property owners will also invest in the power stations. They will be charged for installation with a promise to recoup investments following the end of the Amazon agreement.

The solar power agreement comes after a wind power agreement earlier this year that sees Mitsubishi’s Dutch unit, Eneco, providing renewable energy to Amazon’s European facilities.

By 2025, Amazon plans to make 100% of its electricity used for its corporate activities renewable, and Japanese trading houses such as Mitsubishi are increasingly focusing on the development of clean energy.

West Holdings plans to have the solar power stations start operations by 2023.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — In FY2020 online shopping sales in Japan exceeded ¥10 trillion (US$91 billion). According to the Japan Direct Marketing Association (JADMA), 820 Japanese direct sales establishments increased their aggregate sales over 20% during the fiscal year.

The boom can be attributed to consumers turning to online platforms such as Amazon and Rakuten in lieu of in-person shopping as a result of Covid pandemic restrictions.

JADMA also credits the entry of new service providers for the increased sales, with a wider variety of companies answering the call for online buying options.

Amid this increased demand for stay-at-home shopping, the Rakuten Group is launching later this year Rakuten Zenkoku Super, an online supermarket.

Although some supermarkets are already offering online options, Rakuten Zenkoku Super will have the advantage of veteran expertise in e-commerce. Some businesses looking to enter the online supermarket space will soon be supported by Rakuten.

Rakuten ranked tenth on the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s list of top business-to-consumer e-commerce companies in 2020.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — PayPal has acquired Paidy, one of Japan’s few unicorns, or privately-held startups valued over US$1 billion, in a blockbuster deal to expand its reach into the Japanese market.

The ¥300 billion (US$2.7 billion) acquisition, expected to be formalized by the end of the year, will see Paidy continue to operate much as it does at present, and its top management remain in place.

PayPal hopes that Paidy, with its 4.3 million active customer accounts, will help it crack the “buy now, pay later” market in which the unicorn excels.

Paidy customers do not pay interest on the delayed payments. Rather, the firm collects a small fee from merchants when customers make purchases at their shops or businesses.

“Paidy pioneered buy now, pay later solutions tailored to the Japanese market and quickly grew to become the leading service, developing a sizable two-sided platform of consumers and merchants. Combining Paidy’s brand, capabilities and talented team with PayPal’s expertise, resources, and global scale will create a strong foundation to accelerate our momentum in this strategically important market.” commented Peter Kenevan, vice president and head of Japan at PayPal.

Paidy’s payment services allow Japan’s shoppers to make purchases online, and then pay for them each month in a consolidated bill at a convenience store or via bank transfer. The company uses its own technology to score creditworthiness, underwrite transactions, and guarantee payment to vendors.

Russell Cummer, founder and executive chairman of Paidy, stated, “There is no better home for Paidy to continue to grow and innovate than PayPal, which has been removing friction from online shopping for more than twenty years… Together with PayPal, we will be able to further achieve our mission of taking the hassle out of shopping.”

Riku Sugie, president and CEO of Paidy, added, “Paidy is just at the beginning of our journey and joining PayPal will accelerate our plans to expand beyond ecommerce and build unique services as the new shopping standard.”

Paidy was originally established under a different name in March 2008.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Japanese companies are expediting plans to implement 6G by the 2030s.

Following the US-Japan summit on April 16, it was revealed that the two countries will jointly invest US$4.5 billion for the development of the next generation of mobile networks.

In June, industry groups from Finland and Japan agreed to conduct joint research and development on 6G technology.

This will be a collaboration with Japan’s Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium made up of the University of Tokyo along with NTT, NTT Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank, Rakuten Mobile, and Finland’s 6G Flagship led by the University of Oulu.

On August 23, mobile operator Softbank also announced its plans for 6G implementation, with Vice-President and Head of the Advanced Technology Division Ryuji Wakikawa calling it “a technology for the 2030s.”

NTT Docomo currently owns about 6% of 5G patents, while Qualcomm and Huawei are roughly equal at about 10%.

The rush to become a key player in the 6G race serves to ensure Japan does not have the same slow start as it did with 5G.

6G is expected to be 100 times faster than 5G, and ten times more effective than 5G at connecting to multiple devices simultaneously, decreasing connection delays.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — The lawmaker bribery case that shook the fledgling Integrated Resort (IR) industry has concluded with the central figure, former Senior Vice-Minister of the Cabinet Office Tsukasa Akimoto, receiving a four-year prison sentence.

The case surrounded a Shenzhen-based, New York Stock Exchange-listed sports lottery firm then called 500 Dot Com (now renamed BIT Mining Limited and refocused on cryptocurrency), which established a subsidiary in Tokyo in July 2017 for the purpose entering the Japan IR market, first eyeing Okinawa Prefecture and later shifting its attention to Rusutsu village in Hokkaido.

The Chinese company apparently had the idea that the best way to secure one of the IR licenses was to offer direct cash bribes to Japanese politicians. They weren’t entirely wrong, because it turned out that at least half a dozen conservative politicians were willing to accept their bribes.

The recipient of the largest of the bribes—about ¥7.5 million (US$68,000) according to prosecutors—was Akimoto, who served for about a year from September 2017 as the Cabinet Office’s senior official in charge of developing Japan’s IR policy.

Reportedly receiving smaller bribes of ¥1 million (US$9,000) each were Takeshi Iwaya, Toshimitsu Funahashi, Hiroyuki Nakamura, and Masahisa Miyazaki of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party; as well as Mikio Shimoji of the Japan Innovation Party. While two of these politicians later admitted publicly that they had received the 500 Dot Com bribes, they were not charged by prosecutors for unclear reasons.

The prosecutors focused their attention mainly on Akimoto, who they identified as the ringleader, as well as the go-betweens and a prominent businessman in Hokkaido.

Through all the subsequent twists and turns in the case, Akimoto, who has refused to give up his seat in the House of Representatives, even while behind bars, has always insisted on his innocence, even as those who handed him the money and all of those around him admitted guilt.

This week the legal matter ends with Akimoto’s conviction and his four-year prison sentence. The go-betweens mostly received suspended sentences in light of their willingness to admit guilt and cooperate with the prosecutors.

As a political matter the impact will endure. The Japanese public has always been clear that it opposes the development of IRs including casinos mainly because of their concerns about spreading gambling addiction and facilitating crime.

The 500 Dot Com case illustrated in dramatic form that at least some of these public concerns are not misplaced, and that governance within Japan’s political system is open to question when it comes to the billions of dollars expected to circulate through the IR industry.

The conviction of Akimoto is a salutary warning to others what the price of casino-related corruption might be, but the fact that other conservative politicians—including former Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya—were essentially just let off the hook, certainly muddles this law-and-order message.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — As Japan and much of the international community look to move away from fossil fuels and towards a carbon zero future, innovation in electric vehicles has skyrocketed. Among these vehicles are electric take off and landing vehicles (eVTOL), which are often described as flying cars or flying taxis.

As futuristic as the idea may sound, eVTOLs may be available commercially in the coming years. The government has also thrown its support behind some eVTOL projects in hopes to spur domestic technological innovation.

SkyDrive is an eVTOL startup headquartered in Tokyo. Founded in July 2018 by Tomohiro Fukuzawa, it has already become rather prominent. With almost US$400 million in financial backing from Toyota, SkyDrive hopes to start commercial operations over Osaka Bay by 2023.

SkyDrive has already successfully tested a one-seater manned eVTOL vehicle, which it plans to turn into a two-seater for commercial use. With one of the smallest manned eVTOL vehicles, SkyDrive asserts that its two-passenger vehicle will be ideal for Japan’s crowded urban landscape.

NEC Corporation is a major Japanese technology company based in Tokyo. While best known as a manufacturer of electronics such as PCs and phones, NEC recently dove into the world of eVTOL as well. The company held a successful unmanned test flight in August 2019 with the help of many of the engineers behind SkyDrive, of which it has become a major corporate sponsor.

Tetra Aviation Corporation is an aircraft manufacturer based in Tokyo. Tetra’s newest aircraft, called the Mk-5, is a single-seat eVTOL that can travel up to 160kph with a range of about 160 kilometers. Tetra’s eVTOL is considerably easier to both fly and manufacture than most of its competitors’ vehicles. Tetra plans to start delivery of the Mk-5 as a kit as early as 2022, and it is already available for preorder.

Tetra has also partnered with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to research the development of quieter ducted fans in order to make its aircraft more acceptable to the residents of densely populated areas.

DroNext, an Osaka-based drone firm established in 2019, is in the early stages of development of an eVTOL vertiport it calls DroNext SmartHub.

Aside from the Japan-based firms, there are some companies based abroad that have made significant partnerships to enter the Japanese market.

Volocopter is an aircraft manufacturer established in 2011. While it is based in Germany, the company linked up with Japan Airlines (JAL) in September 2020 to develop and explore eVTOL opportunities in Japan.

Within this partnership, Japan Airlines plans to use Volocopter vehicles to operate a domestic air taxi service in the coming years. JAL has already signed an agreement with Mie Prefecture to conduct trials. The airline expects to begin commercial operations in the prefecture in 2025.

Joby Aviation is another eVTOL startup with heavy backing from Toyota. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, Joby has become one of the most prominent eVTOL startups in North America.

In early 2020, Toyota invested US$394 million into Joby. The startup has also received US$75 million in financial backing from Uber after acquiring the rideshare company’s air taxi division last year. Additionally, the startup has earned investment from Japan insurance company Aioi Nissay, who hopes to research insurance services and products for eVTOLs.

Joby’s air taxi can hold up to five passengers and is said to have a range of up to 240 kilometers. The company plans to start operating commercially in California by 2024.

Skyports is a UK-based provider of infrastructure for advanced air mobility, such as drones and eVTOL. In recent years, the company has sought to expand its network of vertiports across the globe, including Japan. Last year, Skyports partnered with Japanese trading company Kanematsu Corporation to develop vertiport infrastructure for eVTOLs in Japan.

Bell Textron is a US aircraft manufacturer based in Fort Worth, Texas. Founded in 1960, Bell partnered with Sumitomo Corporation and JAL last year. While Bell is best known as a manufacturer of civilian and military aircraft, it has recently entered the eVTOL business as well. With its Japanese partners, Bell hopes to create an on-demand urban air mobility network.

The partnership serves as another dimension of JALs’ desire to become a major player, if not the leader, in the domestic eVTOL market.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Sega Sammy Creation has announced that its new series of slot machines called Wealth Rush will shortly be appearing on the casino floors of Macau, China.

Developed by game studio Rising Digital, the Wealth Rush series offers four basic games, named Sorcerer’s Gems, Pixie Garden, Treasures of Fu, and Incredible Coins.

The firm says that subsequent to their appearance at major casinos in Macau, the slot series is expected to arrive in other Asian nations that have legalized casino gambling.

Sega Sammy Creation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings, and it was created in Tokyo in June 2013 as an equipment manufacturer that plans, manufactures, and sells casino equipment, and led by its new President and CEO Scott Winzeler.

Although casino slot machines cannot yet be used legally in Japan, Sega Sammy Creation has focused its business first on the Las Vegas and North American markets, and more recently on the Asian markets.

Sega Sammy Holdings as a whole has long been positioning itself to enter the Integrated Resort (IR) market, and it is in fact a partner in the Paradise City IR in Incheon, South Korea. The company had tied up with Genting Singapore to bid on the establishment of the proposed IR at Yamashita Pier in Yokohama, although the recent mayoral elections appears to have put an end to that particular prospect.

Sega Sammy Holdings still operates the Phoenix Seagaia Resort in Miyazaki Prefecture, an investment that was intended to help provide it experience for its ultimate operation of a major IR in Japan. Chairman Hajime Satomi long ago began explaining that Sega Sammy’s resorts business was supposed to become its revenue center for the future, as the pachinko equipment and video games divisions would likely decline in importance over time.

As for Sega Sammy Creation, the casino equipment manufacturing division, it is expected to remain busy trying to challenge the much larger and more established casino equipment companies in overseas markets, waiting for the first IRs to open in Japan later this decade.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — A consortium led by the Toda Corporation recently won the tender for an offshore wind farm in Nagasaki, opening a new chapter for Japan’s offshore wind energy projects.

The floating wind farm is slated to have a capacity of 16.8 megawatt and will be located in waters off the coast of Goto city, Nagasaki Prefecture.

This wind farm project is being operated by a consortium called Goto City Offshore Wind Power Generation. It is led by Toda and includes Osaka Gas, Kansai Electric, Eneos Corporation, Inpex Corporation, and Chubu Electric.

A first-of-its-kind open bidding process for the Goto location was conducted in the second half of 2020. The Toda-led consortium was the only applicant.

In December 2018, the National Diet passed the Act on Promoting the Utilization of Sea Areas for the Development of Marine Renewable Energy Power Generation Facilities, setting the stage for the current developments.

In July 2019, the government identified eleven ocean areas it believes potentially suitable for the development of offshore wind farms, including four areas off Akita Prefecture, three areas off Aomori Prefecture, two areas (including Goto) off Nagasaki Prefecture, and one area each belonging to Niigata Prefecture and the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.

In April, the offshore construction phase of the 139 megawatt Akita Noshiro Offshore Wind Farm project began. That project, which expects to launch commercial operations at the end of 2022, is in the hands of a consortium led by the Marubeni Corporation.

Japan’s government has set a target of generating up to 45 gigawatt of power through offshore wind power annually by 2040.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — DroNext, a firm based in Sakai city, Osaka, is already making a mark with its drone services, and it is moving toward an ambitious and innovative plan to enter the eVTOL (flying car) industry as well.

Founded by Asa Quesenberry in April 2019, DroNext’s business encompasses both aerial drones and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV). The firm doesn’t manufacture the hardware, but it has found its niche providing to its clients with Hardware as a Service (HaaS).

“We’ve had a lot of success acting as a bridge business where foreign companies are looking to work in Japan,” Quesenberry told Akihabara News in an exclusive interview. “Maybe they need drones for one of their developments or a project, but due to language barriers or any of the problems you would name with access to the Japanese market, it’s quite difficult.”

Inspired by the fact that Japan is a maritime nation, a substantial part of DroNext’s business focuses on ROVs, which are employed for jobs such as marina or harbor inspections, or inspecting ships that have parked at Japanese ports.

Quesenberry explains that his firm believes in “spreading the wealth,” by which he means that DroNext maintains a wide network around the nation of pilots and others who work with the company when there are jobs to be done in regional locations, far from Osaka.

Although the current business has achieved some degree of success, Quesenberry is looking carefully at current trends in the drone industry and projecting both the areas where demand may gradually fall off and the opportunities which may open up in the future.

One factor he recognizes is that the longterm future for drone pilots may not be so bright. Increasingly, he expects the next generation of drones to become autonomous, meaning the need for direct human guidance will gradually be reduced.

He also has his eye on the potentially lucrative eVTOL market, and is in fact planning a fundraising round in the coming months to begin to shift DroNext towards that industry. But his strategy is a bit off the beaten path.

“Everyone’s trying to build the day-to-day car, the eVTOL flying passenger car,” he explains. “Very few people are focused on infrastructure.”

While the specifics are still under development, Quesenberry and his team are drawing up plans for the DroNext SmartHub, which will be a “vertiport” (a port for eVTOLs and drones) that will become a beehive for eVTOL manufacturers, electric charging companies, drone logistics companies, and retail marketers, much like the train stations of contemporary Japan.

Quesenberry believes that building out this kind of urban infrastructure for eVTOLs and drones, incorporating landing and service facilities for multiple vehicle manufacturers and service providers, is the best way to ensure that they become part of our lives in the coming years and decades.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — In the twenty-third episode of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Tanjiro gets the approval from the Master to travel with his sister and is reunited with Zenitsu and Inosuke. The Hashiras have their annual meeting.

The episode begins with Nezuko staring down Sanemi Shinazugawa and the blood dripping from his hands. She remembers her family and human instincts and turns away from him. This confirms the Master’s statement that she is a harmless demon.

The Master, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, judges that they may continue fighting demons as a pair to prove themselves and win over the rest of the Hashiras that remained skeptical.

On command, two Kakushis, the clean up crew of the demon slayers, take Tanjiro and Nezuko back to Shinobu Kocho’s mansion for healing and rehabilitation.

Outside the mansion, they encounter Kanao Tsuyuri, a girl Tanjiro had met previously during the Final Selection. The Kakushis inform him that she is trained by the Hashira is swordsmanship.

Tanjiro is taken into the mansion where he hears Zenitsu crying about not wanting to take his medication. His limbs are still deformed from the spider venom. Tanjiro is overjoyed to see him alive and whining.

Next to him lays Inosuke, silently. His vocal chords were damaged when he was nearly strangled to death by the father demon. He is depressed that he was weaker than he thought. Tanjiro is just glad that he is still alive.

Nezuko is given her own room to reside in.

Meanwhile, the Hashira conduct their annual meeting with Ubuyashiki. They take note of the rampant demon activities lately and conclude that Mount Natagumo was merely a distraction from Muzan Kibutsuji. The Hashiras claim that the quality of demon slayers has decreased, and they need stronger people.

Once the meeting concludes, the episode ends with the Master vowing to himself that Kibutsuji will be defeated.

Previous Articles

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

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Kyoto-based startup MetroWeather has gained a contract from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to create wind maps that will enhance the safety of drones and eVTOL (flying cars) in urban areas.

The Urban Weather Sensing Infrastructure project will see MetroWeather partner with Virginia-based TruWeather Solutions to build an urban weather observation infrastructure to be used for a wide-scale deployment of commercial drones and eVTOL.

MetroWeather will play its role by providing the optimal sensing algorithm and sampling strategy for lidar (light detection and ranging, a technology that uses light to measure distances) in urban areas and developing the model for lidar data to be organized into a useable form.

The practical application is that this data will be used by pilots “to visualize local wind gusts and
windshear that affect drone takeoffs, landings, and flights in real time,” in the words of MetroWeather CEO Junichi Furumoto.

He added that the project is “expected to deploy a number of lidars not only at drone ports but also at regional airports. As such, we believe we can contribute to the realization of safe drone operations and air safety and security. MetroWeather is very proud to partner with TruWeather and to engage in this NASA-funded project, which will bring us even closer to realizing such world.”

The funding is part of NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research grant program.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Last month video game magazine Shukan Famitsu revealed that all thirty of the most popular games on its weekly software sales chart were for the Nintendo Switch, an unprecedented degree of domination by a single gaming platform.

While many other kinds of companies in Japan struggled to maintain sales and profits during the pandemic, the gaming industry had an extraordinarily good year in 2020. Covid lockdowns and restrictions forced many Japanese to stay home and isolate, pushing many to look for more sedentary options for entertainment.

Nintendo, in particular, benefitted from this situation.

In the fall of 2020, Nintendo saw its quarterly profits go up by 400% from the previous year thanks to Covid lockdowns and a strong product line. The convenience of the Switch, which allows players to use the console as a hand-held device or on a big screen, contributed to its success.

Meanwhile, competitors such as Sony and Microsoft, which might have ridden the same wave in 2020, were less well positioned to do so.

While Sony’s Playstation 5 (PS5) has seen massive success internationally, Japan’s gaming community has been less excited about the console and its November 2020 release for multiple reasons.

In terms of marketing, Sony had long been shifting away from its Japanese customer base and more towards a global approach. Back in 2014, Sony released the PS4 in Japan over three months after the console had been released in North America.

In 2016, Sony Interactive Entertainment, the subsidiary responsible for PlayStation, moved its headquarters from Japan to the United States. This move by Sony caused resentment among many Japanese players towards the video game giant.

In the PS5 release, Sony even neglected to add Japanese narration to the console’s reveal video, a move that further alienated its customer base in Japan.

Sony’s shift away from the Japanese market, as well as supply limitations, contributed to the PS5 having the worst launch performance of any PlayStation console since the PlayStation Portable in 2004.

In more recent months, PS5 sales have been rising, finally overcoming the PS4 in sales.

But PS5 games have continued to sell poorly in Japan, at least when compared to the massive success of the Nintendo Switch.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Dai Nippon Printing has announced the development of a “Reflect Array” that can bounce the millimeter waves used in 5G mobile communications systems to devices in an expanded coverage area.

Once installed–for example on the side of a building–the Reflect Array helps the 5G signals emitted from base stations and relays to cover a wider area than would otherwise be the case.

Unlike the conventional 4G technology, the higher frequency 5G milliwaves have more difficulty passing through solid objects such as buildings, and thus it requires more base stations and relays to ensure that 5G capable devices are receiving the signals.

The Dai Nippon Printing Reflect Arrays are constructed to selectively reflect predetermined frequency bands. It can also be adjusted to reflect the milliwaves in a desired direction. This creates a solution for many urban spaces that is cheaper than installing additional base stations and associated relay equipment.

It is also possible to print various patterns on the surface of the array, making it possible to add external designs, including advertising signboards.

A related product was unveiled by NTT Docomo and glass manufacturer AGC in January. In that case, the product was a prototype metasurface that allows 5G radio signals to pass through closed windows, also expanding the reach of 5G networks.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Artificial Intelligence, robotics, and sensor innovations means Japanese homes may be smarter than ever, and these startups aim to lead the way.

Among the emerging smart home companies in Japan are DG Takano, First Ascent, mui Lab, nextEDGE Technology, Nature, Nekoriko, Crossdoor, Photosynth, Groove X, and Bitkey.

DG Takano is a technology design company established by Masaaki Takano. Released in 2020, DG Takano’s Bubble90 is a water-saving nozzle that conserves up to 95% water and requires no electricity to function. It works by shooting jets made up of 90% air and 10% water, creating strong water pressure without overconsumption. The Bubble90 is currently used by top restaurant chains in Japan in more than 24,000 different locations.

First Ascent was founded in 2012 with Tomoyuki Hattori as its representative director. The company employs machine learning and Internet of Things (IoT) in consulting and website and application development. Past projects include the baby monitoring phone applications Papatto Childcare, CryAnalyzer, and ainenne. Papatto Childcare is designed to “help raise your child” with daily record-keeping and analysis, and won the 8th Kids Design Award in 2019. CryAnalyzer runs an algorithm that can analyze a baby’s crying sounds to determine its emotions, and is integrated into Papatto Childcare. Finally, ainenne is an alarm clock application that utilizes sound and light to work in line with babies’ biological clocks, and won the CES Innovation Award in 2021.

mui Lab was established in 2017 by Nobuyasu Hirobe, Kaz Oki, and Mark Nomura. Their flagship product, mui, is an interactive smart home control hub integrated into a panel of wood. mui can send and receive messages, check the news and weather, and control other smart devices (lighting, thermostats, etc.). mui Lab continues to explore “calm technology” with software and hardware design drawing inspiration from nature and traditional Japanese aesthetic motifs.

nextEDGE Technology is a software engineering company founded in 2004. It released the aeroTAP touchless device and 3D sensor in 2016. The aeroTAP lists various different applications, such as sanitary touchless interfaces in hospitals, accessibility in computer usage, and convenience for store checkout counters. The aeroTAP does not require exclusive software for operation and therefore is easily applicable to both business and personal use.

Nature was founded by Haruumi Shiode in 2014 and employs IoT products for clean energy. The Nature Remo 3 is a smart home control center that connects any home appliance that uses infrared remote controllers to a smartphone/smart speaker regardless of the manufacturer, model, or production year. Multiple appliances can be controlled simultaneously and can be automated via triggers such as day and time, GPS location, temperature, humidity, motion, and light. It also comes in a “mini” model that is smaller in size and does not detect motion or light, but is otherwise identical.

Nekoriko, established as a joint venture company in 2018 by Chubu Electric Power and Internet Initiative Japan Inc. focuses on IoT services in households. Nekoriko’s flagship product is the Bocco emo, a friendly-looking robot able to watch over distant family members with LTE communication. Previously only for rental, families can now purchase the Bocco emo unit so they can use the device for long periods of time and personalize it to their liking.

Crossdoor, founded 2010 by Takuro Ichido, creates several energy-efficient IoT household controllers. The Crossdoor square is a smart remote control that can be installed into a wall and can work with both a LAN connection and a LAN cable plugged into a Power over Ethernet supply. Crossdoor also has several wireless options available that work with a parent unit so users can employ a stationary unit with mobile subunits for different rooms in their household.

Photosynth, established in 2014, is the parent to the Akerun home security series. The Akerun Pro is an electromagnetic smart lock that can simply be stuck onto a door with no tools or further installation required. This can be controlled with the stationary Akerun Controller, or users can utilize the Akerun Access Control System which allows them to use smartphones, ID cards, or transportation cards as a key.

Groove X, founded in 2015, was originally created to aid other startups in their financing department. Their flagship product, Lovot, was unveiled in 2018 and is a home robot that employs Emotional Robotics to provide comfort. Lovot lists 10 CPU cores, 20 MCUs, and 50 sensors to create “behavior that is very much like a living being.”

Bitkey, established in 2018, provides various smart lock, smart access, and security solutions for homes and buildings. With the implementation of CyberLink’s FaceMe facial recognition technology, Bitkey enables contactless facial recognition to identify individuals and secure entry for homes and offices, as well as admission tickets at concert venues. At this stage, the technology has been deployed in an apartment building in the Koto Ward, Tokyo. Residents can use their faces as keys to safely enter the house, eliminating the need for security cards or traditional keys.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — The Japanese space industry startup ispace has unveiled its “Series 2” lunar lander, which will have the capacity to carry bigger payloads to the Moon.

Standing at approximately 3.5 meters tall and 4.2 meters wide, including its legs, the Series 2 is larger in both size and customer payload design capacity than ispace’s first-generation lander model, Series 1, which the company is developing for its first and second missions.

That means that the Series 2 will not be utilized until the first half of 2024 at the earliest.

The Series 2 is designed to deliver payloads to both lunar orbit and the lunar surface. The lander has a payload design capacity to deliver up to 500 kilograms to the lunar surface. For missions where payloads are exclusively for lunar orbit, capacity can be up to 2,000 kilograms.

The Series 2 also aims to be one of the first commercial lunar landers capable of surviving the lunar night, and it is designed to have the ability to land on either the near side or far side of the Moon, including the polar regions.

The lander’s guidance, navigation, and control includes precision landing technologies said to be capable of ensuring extraordinary accuracy during descent, including hazard avoidance.

Takeshi Hakamada, Founder and CEO, ispace, commented, “As we look to the near future, Series 2 will enable us to not only increase our capabilities, but also to provide greater access and opportunities for our customers. Series 2 is a positive step toward realizing a diverse and sustainable cislunar ecosystem.”

Kursten O’Neill, the ispace US lander program director, added, “I couldn’t be prouder of our team for what we have accomplished with this lander… this vehicle will truly be a game changer. Due to its ability to adapt to a wide range of customers, after its debut for our third mission, we expect the Series 2 lander to service the market for several years and several missions to come.”

ispace is said to be well along in its preparations for its first lunar mission, using the Series 1 lander, which is supposed to take place sometime next year.

ispace is a Japanese lunar exploration startup that now employs over 150 staff in Japan, Europe, and the United States. The company has raised a total cumulative funding of approximately US$195 million.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Earlier this month Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) announced that it is launching a joint study with Australian company Origin Energy to investigate the possibility of importing green ammonia from Australia.

Green ammonia is an energy source which produces no carbon dioxide in either production or combustion, and can also be used to transport hydrogen energy. As the Japanese government pushes a carbon-zero goal for 2050, companies like MOL and Origin have been incentivized to develop green energy solutions such as green ammonia as an alternative to fossil fuels.

An Origin executive asserted that Australia’s closeness to Asian markets and its renewable resources have made the country “the box seat to develop a world-leading hydrogen sector, exporting low emissions energy all over the world to meet demand for clean energy.”

The companies expect their study to be completed by the end of the year.

Last month, multiple Japanese companies, including the state-owned Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), entered into an agreement with Australian company Woodside Petroleum to study the creation of a blue and green ammonia supply chain from Australia to Japan.

According to the Japanese government’s 2050 decarbonization strategy, released last December, it is foreseen that 10% of all power generation in the country will be produced by hydrogen and ammonia within thirty years.

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Google and Facebook are jointly investing in and constructing a subsea cable that will run from Japan to Southeast Asia to provide high-speed network connections.

The fiberoptic cable system, called Apricot, will connect Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore, at a length of nearly 12,000 kilometers.

For Facebook, Apricot will improve the reliability of its platform with fast load times and strong connections for calls.

Google, on the other hand, will benefit from low latency and higher bandwidth capacity for data centers, improving Google cloud computing.

Apricot will meet the growing demand for data in Japan and Southeast Asia, including 4G, 5G, and wired broadband connections. It will also be compatible with existing cable systems such as the Echo and Bifrost cables.

This development comes as a natural continuation of Japan’s progression in technology, with researchers at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology achieving a record internet speed of 319 terabits per second (tbps) in July 2021.

This new record almost doubles the previous record of 178 tbps from a collaborative effort by researchers in Japan and from the United Kingdom at University College London.

Apricot is expected to be completed and put into use in 2024, with an initial design capacity of 190 tbps.

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Despite setbacks linked to heavy regulation, the pandemic, and electoral politics, some experts within the gambling industry still believe that Integrated Resorts (IR) including casinos will have a bright future in Japan.

In an exclusive interview with Akihabara News, Brendan Bussmann, director of government affairs at Global Market Advisors, who has been tracking Japan’s IR policies for about seventeen years, predicted that the current policies will roll forward.

“I think right now things will continue the course that they are,” he states. “I think the process right now stays on track.”

Nevertheless, he can also foresee scenarios related to the Covid pandemic or national elections that could change that verdict.

Bussmann acknowledges that the electoral defeat of the IR plans in Yokohama was a significant blow, first of all because the city had long been regarded as a prime candidate for IR development, and also because it seems to leave eastern Japan without any IRs that can serve as a hub for future tourism.

“Tokyo could still raise its hand,” he ventures, but that would need to occur very soon because the application timeline is now quite challenging.

Bussmann’s view is that the electoral defeat in Yokohama relates to a failure to effectively educate public opinion about the benefits and the true nature of IRs. Too many people, he thinks, imagine Hollywood movies like Casino which portray a bygone era of the gambling industry in Las Vegas.

He does foresee possible difficulties for the Japanese IRs, but these relate mainly to the tightly-restrictive regulatory structure such as the 3% limit of the casino floor area in relation to the full IR facility. He predicts that in some of the western Japan IRs “there’s going to be more demand than supply in that casino floor.”

He also notes that the taxation system may cause difficulties, with not only due to the high 30% tax rate on the IR profits, but also because of a series of other taxes calculated in a manner that is still not entirely transparent.

On the whole, however, Bussmann remains an enthusiastic advocate for the IR business model, which he believes will have a bright future even in the post-Covid era. He calls it “IR 2.0.”

“There will be a next version of IRs and they will be good, strong facilities,” he predicts. “I still think IRs are a great vehicle to drive tourism, to drive investment, drive job creation in the Japanese market.”

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — In the twenty-second episode of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Tanjiro faces a trial in front of the Hashira at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters for traveling with his demon sister, Nezuko.

Tanjiro finds himself explaining his situation to the nine Hashira who stand before him. They tell him that he has violated the Demon Slayer Corps’ rules for traveling with a demon, even if it is his sister.

Sanemi Shinazugawa, the wind Hashira, does not believe him for a second. He picks up the box Nezuko was resting in and stabs it, injuring Nezuko.

In a fit of rage, despite being tied up, Tanjiro charges at the Hashira. Their interaction was cut short by Giyu Tomioka, who tells them the master is coming soon. In the split second Sanemi was distracted, Tanjiro headbutts him to the ground. Everyone seems impressed by Tanjiro’s dedication to his sister.

The master of the demon slayers arrives. He is blind man with scars across his forehead. Tanjiro wonders if it is an injury or an illness.

The master states that he is aware that Tanjiro is traveling with a demon and has approved the situation. He requests that the rest of the Hashira accept the situation as well, to which there are mixed reactions.

The master then gets his assistant to read out a letter from Sakonji Urokudaki, a former water Hashira and Tanjiro’s trainer. The letter details Nezuko’s situation and how she has never and will never harm a human, and he swears his life on it.

The master then reveals to the Hashira that Tanjiro is the only demon slayer to have come face to face with Muzan Kibutsuji, and that Kibutsuji has a personal vendetta against the boy.

It is the closest that anyone has gotten to the top demon, and he predicts that Tanjiro will be a valuable member.

Sanemi refuses to accept the situation. He lists all the demon slayers and humans that have been killed by demons, and asserts that Nezuko is nothing but another demon. He stabs the box twice and then cuts his own hand to let it bleed. He then lets Nezuko out to show everyone that she will attack him because she is a demon.

The episode ends with Nezuko salivating through the muzzle and standing face-to-face with Sanemi, who is taunting her with his blood.

Previous Articles

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

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