News On Japan

Putting the pro in prosthetic - Japanese company design cutting-edge blades for Paralympians

Sep 02 (Ruptly) - Xiborg CEO Ken Endo displayed his company's latest prosthetic technology being used and tested on Paralympians in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The start-up making high-tech running blades for Paralympians and hope to use ever-improving technology to make affordable blades for everyday athletes as well.

"The technology has improved and we can get a newer material, the newer technology to make prosthetics. And moreover, athletes also evolve so they always change their running behaviour to run faster. So maybe combination of the evolution of material and prosthetics technology and athletes, both of them are very important so we are doing like a co-evolution of the technology and human," explained Xiborg CEO Endo.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Tokyo has announced plans to begin commercial operations of flying cars as early as the 2027 fiscal year, with the aim to establish multiple takeoff and landing sites across the city by 2030, creating a network that connects the capital with neighboring prefectures.

Across Japan, aging underground infrastructure is leading to a rising number of road collapses, with an estimated 10,000 cases annually—about 29 per day. Nearly 30% of these incidents in urban areas are attributed to deteriorating sewer pipes.

JR Central has unveiled ultra-thin solar panels that can be installed on noise barriers along the Tokaido Shinkansen, aiming for deployment by 2050. Measuring just about one millimeter thick, the perovskite solar panels are lightweight and flexible, allowing them to be fitted onto the curved surfaces of noise barriers.

Following the Japan-U.S. summit during the Trump administration, discussions about liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports gained momentum. The agreement to expand LNG purchases from the U.S. was seen as a key development, but significant challenges remain. Will this lead to lower gas prices in Japan? And what are the five countries that pose obstacles to fulfilling this commitment?

Japan’s recent decision to ease visa requirements for Chinese tourists has sparked mixed reactions, with some expecting an influx of visitors and others arguing that the impact will be limited.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A US Navy sailor stationed in Japan has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in death after a car-motorcycle collision in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, last September that killed a 22-year-old man.

South Korean police announced the arrest of 39 individuals involved in smuggling gold from Hong Kong to Japan via Incheon Airport, disguising the metal as clay to evade detection.

Aichi’s famed Konomiya Hadaka Festival took place on February 10th at Konomiya Shrine in Inazawa City, where men clad in only fundoshi loincloths clashed in a frenzied struggle. The traditional event, which has continued for over 1,200 years, centers around the ‘Shin Otoko’ or ‘Sacred Man,’ chosen by lottery, whom participants believe will cleanse them of misfortune if they manage to touch him.

Authorities in Kobe are investigating a series of suspicious stones found placed on residential gates, warning they may serve as burglary markers.

Six Kyoto University students have been arrested for storming the university’s main administration building during a 2022 dormitory festival with about 250 others, disrupting operations with loudspeakers, leading police to conduct a search of Kumano Dormitory on Sunday.

Gen Z, known for valuing their personal time, is redefining how they unwind after work. From low-alcohol cocktails to board games, new trends are emerging in Tokyo's nightlife scene.

The annual Otomo Festival took place on February 6th at Kamikura Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture. The event saw men clad in white robes, each carrying a flaming torch, racing down the shrine’s steep stone steps in a centuries-old tradition.

A 55-year-old demolition worker has been arrested on suspicion of violating Hokkaido’s Public Nuisance Prevention Ordinance after entering a convenience store wearing only stockings on his lower body and exposing himself to a female clerk.