New 'M10' Maglev Car Begins Testing

YAMANASHI, Feb 21 (News On Japan) - JR Central announced on Thursday the introduction of a new test car, the 'M10,' for the maglev test track in Yamanashi Prefecture.

The M10 is an intermediate car with only passenger seating, designed to be coupled between end cars. Its exterior features an unpainted silver body with a gold stripe, while the interior adopts a simple and calming white-based design.

The car's surface is coated with a film featuring fine grooves that mimic shark skin, reducing air resistance by approximately 1% and lowering energy consumption.

The M10 will be tested alongside improved L0 series test cars, with trial runs set to begin as early as summer 2025.

Source: 東海テレビ NEWS ONE

Typhoon No. 22 (Halong) Batters Izu Islands

At 5 a.m. on October 9th, Typhoon No. 22 (Halong), classified as a very strong system, was located near Aogashima as it moved northeast, bringing violent winds and heavy rainfall to the southern Izu Islands, including Hachijojima. The typhoon is passing directly over the region, with wind gusts exceeding 50 meters per second recorded in several locations.

Typhoon No. 23 (Nakri) Forms, Moving Northwest Toward Okinawa

A tropical depression that had been moving northwestward over the Mariana Islands developed into Typhoon No. 23 (Nakri) at 3 p.m. on October 8th east of the Philippines. It is the third typhoon to form this month. The system is expected to move northwest along the edge of a high-pressure zone toward the Okinawa and Amami regions.

Japanese Teachers Still Work World’s Longest Hours

Elementary and junior high school teachers in Japan still work the longest hours among their peers worldwide, according to an OECD report released on Tuesday. While the 2024 results by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed working hours had fallen by around four hours per week compared with the previous survey in 2018, Japan’s teachers still far exceeded their global counterparts.

Beer Shortages Hit Japan's Izakayas

Beer deliveries from Asahi Group Holdings have been disrupted following a ransomware cyberattack, causing shortages that have already begun to affect izakaya and other establishments across Japan. Some bars have reported their beer stock falling to “only one left” as supply chain delays ripple through the industry.

Magnitude 4.9 Quake Off Fukushima, No Tsunami Warning Issued

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake occurred off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture around 9:30 a.m. on October 7th, registering a maximum intensity of 4 on the Japanese seismic scale. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, there is no risk of a tsunami caused by this tremor.

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MORE Sci-Tech NEWS

Breakthrough in Immune Control Opens New Frontiers in Medicine

Osaka University’s Professor Shimon Sakaguchi has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering regulatory T cells that suppress excessive immune reactions, a landmark finding that has brought excitement to colleagues, students, and the medical community.

TeamLab Opens in Kyoto with Cutting-Edge Sensory Experience

TeamLab has opened a new art space, “TeamLab BioVortex Kyoto,” in Kyoto’s Minami Ward, featuring around 50 works including several unveiled in Japan for the first time. Spanning approximately 10,000 square meters, the facility offers an immersive interactive experience where light, sound, and motion respond dynamically to visitors’ movements.

Magnitude 4.9 Quake Off Fukushima, No Tsunami Warning Issued

Osaka University Professor Sakaguchi Wins Nobel Prize

Osaka University’s Shimon Sakaguchi, a specially appointed professor, has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his groundbreaking work in immunology. Sakaguchi is best known for discovering “regulatory T cells,” a type of immune cell that suppresses excessive immune responses, a finding that has had far-reaching implications in medical science.

Osaka University Doctor Pioneers Brain Interface Technology

A future where people control machines simply by thinking may be closer than science fiction suggests. At the forefront of this research is Masayuki Hirata, a neurosurgeon and specially appointed professor at Osaka University’s Graduate School of Medicine, who is developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows high-tech devices such as smartphones or robotic arms to be operated by thought.

Mega Solar Farm Sparks Backlash Over Deforestation

Vast hillsides have been cleared for the construction of a large-scale solar power facility in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, leaving piles of felled trees scattered across the slopes. The development covers approximately 146 hectares, or the size of 32 Tokyo Domes, and involves cutting down about 365,000 trees to make way for 470,000 solar panels.

Huge Whirlwind Appears Off Japan's Northern Coast

A massive tornado-like phenomenon was observed late in the morning of October 2nd off the coast of Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture’s Shonai region, with thick swirling clouds rising high into the sky as seawater was drawn upward.

Okinawa Records Hottest September Since Observations Began

The Okinawa region experienced record-breaking heat in September, with average temperatures 1.6 degrees Celsius above normal, the highest since records began.

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