Wakayama - JAXA's Hayabusa2 probe made its closest approach to the asteroid Torifune on July 5, passing at high speed about 800 meters from the asteroid's center while conducting a flyby survey to examine its shape and surface materials.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the approach also served as a demonstration with implications for planetary defense, a field aimed at preparing for the risk of asteroids colliding with Earth.
Source: Kyodo
Typhoon No. 12 (Noul) is strengthening over the South China Sea and is forecast to make landfall in southern China on Sunday, July 26, while swells generated by the storm bring high waves to Okinawa's Sakishima Islands.
Average life expectancy in Japan rose for both men and women last year for the first time in two years, with Japanese women retaining the world's top ranking for the 41st consecutive year.
A 37-year-old Chinese woman has been arrested and referred to prosecutors on suspicion of operating an unlicensed taxi service that transported travelers from Kansai International Airport to a hotel in Kyoto.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency conducted a ground firing test of the second-stage engine for its Epsilon S small solid-fuel rocket at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on July 23.
Kuwana in Mie Prefecture recorded 40.6 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature anywhere in Japan this year, as a powerful high-pressure system and hot downslope winds combined to produce dangerous heat across a wide area.
Low-cost USB drives advertised online with enormous storage capacities are exposing users to the risk of lost data, malware infections and information theft, with tests finding that some products contain only a fraction of the memory shown on their labels.
Ammonia, commonly associated with its pungent odor and its presence in urine, is gaining recognition as one of humanity's most important inventions and a potential foundation for a new energy system that could reduce the world's dependence on oil.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency conducted a ground firing test of the second-stage engine for its Epsilon S small solid-fuel rocket at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on July 23.
PorMedTec, a Meiji University startup, has begun producing genetically modified pigs for a clinical trial that could start in Japan in 2028 and transplant pig kidneys into patients with kidney failure.
Japan is moving closer to testing technology designed to generate solar power in space and transmit the electricity wirelessly to Earth, with researchers now conducting final checks on a flight model for an upcoming satellite experiment.
Fires involving lithium-ion batteries, including those used in mobile battery packs, are occurring at a record pace in Japan this year, with 179 incidents reported by the end of May, according to the Tokyo Fire Department.
JAXA successfully landed a small experimental vehicle for a reusable rocket on July 11, marking a step toward technology that could increase the frequency of space launches while helping reduce costs.
Japan is facing renewed questions over how to secure electricity while dealing with mounting nuclear waste, as power demand is expected to rise with the spread of generative AI and the government considers replacing as many as five nuclear reactors by the 2040s.
