Japan says it's working to isolate, analyse new coronavirus variant

Tritium mascot design to be changed
NHK - Apr 16
Japan's Reconstruction Agency says it is changing the design of a mascot character created to reassure people about radioactive tritium in water to be released from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Japanese firm develops world’s first foldable disposable paper razor
Japan Today - Apr 15
Japanese Kaijurishi was founded in 1908 in the town of Seki, Gifu Prefecture, which is famous for its rich tradition and history of samurai sword making, as well as its state-of-the-art Japanese cutlery. So it makes sense that they've built their name as a leading manufacturer of shaving products in Japan.

UK coronavirus variant surging in Japan
NHK - Apr 14
Surveys by local governments in Japan show the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain is surging in the country. The variant, dubbed N501Y, is said to be more transmissible than the original coronavirus.

Amount of tritium released in Japan and abroad
NHK - Apr 14
Tritium is generated in the process of ordinary operations at nuclear power facilities. The radioactive substance is diluted before being released into the sea or the air based on the criteria of a given government.

Hundreds of earthquakes shake Tokara Islands
NHK - Apr 13
Japan's Meteorological Agency says hundreds of earthquakes have been occurring in waters near the Tokara Islands in the country's southwest since Friday.

Scientists in Japan turn plastic waste into liquid fuel using catalyst
South China Morning Post - Apr 13
A team of Japanese researchers say they have found a way to convert plastic waste into liquid fuel.

JAXA to nix "science only" requirement in 1st recruitment in over decade
Kyodo - Apr 12
Eyeing a future in which it may send poets into space to extol the beauty of the stars, Japan's national space agency is looking to expand its horizons by dropping the science major requirement for potential astronauts as it launches its first recruitment drive in 13 years.

Fukushima treated water to be released into sea
NHK - Apr 12
NHK has learned that the Japanese government is ready to announce, as early as Tuesday, that it plans to release treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean.

Japanese university presents robotic COVID PCR testing
RT - Apr 11
Japan’s Fujita Medical University has presented an automated robotic system for COVID PCR testing that is expected to reduce exposure to the virus among health workers.

COVID-19 patient in Japan receives world's first living donor lung transplant
CNA - Apr 10
Doctors in Japan have performed the world's first lung transplant from living donors.

Japan rejects NZ honey with traces of weedkiller glyphosate
https://www. - Apr 10
Japanese authorities have rejected four shipments of New Zealand honey since more stringent testing was introduced for the weed killer glyphosate in January.

Japanese space start-up hopes to create man-made meteor shower by 2023
South China Morning Post - Apr 08
A Japanese start-up is working to create man-made meteor showers for use in mass entertainment.

Cosmic rays causing 30,000 network malfunctions in Japan each year
Kyodo - Apr 05
Cosmic rays are causing an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 malfunctions in domestic network communication devices in Japan every year, a Japanese telecom giant found recently.

Nobel laureate Akasaki Isamu dies at 92
NHK - Apr 03
Japanese Nobel laureate Akasaki Isamu died on Thursday at the age of 92. He was awarded the 2014 physics prize with two other Japanese scientists for inventing blue-light-emitting diodes.

Japan ends use of term 'aftershock' 10 years after Great East Japan Earthquake
Japan Times - Apr 03
The Meteorological Agency has stopped using the term “aftershocks” for strong earthquakes occurring in areas around the focus of the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, which devastated Japan’s northeast.

Panel chief: Infections must be curbed until June
NHK - Apr 02
The head of the Japanese government's advisory panel on the coronavirus response has said its top priority is preventing a rebound in new infections until around June, when local governments will likely have received enough vaccine doses for their elderly citizens.