Marking the 30th anniversary of Marine Day as a national holiday, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines opened a massive automobile carrier to the public in Tokyo on July 21st. Measuring roughly 200 meters in length, the vessel runs on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and can transport about 7,000 vehicles.
Rapidus, the company leading Japan's drive to domestically produce next-generation semiconductors, announced on July 18th that it has successfully confirmed the operation of a prototype 2-nanometer chip.
A massive amount of seaweed has washed ashore on a popular beach in Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture, turning the shoreline into a green carpet and causing concern just days before the summer swimming season begins.
A pod of sperm whales was observed sleeping in an upright position near Amami Oshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, with their heads pointing toward the surface in what appeared to be vertical rest. The sighting was made on June 23rd by Amami Marine Life Research Group chairman Katsuki Okoshi, who captured the rare moment about 15 kilometers west of the island.
Aiming to revive Japan's status as a semiconductor powerhouse, Hoshikawa Naohisa, CEO of Okuma Diamond Devices, is leading the development of what is being called the "ultimate semiconductor"—a diamond-based device capable of withstanding extreme heat and radiation.
A flying car demonstration at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, which had been suspended due to a mid-flight incident, is expected to resume soon.
A next-generation neutrino observation facility, the Hyper-Kamiokande, was unveiled to the media on June 28th in Hida City, Gifu Prefecture. Located 600 meters underground in the Kamioka area, it is a new experimental facility of the University of Tokyo's Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, designed to detect neutrinos emitted from a research center 295 kilometers away in Ibaraki Prefecture.
H2A Rocket No. 50, the final unit of Japan’s long-running flagship launch vehicle series, was successfully launched in the early hours of June 29th from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture.