Sci-Tech | Page 4

Up to 6,100 in Tokyo predicted to die in worst-case quake scenario
Nikkei - May 25
Up to around 6,100 people would die in the event a major earthquake hits the heart of Tokyo, the metropolitan government said in a report Wednesday, revising down the estimate by around 30% from a decade ago.

How Japan uses robots for therapy
WION - May 24
Can robots be used for therapy? In Japan, the answer is yes. Tech-savvy Japan is harnessing robots to care for its elderly & tackle the country's loneliness epidemic. Is this a win for technology or loss for humanity?

Rare images of atmospheric sprites captured
NHK - May 24
A curator at a museum in Japan has captured rare images of mysterious upper atmospheric phenomena known as sprites.

Coast Guard: Raised tour boat sinks again off Hokkaido
NHK - May 24
The Japan Coast Guard says salvage workers trying to raise a sunken tour boat have dropped it to the bottom of the sea again off Hokkaido in northern Japan.

Fly me to the Moon: US, Japan aim for lunar landing
phys.org - May 23
Japan and the United States said Monday they want to put the first Japanese astronaut on the Moon as the allies deepen cooperation on space projects.

M6.0 quake hits wide area in Japan's east, northeast
Kyodo - May 22
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 struck Fukushima and other prefectures in Japan's east and northeast on Sunday, but there was no threat of a tsunami, the country's weather agency said.

Study: Omicron less likely to cause aftereffects
NHK - May 22
Researchers in Japan say the percentage of people who develop aftereffects from the coronavirus Omicron variant is about one-tenth of the level among those infected with other variants.

The climate crisis is making Japan's cherry blossoms bloom earlier
Wahoo Newspaper - May 21
Every spring, crowds flock to admire Japan's cherry blossom — a dazzling pink and white bloom that has been revered in the country for more than a thousand years. But the world-famous sakura plants are flowering much earlier than normal due to human-induced climate change, a new study has found.

Large amount of Japan’s Moderna vaccine stock to be discarded due to expiry
AsiaNews - May 20
Municipalities in Kanagawa Prefecture are likely to discard a large amount of vaccine for the novel coronavirus, as the expiration date is approaching on some of their Moderna vaccine from the United States.

Nuclear regulator approves Fukushima Daiichi's treated water release plan
NHK - May 19
Japan's nuclear regulator has approved a plan to release treated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean.

Tallest Building in Japan nears Completion
ONLY in JAPAN - May 17
Japan’s tallest - yet unnamed - building will be completed in 2023 in the Azabudai area of Tokyo.

New data transfer rules pursued to keep out China and Russia
Nikkei - May 16
Japan, the U.S., South Korea and four other APEC members have agreed to make personal data transfer rules independent of the regional forum's current framework in a move to exclude China and Russia.

Japan: Yaskawa electric company introduces latest industrial robot technology
ANI News - May 14
Japan's Yaskawa company has developed an industrial robot with artificial intelligence which determines the color and shape of the objects and transports them to their correct position.

Astronomers release 1st image of black hole at center of Milky Way
NHK - May 13
An international group of astronomers, with the participation of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, says it has captured the first image of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Japan's Space Tourism Single Stage to Orbit(SSTO) Reusable Rocket. The Kankoh-maru (観光丸, Kankōmaru)
Hazegrayart - May 13
Kankoh-maru is a single-stage reusable orbital passenger aircraft is a proposed vertical takeoff and landing (VTVL), single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO), reusable launch system that has been studied by the Japanese Rocket Society since 1993.

Tokyo's Yamanote Line to test automated trains with riders from Oct.
Kyodo - May 11
East Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday it will carry out test runs of automated trains with passengers aboard on Tokyo's Yamanote loop line for two months starting around October.