News On Japan
Sci-Tech | 5

A Tokyo startup that failed to launch its small “Kairos No. 2” rocket from a site in Wakayama Prefecture has disclosed that a malfunctioning sensor was to blame.

Norlevo, a morning-after pill, won support from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's expert committee on August 29 for non-prescription sales, aiming to reduce unintended pregnancies.

Ahead of Disaster Preparedness Day on September 1, NTT West opened to reporters an underground cable-tunnel network in Osaka that supports the city’s communications infrastructure. At its deepest point the tunnels run 40 meters below ground and house about 10 million fiber-optic lines and 6 million telephone lines.

In today’s fast-paced society, more and more people, especially younger generations, are struggling with anxiety, isolation, and a growing sense of disconnection. In Japan, gaman and honne vs tatemae speak to the psychological reality many face between inner emotion and outer expression.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said it will postpone both the launch and start of operations for the Himawari-10 weather satellite by about a year.

Rice paddies in Hyogo Prefecture are coming into harvest with a new threat on their margins: dense mats of the designated invasive species known in Japan as Nagaetsurunogeitou. Often described as one of the world’s worst invasive plants, the aquatic weed invades irrigation ponds and canals, saps nutrients, and wraps around rice stems, hindering growth.

A glowing object was seen streaking across the sky in western Japan on Tuesday night, with multiple reports of a bright flash followed by a trail of light. Observers suggested it may have been a particularly bright meteor, known as a fireball, or possibly a meteorite.

Mitsui Fudosan Group has renovated a 250-year-old traditional Japanese house in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward to make it earthquake resistant and opened it to the public on August 19th. The small residence, built in the late Edo period, has been preserved with much of its original character intact.