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August 12, 2026
 

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INVENTIONS

A man wipes his sweat away at a warehouse in Hikawa, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 31, days after a powerful earthquake struck the region.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 5, 2026
Japanese firm¡¯s ¡®human refrigerator¡¯ offers relief from punishing summer heat
The Do Hiemon Box is an oversized stainless-steel refrigerator that looks big enough to fit a human being, because that¡¯s exactly what it¡¯s designed to do.
A representative from Noitom Robotics demonstraties remote robot operation at the iREX International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 5, 2025
Spotlight shines on humanoid robots at Tokyo show
The 2025 International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo is showcasing humanoid robots who can perform duties ranging from extinguishing fires to working alongside humans in an office.
Yamada¡¯s Mirai Human Washing Machine at the Osaka Expo
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 27, 2025
Yamada to sell ¡®human washing machine¡¯ after expo popularity
The home electronics retailer will sell the machine at its flagship store in Tokyo¡¯s Ikebukuro district.
Kirin officials in Tokyo on Tuesday show the Electric Salt Cup, which lets users feel salty tastes more strongly and thus cut down on salt intake.
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2025
Kirin releases electric soup cup that enhances salty taste
The cup is available on the company¡¯s official online store at a price of ?26,950 ($182).
A staff member at the Osaka Expo wears clothing featuring a cooling fan powered by electricity generated by perovskite solar cells.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2025
Wearable perovskite solar cells tested at Osaka Expo
The cells, jointly developed by Toyoda Gosei and a startup company, weigh just 10 grams each.
Takuzo Aida, group director at the Riken Center for Emergent Matter Science, shows a sample of ocean-degradable plastic at its lab in Wako, Saitama Prefecture.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 5, 2025
Scientists in Japan develop plastic that quickly dissolves in seawater
The new material is as strong as petroleum-based plastics but breaks down into its original components when exposed to salt.
NTT's drone ¡ª aimed at triggering, then redirecting lightning ¡ª is described as a "flying lightning rod."
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 23, 2025
NTT develops world¡¯s first ¡®flying lightning rod¡¯ using drones
NTT said it hopes its flying lightning rods will one day shield cities and digital infrastructure from strikes.
Chieko Asakawa, chief executive director of Miraikan, with an AI-powered suitcase designed to assist people with visual impairments, in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Jan. 22
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 11, 2025
AI suitcase for visually impaired to be tested at expo
The device incorporates generative artificial intelligence technology, enabling it to describe the surrounding environment through voice feedback.
A "biohybrid" robot hand developed by a research team from the University of Tokyo and Waseda University
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 13, 2025
Japanese research team develops world¡¯s largest ¡®biohybrid¡¯ robot hand
Lack of nutrients, necrosis and muscle fiber alignment issues have limited the scale of previous ¡°biohybrid¡± systems.
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 18, 2024
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Always trying to solve the problems of modern life, the perennial candidate refuses to bow to societal expectations of age.
Nikon's new microscope specialized for intracytoplasmic sperm injection, a fertility treatment
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 3, 2024
Nikon develops microscope for fertility treatment
The product reduces the number of operational steps involved in intracytoplasmic sperm injection by about 75%.
LignoSat, the world's first wooden satellite, unveiled at Kyoto University in Kyoto on Tuesday
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 29, 2024
Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry unveil world¡¯s first wooden satellite
LignoSat is developed with the aim of combating space clutter and promoting more environmentally friendly space activity.
New study questions the trend of scientific breakthroughs and examines the changing landscape of innovation.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2024
Have scientific breakthroughs declined?
From curing disease to reducing global warming, there¡¯s no shortage of hard scientific problems crying out for solutions.
A Toyo Safety Industrial helmet with a built-in fan is showcased at Extreme Heat Countermeasures Exhibition in Tokyo in July.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023
Fan-cooled beds and baby carriers among new gadgets to beat heat
At Tokyo¡¯s annual trade show last week the focus was on how to keep workers in high-temperature environments cool and reduce the risk of heatstroke.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 4, 2023
Japanese app aims to help detect pain in cats
Since its release last month, ¡®Cat Pain Detector¡¯ has racked up 43,000 users, mostly in Japan but also in Europe and South America.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2023
Tokyo researchers develop robot arms to ¡®unlock creativity¡¯
The Jizai Arms were inspired by traditional Japanese puppetry and a quasi-horror short story.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jun 23, 2023
Chemical-maker Kao unveils new way to combat mosquitoes
Researchers found that spraying a solution that allows mosquitoes¡¯ wings to become wet can prevent them from flying and knock them out of the air.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2023
New device to speed up disposal of dud shells from Battle of Okinawa
The explosion-proof container is expected to reduce the evacuation area in a residential district during bomb disposal work to one third of the present size.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Feb 19, 2020
Edison, Morse and Watson? AI poses question of who¡¯s an inventor
Computers using artificial intelligence are discovering medicines, designing better golf clubs and creating video games.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 9, 2019
NASA unveils its first all-electric plane, the X-57 Maxwell
NASA, best known for its many Florida-launched forays into space, showcased an early version of its first all-electric experimental aircraft, the X-57 Maxwell, on Friday at its lesser-known aeronautics lab in the California desert.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Strong wind and heavy rain forecast as tropical storm approaches Japan
Tropical Storm Chan-hom is expected to make landfall in northern Kanto between late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
Severe tropical storm Chan-hom makes landfall near Tokyo
Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom made landfall around Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Tuesday night.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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