Business & Economy

Fujikura dominates the global market for high-temperature superconducting wire essential to fusion reactors. Combined with Japan's domestic AI-powered autonomous driving, artificial photosynthesis breakthroughs, and the government's Physical AI strategy, these technologies are putting Japan back on the global innovation map.

A Kyoto-based tech company TASKMATE has developed a blade-resistant tote bag that doubles as a protective shield in emergencies. Featuring their proprietary cut-resistant fiber CYGUS® and artisan sewing from Kagawa Prefecture, this Made-in-Japan security product showcases how Japanese craftsmanship is entering the personal safety market.

Kindai University has achieved the world's first full-cycle aquaculture of Nodoguro (Blackthroat seaperch), a high-end deep-sea fish known as the "White Toro." Learn about the decade-long journey, the technical challenges overcome, and what Japan's aquaculture leadership means for global food security.

JR East launches Japan's first cargo-only Shinkansen in March 2026. A former Yamagata Shinkansen E3 Series train has been stripped of all 394 seats and rebuilt to carry up to 17.4 tons of freight at 186 mph. Learn how the "Hako-Byun" service tackles Japan's driver shortage, cuts CO2 emissions, and creates a high-speed logistics link between rural producers and Tokyo.

Shibaura Institute of Technology's "InSIGHT Grip" is a non-destructive inspection technology that estimates internal quality simply by gripping objects with a robot hand. With a low-cost, sensor-free design, it promises applications from fruit sorting in agriculture to industrial deterioration detection.

Researchers at Tufts University have developed a groundbreaking method to mass-produce tagatose, a rare sugar that is 92% as sweet as table sugar with 60% fewer calories. With minimal impact on blood sugar, FDA safety approval, and the ability to brown like real sugar in baking, tagatose could reshape the sweetener market. Here's what you need to know.

Japan's abandoned bamboo forests have expanded to roughly 400,000 acres, causing landslides and destroying ecosystems. Taguchi Industrial from Okayama has answered with the "TakeKaruGon" - a domestically-made mulcher attachment for hydraulic excavators that shreds bamboo, large trees, and stumps in one machine. Discover how this innovation tackles one of Japan's most overlooked environmental crises.

Japanese startup AirX has signed a binding order with Brazil's Eve Air Mobility for two eVTOL "flying car" aircraft, with options to expand to 50 units in a deal potentially worth $150 million. Targeting 2029 for sightseeing and last-mile transport services in Tokyo and Osaka, this agreement marks a major milestone in Japan's push toward urban air mobility — following successful demo flights at Expo 2025 Osaka.

Japanese startup AstroX has raised $15 million in Series A funding to develop its revolutionary Rockoon launch system — using high-altitude balloons to carry rockets to the stratosphere before firing them into space. Based in Fukushima's Minamisoma, the company aims to reach space by 2026 and achieve orbital insertion by 2029, challenging the global space launch industry with a low-cost, flexible alternative.