Japan is running its largest postwar industrial policy: over 10 trillion yen for semiconductors and AI through fiscal 2030, defense at 2% of GDP two years early, and 20 trillion yen in GX transition bonds. Rapidus at 2nm, TSMC Kumamoto's shift to 3nm, 14 niche global leaders, and where it stood in mid-2026.
Consumer Reports' first Safety Verdict ranked Mazda first among the 29 brands sold in North America, with Volvo 12th and Tesla 26th. What separated them was not crash performance but cockpit controls.
On February 19, 2026, Rakuten Group and Google announced Japan's first YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program partnership, letting viewers buy Rakuten Ichiba products without leaving the video. Japan is the 12th market for the program, after 11 earlier ones.
Morinaga released seven snacks on March 3, 2026 that owners and their dogs can eat together, a first in the confectioner's 126-year history. A joint study with Tokyo University of Agriculture tested what sharing food actually does, and a veterinarian supervised the recipes. Japan's pet market hit 1.91 trillion yen in fiscal 2024.
Eyewear that applies voltage to a liquid lens and refocuses automatically for myopia, hyperopia, and presbyopia. A look at where autofocus vision correction stands, centered on HOYA spinoff ViXion's 01S and the ViXion2 released in 2026.
Resales at Harumi Flag are stalling and Osaka tower mansion inventory has doubled in two years. Foreign ownership above 40%, zero-capital flipping via simultaneous registration, tighter bank screening, and 2026 data showing prices and contract rates moving apart.
What if your pajamas could heal you while you sleep? In Japan, "recovery wear" (clothing infused with ceramic minerals that emit far-infrared rays to boost blood circulation) has become a national craze, even earning a Word of the Year nomination. Budget chains Workman, Nitori and Aeon have pushed entry prices down to single digits in dollars. Here's what recovery wear is, why millions of Japanese are buying it, and how the sales numbers look through mid-2026.
No batteries. Just 280 grams of rubber. A Japanese bone-setter turned entrepreneur created "futto," a walking support device using rubber tubes as artificial muscles. Built with hardware store materials by a three-person family company, it now has peer-reviewed backing, a distribution deal with France Bed, and sales abroad. Here's how this $220 device answers a problem every aging society shares.
Western Digital (WD) unveiled its roadmap to 100TB+ HDDs by 2029 at Innovation Day 2026. With HAMR technology for capacity and High Bandwidth Drive plus Dual Pivot tech for performance, WD aims to close the gap with SSDs. Here's what this means for the HDD vs SSD battle in the AI era.
Japan and the US have agreed on the first tranche of a massive $550 billion investment plan, including a $600 million lab-grown diamond factory in Georgia. With China controlling over 60% of global production, synthetic diamonds are being called "the next rare earth." But with a controversial profit-sharing deal, is this a smart bet or a high-risk, low-return gamble for Japan?
Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has created a new certification system allowing US-made cars to be registered without additional safety testing. Born from the July 2025 US-Japan trade deal, this move addresses longstanding claims of non-tariff barriers. Here's how Japan is reacting.