Advanced materials, chemicals, fibers and ceramics.
Discover why Japan's road markings like "STOP" signs aren't painted with regular paint, but created using special thermoplastic resin melted at 180-200°C. Learn about its 3-minute drying time in winter, glass bead reflectivity for night visibility, and the skilled craftsmen who work as "human printers" to apply it.
Discover how Japanese food giant Ajinomoto dominates the global semiconductor market with its ABF insulating material. Learn the surprising story of how amino acid manufacturing expertise became essential for cutting-edge CPU production.
Mitsubishi Electric and Kyoto University have made a world-first discovery: graphite material that heals itself. HOPG's deformation resistance recovered from 41% to 97% within just 7 days. This breakthrough could revolutionize MEMS sensors in smartphones, wearables, and autonomous vehicles. A look at Japan's cutting-edge materials science.
NIMS and University of Tokyo researchers have developed a revolutionary wafer-scale deposition technology for next-generation semiconductor material MoS2 (molybdenum disulfide). By discovering two key growth mechanisms—self-alignment and self-limiting—they achieved uniform, high-quality monolayer films across entire 2-inch wafers. This breakthrough opens the path to post-silicon semiconductors for sub-1nm node transistors.
Sumitomo Bakelite acquires Kyocera's semiconductor chemical business for ¥30 billion, targeting AI data center market growth. The world's leading semiconductor encapsulant manufacturer strengthens its portfolio with epoxy molding compounds and bonding pastes amid explosive memory demand.
Kyoto University startup FLOSFIA achieves mass production technology for 4-inch gallium oxide (Ga2O3) power semiconductor wafers at 1/50th the cost of SiC. With a Baliga figure of merit 7,000 times higher than silicon, this Japanese-origin material is poised to revolutionize EV and renewable energy markets.