Technology

The "joints" (actuators) that humanoid robots need over 50 of per unit are the key to industry dominance. These critical components account for up to 60% of manufacturing costs, and two Japanese companies, Harmonic Drive Systems and Nabtesco, dominate the high-precision reducer market, each leading its own reducer type. As the market grows at 80% annually and mega-corporations from the US, China, and Korea enter the race, can Japan defend its "joint hegemony"?

Japan's Ministry of Defense has signed a landmark $1.8 billion contract for a satellite constellation project. A special purpose company "TriSat Constellation," formed by Mitsubishi Electric, SKY Perfect JSAT, and Mitsui, will lead the effort alongside domestic space startups like Synspective and iQPS. A deep dive into Japan's pivotal shift in space defense strategy.

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.

Elevidys, priced at 304.97 million yen, became Japan's most expensive insured drug in February 2026. Coverage is limited to ambulatory patients aged three to seven. The US safety findings behind that limit, and what ultra-expensive drugs mean for universal coverage.

Japan's health ministry panel has cleared two iPS cell-derived regenerative medicine products, a world first. "ReHeart" for severe heart failure and "Amshepri" for Parkinson's disease are set to become the first commercially available iPS cell therapies. Twenty years after Shinya Yamanaka created iPS cells from mouse cells, Japan's groundbreaking technology is finally reaching patients.

What if your pajamas could help you recover 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 September 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-born IoT wearable "DFree" uses ultrasound to predict urination timing and has won the Grand Prize for Developmental Support Tools at BabyTech Awards 2025-26. How the 20-gram device works, why the judges picked it, how it came to be covered by Japan's long-term care insurance, and what it means for elderly care and children with disabilities.