Hospital Facility Dogs—canine 'medical staff' that report to the same Japanese pediatric hospital five days a week—will grow to seven teams nationwide by fiscal 2027. From Shizuoka to Hyogo and Tsukuba, we look at how Shine On! Kids built this uniquely structured program, why each dog costs roughly ¥12 million (about $76,000) a year to operate, and how donations and corporate partnerships are filling the gap.
Mizuno — Japan's 119-year-old sports giant best known for baseball gloves and golf clubs — enters esports with a Street Fighter 6 collaboration. The Juri-themed leverless controller (~$623) and ergonomic gaming chair go on Makuake May 1, 2026. We compare it to Hit Box, Razer Kitsune and the global FGC's reaction.
Space Entry Inc. launches 'Minna no Haro,' an autonomous space robot inspired by Gundam's iconic Haro, bound for the ISS Kibo module. Designed by legendary mecha designer Kunio Okawara and running Zephyr RTOS, the project achieves three world firsts and invites public participation through crowdfunding.
A revolutionary pair of glasses born in Japan uses liquid lens technology to automatically adjust focus for myopia, farsightedness, and presbyopia. Developed by ViXion, a HOYA spinoff, the ViXion01S weighs just 33g and runs for 15 hours. With over $3.6 million raised in crowdfunding and a top government tech award, we explore this next-gen autofocus eyewear and the future of vision correction technology.
TCL launches pre-orders for the Note A1 NXTPAPER on Makuake, a digital notebook blending paper-like display technology with built-in AI tools — all for around $650. With voice transcription, real-time translation, and AI summarization included at no extra cost, this device challenges E-Ink rivals. We explore the evolving digital stationery market and Japan's reaction.
Three young manga artists from Zimbabwe are using NFT and crowdfunding to pursue manga publication in Japan. A groundbreaking international publishing model connecting Africa and Japan through Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha and Zaif INO.
