NYK Line, Japan's largest shipping company, is working with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to catch reusable rocket boosters on a ship at sea. The idea began in an in-house training program, became the first shipping-company project selected for JAXA's Space Strategy Fund, and now faces a question NYK's own engineers raise: will anyone launch often enough to make it pay?
Japan's ruling LDP is pushing to build a dedicated rare earth mining vessel for ~100 billion yen ($640M) at Minamitorishima. Here's why JAMSTEC's Chikyu isn't enough, the 2028 commercialization roadmap, and how Japan's strategy compares with US and EU efforts.
On May 5, 2026, Defense Ministers Koizumi and Teodoro met in Manila to launch a working group for transferring used Abukuma-class destroyer escorts to the Philippines — the first concrete test of Japan's new lethal weapons export rules.
After 62 days stranded in the Persian Gulf, Japan's VLCC Idemitsu Maru passed through the Strait of Hormuz on April 28 — without paying Iran's transit toll. The story echoes the 1953 Nissho Maru incident that forged a unique bond between Japan and Iran.
On April 21, 2026, Japan's Takaichi cabinet revised the Three Principles on Defense Equipment Transfer, officially allowing exports of lethal weapons including warships and missiles. A deep dive into what Japan's 'pacifist nation' turning point actually means.
Japan and Australia signed the New FFM joint development contract, worth up to AUD 20 billion. We unpack the quasi-alliance behind this de facto warship export, and the Takaichi government's push to scrap the 'Five Categories' and allow lethal weapon exports.
As drone warfare extends to the seas, Japan leads the world in autonomous ship technology. From the MEGURI 2040 project to combat-support USV development and lessons from Ukraine, explore the future of maritime security.
Trump told nations to 'go get your own oil.' Japan imports 93% of its crude from the Middle East — so what would a serious Japanese oil retrieval fleet actually look like? From helicopter carriers to world-class minesweepers, we assemble a fantasy task force, explore the legal hurdles, and see how the internet reacted to this wild thought experiment.
Japan's shipping giant MOL and tech conglomerate Hitachi have agreed to jointly develop floating data centers by converting used ships. Using seawater cooling to slash power costs, needing no land, and deployable in just one year, these maritime server farms offer a creative answer to the AI era's insatiable appetite for computing power.
As the yen approaches 160 to the dollar, the Hormuz Strait blockade has triggered an oil price surge, delivering a devastating double blow to Japan's energy-import-dependent economy. Analysis of record gasoline prices, structural vulnerabilities, and comparisons with South Korea and Germany.
Elliott Investment Management has taken a significant stake in Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, demanding $2 billion in buybacks and a subsidiary relisting. We explore how activist investors are reshaping Japan's corporate governance amid TSE reforms and record foreign interest.
Japan's gasoline hits a record ¥190.8/L ($1.27/L) as the Hormuz Strait blockade chokes off 90%+ of crude imports. With the last Middle East tanker arriving March 22, government subsidies restarting, and Alaska crude on the table at the US-Japan summit, Japan faces its gravest energy crisis in decades.
The Bank of Japan held its policy rate at 0.75% on March 19, 2026, as the Middle East conflict and surging oil prices cloud the economic outlook. Governor Ueda maintained a rate-hike bias but warned that rising energy costs could push underlying inflation either way. With spring wage negotiations delivering 5%+ raises for a third straight year and the yen hovering near 160, Japan faces a complex policy dilemma.
With the Strait of Hormuz shut in all but name, the IEA's 32 members unanimously approved a record 400-million-barrel coordinated release on March 11, 2026. Japan carried 80 million of it and began draining national reserves on March 26. Where those 254 days went, and what July's re-escalation means.
A comprehensive breakdown of Japan PM Takaichi's 17 strategic investment fields from her landmark policy speech. Covering AI/semiconductors, fusion energy, content industries, defense and more — with key players, current challenges, and the $48B government investment plan.
Japan, an island nation where 99.6% of trade moves by sea, is betting big on reviving its shipbuilding industry. PM Takaichi's government is investing $6.5 billion to double capacity by 2035. From Mitsui E&S's world-first ammonia-fueled engine to Furuno Electric's 43% global share in marine radar, and a historic frigate export to Australia, Japan is fighting back against Chinese and Korean dominance with cutting-edge technology.
Japan once dominated global shipbuilding with 40% market share, but fell to just 8% as China and South Korea surged ahead. Now the government has unveiled a $6.5 billion public-private investment roadmap to double shipbuilding capacity by 2035. With industry mega-mergers, a historic frigate export to Australia, and US-Japan cooperation, can Japan reclaim its maritime manufacturing glory?
Furuno Electric, headquartered in Nishinomiya, Japan, has grown from a small radio repair shop in postwar Nagasaki into the world's dominant marine electronics maker, holding 49% of the fishing vessel electronics market and 43% of commercial ship radar. From inventing the world's first practical fish finder in 1948 to today's AR navigation and autonomous vessel technology, discover how Furuno's "seeing the invisible" philosophy is shaping the future of seafaring. In 2024, their fish finder was recognized as an IEEE Milestone.
Japan's first nuclear-powered ship "Mutsu," launched in 1969, was plagued by a radiation leak incident and fierce public opposition. Yet engineers cut the hull apart, removed the reactor, and spent roughly $1.3 billion (in today's value) transforming it into "Mirai" — one of the world's largest ocean research vessels. Over 28 years, Mirai sailed 2.3 million km (58 trips around Earth), pioneered Arctic research, and even surveyed Fukushima's nuclear contamination. Retired in December 2025, its story of dramatic reinvention now passes the torch to the icebreaking successor "Mirai II."
Japan's autonomous container ship "Genbu" has begun the world's first commercial operation with both bridge and engine room automation. Built from scratch over three years under the MEGURI2040 project, this AI-powered vessel features automatic route planning, collision avoidance, and self-docking, addressing Japan's critical crew shortage and logistics crisis.