Teen overdose ER transports in Tokyo have tripled in 5 years. Inside Japan's OTC medicine abuse crisis, the Toyoko Kids phenomenon, and the gap in youth mental health support — compared with the US fentanyl epidemic and UK harm-reduction approach.
Yamaguchi's premium sake brand Dassai and Japanese engineering giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have successfully brewed sake in space for the first time in human history. The result: a single 100ml bottle priced at $700,000. Inside the Dassai MOON Project, the long-term plan to build a brewery on the Moon, plus practical brewery-tour info for international visitors in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi.
Japanese printing giant TOPPAN is leveraging semiconductor thin-film stacking technology to launch its 3D-printed cultured meat business, targeting commercialization beyond 2031. The vision: a home 'Meat Maker' that prints marbled wagyu from data and recipes — the ultimate local production for local consumption. We unpack TOPPAN's strategy alongside Integriculture's cell-agriculture platform, SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026, and the upcoming 2nd Japanese Society for Cellular Agriculture conference in Osaka.
A Tohoku University-UC Irvine team led by Prof. Kei Igarashi has discovered that dopamine in the entorhinal cortex drops to less than one-fifth of normal levels in Alzheimer's mice, driving memory loss. Published in Nature Neuroscience, the finding suggests Levodopa—a Parkinson's drug used for over half a century—could restore memory in Alzheimer's, opening a new path beyond the amyloid-beta hypothesis behind drugs like lecanemab.
Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University, joint winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has long advocated turning air itself into a resource through metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). His porous crystals can sort and capture CO2, water vapor and other molecules, putting Japan in direct conversation with players like Switzerland's Climeworks in the rapidly evolving direct-air-capture industry. Here is how a basic-science breakthrough from Kyoto could rewrite the economics of decarbonization.
A JAMSTEC-University of Tsukuba team has discovered self-replicating circular RNA replicons living in 70-80°C Japanese hot springs. These newly found members of the Obelisk superfamily, a mysterious RNA entity first described by Nobel laureate Andrew Fire in 2024, expand our view of RNA-based life and may offer fresh clues to the RNA world hypothesis on the origin of life.
Tokushima University researchers led by Prof. Tomohide Saio have unveiled OptoChaperone in JACS, a biohybrid tool that uses light to reversibly switch protein droplets on and off inside living cells. A look at how this Japanese breakthrough could accelerate ALS and Alzheimer's drug discovery, and how it compares with US and European condensate startups like Dewpoint Therapeutics and Nereid.
Waseda University, JAXA, the University of Tokyo, and Keio University have completed Japan's first Mach 5 combustion test using a hypersonic experimental aircraft. How does Japan's passenger-focused strategy compare with the US (Hermeus, Lockheed) and a militarily advanced China?
Panasonic has partnered with Kyoto University's iPS Cell Research Foundation to begin proof-of-concept trials for fully automating iPS cell establishment at Osaka's Nakanoshima Cross. The goal: slash per-patient costs from tens of millions of yen to around 1 million yen. How does Japan's approach compare with US rival Cellino's laser-driven biomanufacturing?
Japan plans to transfer operation of its next Antarctic icebreaker from the Maritime Self-Defense Force to research agency JAMSTEC after the current Shirase retires around 2034. A look at Japan's 70-year Antarctic legacy and what the shift means.
Tokyo-based Orbray has produced the world's largest 30mm square (111) freestanding diamond single-crystal substrate, leaping from the previous few-millimeter limit. The twin-suppression breakthrough, published in Applied Physics Express, unlocks NV-center quantum sensors and next-generation power semiconductors.
Kyoto University's AI-powered robot monk Buddharoid now offers spiritual guidance at a Kyoto temple, trained on ancient Buddhist scriptures. With 30% of Japan's 77,000 temples projected to vanish by 2040, can artificial intelligence save Buddhism? From the $1M Mindar android to BuddhaBot chatbots reaching Bhutan, we explore where faith meets technology.
Tokyo deep-tech startup H.I.Council has performed the world's first 108-qubit FeMoCo calculation on IBM's Heron r2 processor. While achieving chemical accuracy via classical methods, the team discovered a quantitative hardware limit they call the 'coherence wall' — a constructive finding for quantum hardware development.
Researchers at Utsunomiya University have provided the world's first direct proof that ceramide deficiency in the skin causes atopic dermatitis. Using transgenic mice, they demonstrated the full disease cascade from barrier breakdown to allergic inflammation — opening doors for ceramide-based therapies and enzyme-targeting treatments for the 200+ million people affected worldwide.
Microplastic pollution isn't limited to oceans — it's now raining down on forests too. A TU Darmstadt study first proved that airborne plastics settle on tree canopies and accumulate in forest soil. With 67% of Japan covered in forests, the implications are enormous. Japanese researchers have also pioneered breakthroughs in understanding how trees trap airborne microplastics.
Kyoto University Professor Emeritus Hiroki Kamata warns Mount Fuji is in eruption standby mode, with high risk of being triggered by the Nankai Trough megaquake. NHK Special dramatizes Tokyo blackout scenario from volcanic ash, while Sakurajima continues active eruptions
Osaka Metropolitan University researchers discovered that butterflies raised on invasive plants develop altered wing coloration, making them less attractive to potential mates. The study reveals how changes in larval diet affect UV reflection patterns and reproductive success.
JAMSTEC research reveals microplastic density near Japan is 27 times the global average. An estimated 28,000 tons sink to the deep sea annually, and fishing-related plastic accounts for half of all coastal debris. Plus: the world's first ocean plastic center opening June 2026.
RIKEN and Osaka University have launched cloud access to Ei-II, a domestically developed 144-qubit superconducting quantum computer. Doubling the previous 64-qubit Ei, the 28x28mm chip enables quantum calculations beyond classical simulation. We compare it with IBM and Google systems and examine Japan's quantum roadmap.
TOPPAN Holdings, Japan's NICT, and Canada's ISARA have demonstrated a seamless migration path from current cryptography to post-quantum cryptography in certificate authority systems, without service disruption. The breakthrough addresses the looming quantum computing threat to existing encryption, targeting real-world deployment in healthcare, finance, and government by 2030.