2019

In Japan, long-distance express coaches are a fast-expanding sector. Including an increasing number of foreign visitors, annual users now stand at an estimated 120 million. Koji Hirayama runs a coach operator that has h…

Flying cars have long been a staple of science fiction, but recent years have seen a global explosion in projects that aim to make these futuristic vehicles a reality. With the aim of making flight available to all by 2…

With over 27% of the population currently aged 65 or over, Japan as a nation is experiencing unprecedented demand for assistive technology. Hideaki Tamada heads one Osaka-based firm that developed walking aids tailored …

The global drive to cut fossil fuel usage has put electric vehicles (EVs) in the spotlight. Spurred by the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, engineer Hideo Tsurumaki created a compa…

The global boom in wearable technology has seen one traditional Japanese textile maker is in the spotlight with smartphone-linked garments that monitor wearers' heart rate and other data, with applications in sports, he…

Fujio Kojima leads a company using IT to tackle waste, from litter to fly-tipping and ocean plastics. A unique social media app that encourages users to pick up litter and share their activities, has been a hit with pri…

At the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA, top plaudits went to a wearable ultrasound sensor that provides users with mobile notifications of bladder fullness. Based on the personal experience of developer…

In Japan, blemishes and inconsistencies in size or shape see some 20-30% of vegetables rejected as unfit for sale. Keisuke Soda had an idea to spare producers the heartache of scrapping perfectly good crops: He buys suc…

Across Japan, aging and depopulation see over 8 million properties currently standing unused. One town at the forefront of this issue is Mino, Gifu Prefecture. Once known for some 4,700 traditional mills making UNESCO-r…

In Japan, crowdfunding isn't just about money. There's also a site aimed at test marketing new products which has built up an impressive track record. CEO Ryotaro Nakayama finds the ideas slumbering within local small a…

A Kyoto Prefecture umbrella maker with 160 years of history drove to the brink of bankruptcy in 2003, falling demand for traditional Wagasa paper umbrellas. Son-in-law Kotaro Nishibori left his job as a civil servant to…

Agricultural science PhD Yukihiro Maru is head of a unique business striving to raise the floor for science and technology in Japan, through both educational workshops and support for science-based startups. Staffed by …

Over 40% of Japan is covered with woodland. But in recent years, cheap foreign imports have seen a decline in Japan's timber industry, with the resulting lack of resources and personnel required for forest management al…

As Japan's society rapidly ages, rehabilitative care for seniors who cannot walk or stand unaided is a vital part of the country's care provision. With a background in nursing care, Kenta Toshima, a researcher at the pr…

Lina Sakai is the mind behind a new bioethanol-based resource cycle that is revitalizing regional economies. In Iwate Prefecture, rice from once fallow fields is fermented to produce ethanol, which is used to create pre…

In the world of para-sports, advances in prosthetic technology have brought leaps in performance for athletes. But with the global market dominated by models from Germany and Iceland, one Japanese maker is creating athl…