2021

Around the world, the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has brought calls for a green recovery focused on eco-friendly businesses and renewable energy. Yoshida Hiroko runs an NPO promoting green energy and sustainab…

With human interaction restricted by the pandemic, robotic communication aids are in the spotlight. Aoki Shunsuke heads a firm that develops such devices, with user-friendly messenger robots aimed at children and senior…

Food waste is a global issue. And fresh fruit -- easily bruised; rejected for minor deviations in size, shape and color; and prone to price dips due to bumper crops -- is among the most widely discarded items. Kinoshita…

Kuji Kosuke heads an Iwate Prefecture's sake brewery with 119 years of history. Through an approach that melds tradition with the French "terroir" philosophy, using mountain spring water and rice varieties suited to the…

Taniguchi Hisashi is CEO of a mobility services company that is tackling the pandemic through self-driving technology that facilitates social distancing. From automated trolley systems for mail-order warehouses experien…

Since 2018, twins Matsuda Takaya and Fumito have run a social business built around the unique artistic talents of individuals with learning disabilities. In partnership with facilities across Japan, besides organizing …

Painting and decorating is an industry that has long been dominated by men. But Takenobe Yukio, CEO of an Osaka-based construction painting firm founded in 1950, is solving the issue of an aging, shrinking workforce by …

In a big year for parasports in Tokyo, we follow 3 technicians whose expertise aids the performance of competitors from around the world. Wheelchair engineer Ozawa Toru calibrates his devices to match athletes' requirem…

Based in Toyama Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast, Noguchi Tomohisa runs a unique business making sustainable leather from fish skin, a major waste product of the region's active fisheries. After a three-year develo…

Orihime, a desktop avatar robot created by Yoshifuji Ory based on his own experiences of long-term school absenteeism, lets those excluded from society by illness or disability communicate remotely. During the global pa…

Industrial waste processing firm CEO Ishizaka Noriko is changing the image of her sector. Transforming waste into resources with an industry-leading recycle rate of over 98% has made her an opinion leader in the march t…

Taira Yuiko runs a firm promoting home composting as a sustainable solution to the large quantities of organic kitchen waste generated by most households. In just 2 years, her service providing stylish composting kits t…

The pandemic has caused widespread disruption to medical practice, including hindering surgical training by preventing in-person coaching. And with ethical and economic issues surrounding the dissection of live animals …