Japan

89 Articles

Energy and Green Technologies

Successful Current-Transfer Test in ITER Superconducting Coil Paves the Way for Start-Up

Japan’s QST announced the successful current-transfer test in the ITER toroidal-field (TF) coil, a key component for generating the magnetic field that confines plasma inside the ITER reactor. The test strengthens the project’s readiness for the start-up phase after the current reached approximately 269 kiloamperes without any recorded performance issues.

2026-08-26

Electric Cars

Suzuki Reveals e SKY Electric Vehicle with a Reference Range of 310 Kilometers

Suzuki has revealed the e SKY, its first fully electric kei-class passenger car, ahead of its launch in Japan in fall 2026. The vehicle relies on a 26-kilowatt-hour battery and weighs approximately 1,030 kilograms, while pricing and final production specifications are still pending.

2026-08-25

Cloud Computing and Data Centers

Furukawa Electric to Invest Approximately ¥100 Billion to Increase Optical Fiber Production Linked to AI Data Centers

Furukawa Electric announced an investment of approximately ¥100 billion to strengthen the production of optical fiber and fiber-optic cables, responding to the expansion of data centers and demand related to artificial intelligence. Additional production is scheduled to begin gradually in fiscal 2028, raising total production capacity to approximately twice its fiscal 2025 level.

2026-08-25

Energy and Green Technologies

New Technology to Compensate for Capacity Loss in Lithium-Ion Batteries Could Reduce Manufacturing Costs

A Japanese organization announced on August 20, 2026, the development of a new lithium predoping technology aimed at compensating for the irreversible capacity in negative silicon electrodes used in lithium-ion batteries. The technology could help increase energy density and reduce the cost of battery materials, but industrial scalability and validation in customer cells remain crucial factors.

2026-08-24

Artificial intelligence

CTC Launches ProcessLens to Analyze Work Processes with AI from Video

Japan's Itochu Techno-Solutions, commonly known as CTC, has announced the launch of its ProcessLens solution for analyzing video footage and extracting data to help companies improve their operations. The company aims to secure orders worth ¥5 billion within three years of launching the solution.

2026-08-24

Space and Space Technologies

Japanese Space Company Letara Raises $16 Million to Expand Propulsion Systems into Defense

Japanese startup Letara has raised 2.6 billion yen, approximately $16 million, to expand its hybrid rocket technology from small-satellite thrusters to larger systems targeting the space, defense, and security sectors. The company is preparing for an in-orbit operational test with a foreign partner before moving to scalable commercial production.

2026-08-21

Artificial intelligence

Siemens focuses its artificial intelligence strategy on three paths and expands its industrial tools

Siemens Digital Industries Software has unveiled an artificial intelligence strategy centered on three pillars, while moving its software toward a more AI-driven model for engineering, manufacturing and data management. The plan is based on tools such as Teamcenter, Designcenter and Opcenter, in addition to the Intelligence Center X platform.

2026-08-21

Artificial intelligence

Calbee Develops an AI-Powered System to Improve the Snack Food Supply Chain

The Japanese company Calbee developed the C-BOSS system to simulate the supply chain and improve production and inventory decisions across the company, using data distributed among its departments and factories. The system is designed to address the complexities of potato supply, product diversity, and fluctuating demand.

2026-08-20

Artificial intelligence

Advantech Japan Introduces Three-Pronged Strategy to Support Physical AI

Advantech Japan plans to expand its support for Japanese equipment manufacturers in physical AI applications through three areas encompassing standard products, near-complete customization, and custom design services. The company is targeting multiple industrial sectors while increasing its production capacity in Japan to 2.5 times its current level by 2028.

2026-08-20

Artificial intelligence

CADDi Launches AI-Powered Industrial Data Platform and Aims to Build an “Operating System” for Manufacturing

CADDi has announced the “CADDi” industrial data platform, which includes the CADDi Explorer and CADDi Agent tools for connecting and analyzing fragmented manufacturing data using artificial intelligence. The company says the platform is intended to address factories’ reliance on tacit knowledge and disconnected systems.

2026-08-20

Energy and Green Technologies

Asahi Kasei Develops Technology for Pre-Lithiation of Silicon-Rich Batteries

Asahi Kasei has developed a technology that uses low-cost lithium carbonate as an additional lithium source in high-voltage lithium-ion batteries with silicon-based negative electrodes. Internal tests on a cell combining graphite and silicon oxide showed a 10% increase in energy density, while the company prepares to evaluate and license the technology with customers worldwide.

2026-08-19

Artificial intelligence

Why “Japanese AI” Alone Is Not Enough: Sakura and Sakana AI Present a Practical Approach to Sovereignty

Interviews with Sakura Internet and Sakana AI conclude that building a completely domestic AI ecosystem is neither possible nor rational, and that the practical solution is to control data, operations, and models while diversifying sources of dependence. The approach includes running foreign models inside local infrastructure or adapting open models through post-training to meet Japanese requirements.

2026-08-18

Artificial intelligence

Why Is Preferred Networks Developing the PLaMo Model from Scratch? Sovereignty and Transparency Before the Performance Race

Preferred Networks believes that developing an artificial intelligence model from scratch gives it greater control over design, data, and result interpretability, while also improving Japanese-language processing efficiency. At the same time, the company acknowledges the higher cost of this approach and that using open models or combining the two approaches may be more suitable for some cases.

2026-08-17

Quantum Computing

Researchers Demonstrate Reliable Quantum Progress Through Built-In Verification of Quantum Computing

IBM announced results from three research papers that demonstrated quantitative computations in regimes where classical simulation is infeasible, using methods to verify the reliability of the results or the computation process itself. The work included collaborations with the University of Chicago, Qedma, RIKEN, BlueQubit, and Algorithmiq.

2026-08-15

Startups

Kyoto Fusioneering Develops a Device to Test the Fuel Cycle of Nuclear Fusion Reactors

Kyoto Fusioneering has received grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and the State of Tennessee to develop a prototype fusion fuel production device at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The company will move its U.S. headquarters to Oak Ridge, while other fusion companies will use the device’s data to develop their reactor designs.

2026-08-11

Electric Cars

Toyota to Develop Lower-Cost, Better-Performing Hybrid Batteries Starting Next Year

Toyota plans to convert existing battery production lines in Japan to produce a new generation of high-voltage batteries, with capacity sufficient for approximately 600,000 vehicles. This comes as the company expects global hybrid vehicle sales to exceed five million units this year, while continuing to develop longer-range batteries for electric vehicles and solid-state batteries.

2026-08-04

Robotics and Automation

Walden Robotics Bets on Practical Wheeled Humanoid Robots and a Partnership with Toyota

Walden Robotics has emerged from stealth with $300 million in funding and a $1.1 billion valuation, building on nearly a decade of experience inside the Toyota Research Institute. The company is taking a practical approach to humanoid robots, focusing on manufacturing and logistics, and on a wheeled base with durable hands rather than fully replicating the human form.

2026-08-03