From Kyodo:
Japan successfully launched Monday its new flagship H3 rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite from a space center on a southwestern island, in a boost to the country's space aspirations following the vehicle's failed debut last year.
Space is back.
From Kyodo:
"It is highly unlikely it will respond in the future," the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, that has remained in operation for longer than anticipated, surprisingly surviving three cold lunar nights.
Good night little one.
Rikka Teramachi from The Mainichi:
A facial robot covered with "living skin" made from human cells has been developed by a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo and other institutions. The device will apparently help elucidate the process of wrinkle formation and reduce animal testing in cosmetics and drug development.
I'm sure this will have no negative consequences down the road.
From The Mainichi:
A source close to the matter said the cyberattacks are believed to have been perpetrated by Chinese-affiliated hackers, adding a huge number of files may have been viewed, including information on external companies and organizations under nondisclosure agreements with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Friendly reminder to change your passwords regularly.
Ryoko Shimonoya from Nikkei:
The Nippon Foundation and the University of Tokyo together found deposits of some 230 million tonnes of manganese nodules on the seabed around Minami-Torishima, located roughly 1,900 km southeast of Tokyo, in a survey conducted between April and June.
Mitsuru Obe from Nikkei:
Tanegashima, closer to Shanghai and Seoul than Tokyo, has fewer than 30,000 people and is best known as the home of Japan's answer to Cape Canaveral, the rocket launch center of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The next launch is scheduled for June 30.
But with launches few and far between, the center hasn't spawned a broader industrial base, leaving fishing and sugarcane farming by an aging workforce as the backbone of the island economy. With Japan's fertility rate at a record low, speeding population decline, success in regenerating Tanegashima's economy could serve as a blueprint for regions across the country seeking rural revival.
Communities across rural Japan are experimenting with many different models on how to pull people in and have them stay. The JAXA draw for Tanegashima could be huge but there does looks to be a lack of investment on their part to assist the island to grow.
The digital nomad angle could work but it is still quite remote for many. And then there is the marketing problem. How does such a small island promote itself out in the wider world? A difficult proposition but hoping they will find success.
Nobuto Matsukura from The Mainichi:
...researchers in western Japan's Ehime Prefecture have developed a new type of paper material that's cooler to the touch.
The developers are also considering cutting the paper into fine threads to be processed into towels and other textile products.
This kind of thing is where Japan really does excel: taking the normal materials of life and improving them by small margins over time.