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☆ After Ohtani and Kikuchi, Japan high school toasts latest baseball prodigy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Hanako Montgomery | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Banners herald Los Angeles Dodgers megastar Shohei Ohtani and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, their faces greeting every visitor. But now, Hanamaki Higashi High School celebrates a new prodigy in its midst – one whose high-school records beat even those of Ohtani and Kikuchi. “The presence of legends like Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi were a huge factor as to why I got into baseball – I fell in love with the sport,” Sasaki told CNN. Now, with the emergence of three baseball stars from Hanamaki Higashi, Sasaki’s teammates swell with pride at the honor of walking the same corridors. Despite its status as a public school with a modest baseball budget, Hanamaki Higashi has impressively produced three outstanding athletes.

Persons: Shohei, Yusei Kikuchi, Hanamaki, Kikuchi, Rintaro Sasaki doesn’t, ” Sasaki, Sasaki, he’ll, ”, Hiroshi, Ohtani, Shohei Ohtani, “, Taichi Murakami, Hanamaki Higashi, it’s Organizations: Japan CNN —, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, School, baseball, CNN, Stanford University in, Stanford, Los Angeles Angels, Angel, Kyodo, baseball’s, Dodgers, American League Locations: Hanamaki, Japan, Iwate prefecture, Stanford University in California, America, “, Anaheim , California, Higashi, Hanamaki Higashi

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Japanese high school baseball star Rintaro Sasaki has signed a national letter of intent to play at Stanford in 2025, the school announced Tuesday night. Sasaki will graduate in March from Hanamaki-Higashi High School, the school that produced major league star Shohei Ohtani. Sasaki hit a Japanese high school-record 140 home runs and was projected to be the No. 1 pick in the Nippon Professional Baseball Draft, but decided to go to a U.S. college. "He may be the most high-profile international prospect to play college baseball in the United States in a long time.

Persons: Rintaro Sasaki, Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani, “, David Esquer, ” Sasaki, Stanford Organizations: STANFORD, Calif, Stanford, Higashi High School, Nippon Professional Baseball Locations: Hanamaki, U.S, Stanford, United States

☆ Rapidus hunts for engineers to help Japan regain faded chip glory
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Tetsuro Higashi, the Chairman of Rapidus Corp., poses for a photograph during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Tokyo, Japan February 2, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Government-backed Japanese chip foundry venture Rapidus is hunting high and low - including among industry veterans and overseas - to find engineers to help it revive a chip industry that was once the envy of the world. Rapidus is helmed by veteran chip industry executives who were working in the 1980s when Japan boasted a market share of around half of the global chips market. Rapidus' ambitious plans have been met with scepticism from chip industry insiders who have questioned whether the company will be able to achieve mass production and secure a sufficient customer base. Yonemaru last month relocated to work with IBM in New York state, part of a cohort of Rapidus engineers heading there as the fab is being constructed.

Persons: Tetsuro, Issei Kato, TSMC, Rapidus, Masami Suzuki, Suzuki, Naoto Yonemaru, Sam Nussey, Miho Uranaka, Tim Kelly, Jamie Freed Organizations: Rapidus Corp, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, IBM, Rapidus, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Hokkaido, New York

☆ Human Material Loop is making fabric from human hair
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Flo Cornall | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Human Material Loop hopes to transform the fashion industry by turning human hair into a textile. According to Human Material Loop, 72 million kilograms of human hair waste end up in European landfills every year, the equivalent in weight of seven Eiffel Towers. Human Material Loop used hair to insulate this jacket. For Kollar, it’s not simply about wearing a jumper made from human hair for the novelty or sustainability aspect; she argues that human hair is an incredibly durable material. Visser says ultimately the implementation of human hair in our products isn’t simple.

Persons: Zsofia Kollar, ”, Kollar, “, ” Kollar, Pablo Betancourt, it’s, Higashi, Sanne Visser, There’s, Visser Organizations: CNN, Eiffel, Southwestern, University of the Arts London, London’s Design Locations: Canada, Aconcagua, Argentina, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Micronesia, Kiribati, Southwestern United States, Japan

☆ The CHIPS act and IRA don't disadvantage us in anyway, says Japanese semiconductor company
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe CHIPS act and IRA don't disadvantage us in anyway, says Japanese semiconductor companyTetsuro Higashi, chairman of the board of directors at Rapidus, says the U.S. government, including the Department of Commerce, has shown the company strong support.

Organizations: Rapidus, U.S ., Department of Commerce

☆ Whale watchers spotted a 'super rare' white orca in California
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Whale watchers in California spotted a "super rare" white orca. The orca was hunting in a pack with its mother, according to Monterey Bay Whale Watch. AdvertisementAdvertisementA 'super rare' white killer whale dazzled watchers in California as it hunted with its mother. Monterey Bay Whale Watch announced the spotting of the orca whale named "Frosty" on October 15 in a Facebook post. AdvertisementAdvertisement"Frosty the super rare white Killer Whale!!

Persons: —, Frosty, MBWW Organizations: Monterey Bay Whale Watch, Service, Whale Watch, University of St, Guardian, National Library of Medicine Locations: California, Monterey Bay, Monterey, University of St Andrews

☆ These states will pay you to build a tiny home in your backyard
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Building backyard tiny homes can be expensive. There are three states that will help with the cost, by providing homeowners with grant money. These backyard homes, called accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are small housing units that homeowners can build on their property. In California, where most backyard homes are being built, ADU building permits cost anywhere from $450 to $15,000 — even before construction starts, according to Backyard Unlimited, a company that builds ADUs. Insider reached out to all 50 states to learn which pay homeowners to build ADUs.

Persons: you've, there's, Joyce Higashi's ADU, Kelsey Neubauer, Vermonters Organizations: Service, Backyard, Department, California Housing Finance, California Housing Finance Agency New, AMI, York State's Homes, York State Homes, Community Renewal, Champlain Housing Trust, Community Development, Windsor Housing Trust, Vermont Housing, of Housing, Community Locations: Wall, Silicon, California, California Housing Finance Agency New York, Monroe , New York, Hudson, New York City, Onondaga County, Syracuse, York, Community Renewal Vermont, Burlington , Vermont, Vermont, Champlain, Western Vermont, Windham, Windsor

☆ Thinking of building an ADU in your backyard? Here are some pros and cons.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Backyard tiny homes are increasing in popularity, especially in California. If you're considering building a tiny home in your yard, here are some pros and cons to consider. San Jose homeowner and ADU advocate Joyce Higashi rents her backyard home to traveling nurses for $3,000 per month, she previously told Insider. Pro: Tiny homes can allow a child or elderly parent to remain nearbyAn ADU in Seattle. Selma Hepp, chief economist at CoreLogic, previously told Insider she ran into many challenges when building her ADU.

Persons: it's, Glenn Robinson, Robinson, Joyce Higashi, Eugene Chu, Peter Bohler, Cindy Loughridge, Seth Restaino, Redfin, Higashi, Selma Hepp, Abodu, George Beatty, Realtor.com Organizations: Service, National Association of Realtors ., California Housing Works, Pew Research Center, Terner Center, Housing Innovation, University of California, Villa Locations: California, Wall, Silicon, Sonoma ., National Association of Realtors . California, Redwood City , California, Jose, San Diego, Seattle, Bay, Sonoma, Golden, Berkeley, Philadelphia

☆ Why tiny homes could be a big deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's easy to look at these tiny homes as undersized gimmicks, but there are real use cases. Others are leaning on tiny homes to house homeless veterans. Denver changed its zoning laws to make ADU construction easier, allowing two-story units in some parts of the city. Tiny homes won't fix that, but innovation in zoning and construction, taken with recent data pointing to a surge in residential construction, offer reasons for hope. Why tiny homes could be a big dealThis first appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.

Persons: Joyce Higashi, Katie Sandoval, Clark, Maggie, John Randolph, crumbles Karl Maasdam, Lawrence D, Thornton, Rebecca Zisser, Francesca Gino, Gino, she's, Read, Morgan Stanley, Arantza Pena Popo, Who's, James Gorman, Ted Pick, Morgan Stanley copresident, Insider's Hayley Cuccinello, Pick, Andy Saperstein, Ted Pick Big, Tyler Le, Brad Setser, Tess Turner, Stack, coders, — Jasmine Hyman, Doc Martens, Matt Turner, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, Harvard, Big Pharma Locations: Wall, Silicon, California, San Jose, New Hampshire, Denver, Austin's, New York City

☆ Why the US should be more excited about tiny homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

While there is a lot of interest in tiny homes, it's too early to measure their success. Tiny homes, generally defined as homes under 1,000 square feet — compared with the typical US home size of 2,500 square feet — are a growing market for those seeking affordability, community, and simplicity. Tiny homes — and accessory dwelling units, their slightly larger counterpart — are being eyed as a solution to the country's housing shortage. A tiny home designed and built by Colorado-based tiny home developer, Mitchcraft Tiny Homes. Tiny homes are "a spear point against the armor" to these restrictions, he added.

Persons: Katie Sandoval, Clark, Blue Wells, you've, Skylar Olsen, Zack Giffin, Giffin, Louise Beaumont, Getty, Rebecca Zisser, Muhammad Alameldin, Gavin Newsom, Joyce Higashi, Tiny, Newsom, Alameldin, It's, Barbara Clark, Sandoval Organizations: Service, Consumers, California, University of California, Housing Innovation, state's Department of Housing, Gov, Washington D.C Locations: California backyards, Wall, Silicon, Bay, Blue, South Carolina, New Hampshire, San Diego, Denver, Portland, Cities, Indianapolis, Austin, Colorado, California, ADUs, Jose, While California, —, Washington, Jersey, Sonoma .

☆ Japan's wholesale inflation slows for 6th straight month
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Wholesale prices rise at slowest annual pace since April 2021Rise in utility bills, food prices moderatesYen-based import prices fall at fastest pace since July 2020TOKYO, July 12 (Reuters) - Japan's wholesale inflation slowed for a sixth straight month in June due to sliding fuel and commodity prices, data showed on Wednesday, a sign the cost-push pressure that drove up consumer prices is steadily easing. The data underscores the central bank's view that consumer inflation will slow in coming months as global commodity prices slide from last year's peak levels. But the pace appears to be moderating," Masato Higashi, head of the Bank of Japan's price statistics division, told a briefing. The rise, which followed a 5.2% gain in May, was the slowest annual pace since April 2021, data by the BOJ showed. Food and beverage prices increased 7.4% in June, smaller than a 8.0% gain in May, the data showed.

Persons: Masato Higashi, Leika, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Bank of, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

Public prosecutors in Japan have not released information regarding the case and did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. Rina Gonoi, a former member of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, checks old photos on her phone. “That makes it hard for people to speak out.”Rina Gonoi says she endured physical and verbal sexual abuse while she served in Japan's Self-Defense Forces. In 1992, Japan’s National Defense Academy finally began accepting women, which made it possible for them to become senior officers. “We are aware that the perpetrators of sexual harassment cases are scheduled to be punished severely.

Persons: Tokyo CNN — Rina Gonoi, Gonoi, “, ”, Rina Gonoi Gonoi’s, Staff Yoshihide Yoshida, dishonorably, Rina Gonoi, Philip Fong, Japan’s, Fumika Sato, ” Sato, Sato, ” Rina Gonoi, Rina, Shinzo Abe, Richard A, Brooks, –, ” Gonoi, Gonoi’s, I’d, Yasukazu Hamada, Fumio Kishida, hasn’t, you’ve, “ I’m Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Defense Force, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, Staff, Defense Forces, NHK, Public, Getty, Hitotsubashi University, Defense Ministry, CNN, National Press Club, Japan’s National Defense Academy, Defense, Japan’s, Self - Defense Force, Ministry of Defense, ”, “, SDF Locations: Japan’s, Japan, AFP, Japan's, North Korea, China, Tokyo, Higashi, Miyagi, Fukushima

☆ Japanese chipmaker Rapidus considers listing for capex needs -Kyodo
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, May 3 (Reuters) - Japanese microchip maker Rapidus estimates that it needs about 2 trillion yen ($14.71 billion) for technological development, for which it will seek mid to long-term assistance from the government, the company's chairman told the Kyodo news agency. The company also requires an additional 3 trillion yen to fund mass production and is considering listing to raise capital for that purpose, Rapidus chairman Tetsuro Higashi said in the interview published on Wednesday. Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said last week the government plans to give 260 billion yen in additional subsidy on top of a 70 billion yen funding. Rapidus is planning to build a cutting-edge two-nanometre chip factory in Japan's northern major island of Hokkaido. "Going public is a major means of forming the foundation of the company" as a way to raise 3 trillion yen, Higashi said in the interview.

☆ Beyond Kyoto: Japan recommends 11 lesser-known spots to visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Japan wants travelers to go beyond the country's iconic tourist sites — and consider spending their yen in lesser-known locations. CNBC Travel takes a look at what each of the 11 spots has to offer travelers — whether or not they're wealthy. Koichi Kamoshida | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesIse-shima is arguably the "model destination" most ready to welcome the JTA's wealthy targets. Kagoshima, Aso and UnzenThe island of Kyushu in western Japan feature everything from active volcanoes to glimpses of samurai culture. Okinawa and AmamiIn 2021, Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa's main island, and Iriomote Island were given joint UNESCO Natural World Heritage status for their biodiversity and endemic wildlife.

☆ Japan to add $2.3 billion subsidy to Rapidus for Chitose chip plant, media report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, April 10 (Reuters) - Japan's industry ministry is finalising a plan to provide state-backed chip maker Rapidus an additional 300 billion yen ($2.27 billion) in funding to build a semiconductor plant in the northern island of Hokkaido, a local paper reported on Saturday. Rapidus, which in February picked Chitose, near Sapporo, as the site for a cutting-edge two-nanometre chip factory, previously secured an initial 70 billion yen funding from the government. The additional grant will be used to help Rapidus build a prototype line scheduled to launch in 2025, the Hokkaido Shimbun paper said, citing multiple unidentified sources. The Japanese government is also offering up to 476 billion yen in subsidies to a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) (2330.TW) plant in Kyushu, in which Sony Group Corp (6758.T) and Denso Corp (6902.T) each have a minority stake. ($1 = 132.3100 yen)Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ChatGPT is the hottest new job skill that can help you get hired, according to HR experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The hottest new job qualification could be how well you work with a chatbot. ChatGPT is the latest in-demand job skill companies are hiring for, according to recent research from the career site Resume Builder. Nearly half (49%) of companies are already using ChatGPT, Resume Builder determined, mainly for writing code, creating content, drafting summaries of meetings or internal documents and assisting with customer support. ChatGPT is "no different" from other in-demand technical skills like coding or using Microsoft Excel, says Andrew Higashi, CEO of ChangeEngine, a software development firm in San Francisco. "Candidates who are familiar with and comfortable using the latest technological tools, including ChatGPT, will always have a competitive advantage in the job market," Higashi explains.

☆ Japan's business services prices perk up near BOJ's inflation target
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, March 27 (Reuters) - Japan's business-to-business services inflation picked up in February on a tourism rebound and rising labour costs, data showed, offering the central bank hope that steady wage hikes would aid in sustainably hitting its 2% inflation target. The services producer price index, which measures the prices companies charge each other for services, rose 1.8% in February from a year earlier, up from a 1.6% gain in January, BOJ data showed on Monday. Fees for services such as office cleaning, taxi and software development also rose, reflecting higher labour costs. "For services, the pass-through of rising costs isn't as smooth as those for wholesale goods," said Masato Higashi, head of the BOJ's price statistics division, told a briefing. "But when you look closely, the pass-through (of higher labour costs) is gradually broadening," he said.

☆ I built an ADU in my backyard that brings in $3,000 a month. Now I urge other California homeowners to do the same.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Joyce Higashi is a San Jose native who built an ADU in her backyard in 2020 for $230,000. She leases the unit out to traveling nurses for three months at a time and charges $3,000 per month. That's when I decided to put an ADU in my backyard — back before ADUs were even remotely popular in California. Courtesy of AboduThrough ADU builder Abodu, I had a 500-square foot one-bedroom ADU built in my backyard. Now, I rent the ADU out for $3,000 a month to traveling nurses for three months at a time.

☆ Rapidus picks northern Japan's Chitose as semiconductor plant location
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Japan's state-backed Rapidus said on Tuesday it would build its semiconductor plant in Chitose, a manufacturing hub on the nation's northern island of Hokkaido. The factory and a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2330.TW) plant under construction on the southern island of Kyushu are the key pillars of Japan's strategy to boost its capability to make more advanced chips and shield itself from supply chain snarls. Rapidus Chairman Tetsuro Higashi told Reuters this month that the company would need about 7 trillion yen ($51.4 billion) of mostly taxpayer money to begin mass producing advanced logic chips around 2027. Chitose, a city of about 100,000 people, already hosts a wide range of factories run by major manufacturers including silicon wafer maker SUMCO Corp (3436.T) and auto components maker Denso Corp (6902.T). ($1 = 136.1500 yen)Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka and Mayu Sakoda; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

TOKYO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Japan's state-backed chip venture Rapidus will need about 7 trillion yen ($54 billion) of mostly taxpayer money to begin mass producing advanced logic chips in around 2027, its chairman, Tetsuro Higashi, told Reuters on Thursday. "In the past, the United States hindered Japan's chip industry growth. Japan and the United States worry that friction with China will result in semiconductor shortages that could threaten economic growth. Japan's most advanced semiconductor factory is a 40 nanometre plant owned by Renesas Electronics (6723.T). For them, the decision to invest will be taken when they are able assess our technology and production plans."

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