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☆ One Month on From Japan Quake, Volunteers Provide Safe Space for Kids
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SUZU, Japan (Reuters) - One month on from a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck the west coast of Japan, volunteers from non-profit organisation Katariba play cards and other games with children in a Suzu city school classroom. Some of kids are still living in evacation centres, where it is difficult to play. Others have parents who are busy trying to deal with the task of rebuilding homes and livelihoods since the quake, so it's important to provide children with a safe place, says Katariba member Yoshiki Itashiki. After her daughter was temporarily evacuated to a different city, the service made it easier for her to come back. More than 13,600 people in Ishikawa prefecture where Suzu city is located are still living in evacuation centres.

Persons: Yoshiki Itashiki, Kanako, Sakura Murakami, Tom Bateman, Edwina Gibbs Locations: SUZU, Japan, evacation, Suzu, Ishikawa prefecture

☆ Japan Earthquake Survivors Battle Unsanitary Conditions With No Running Water
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Sakura Murakami and Tom BatemanSUZU, Japan (Reuters) - A month on from a huge earthquake that struck Japan's west coast, survivors are battling freezing and unsanitary conditions while tens of thousands of homes remain without running water. More than 230 people died in the magnitude 7.6 quake, Japan's deadliest in eight years, which also left 44,000 homes fully or partially destroyed while 40,000 have no running water. More than 13,000 residents are living in evacuation centres, according to the Ishikawa government. Bitter cold is also posing a challenge, especially for scores of residents who are sleeping in their cars after their homes were wrecked. Over 900 deaths from the devastating Kobe earthquake of 1995 happened after the quake, due in part to the spread of flu and lack of medical care at evacuation centres, according to public health experts.

Persons: Sakura Murakami, Tom Bateman SUZU, Yoshio Binsaki, Ishikawa, Chisa, Terashita, Tom Bateman, Edmund Klamann Locations: Japan, Ishikawa prefecture, Suzu, Kobe

☆ Row with China over Fukushima release could shave 0.2% off Japan GDP, Daiwa says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A row with China over Tokyo's decision to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant could shave 0.2% off Japan's real gross domestic product (GDP), estimates by Daiwa Institute of Research showed on Thursday. Japan started releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean last Thursday, prompting China, Japan's biggest trade partner, to impose a blanket ban on Japanese seafood products. A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsIf the row escalates and leads to a 20% drop in goods exports to China, Japan's GDP could shrink by around 6.1 trillion yen, or 1.1%, according to the estimates. ($1 = 145.8900 yen)Reporting by Leika Kihara Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Leika, Peter Graff Organizations: Daiwa Institute of Research, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture

☆ Japan has no plans to boost funds to ease reputation damage from Fukushima water release
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Japan's industry minister said on Wednesday the government had no plan to substantially boost funds aimed at helping the fishing industry hit by reputation damage from the release of treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. The government currently has two such funds worth 80 billion yen ($547 million). ($1 = 146.1700 yen)Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

☆ Japan says may take China to WTO over Fukushima-driven seafood import ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that Japan would take "necessary action (on China's aquatic product ban) under various routes including the WTO framework". Filing a WTO complaint might become an option if protesting to China through diplomatic routes is ineffective, Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi said separately. Japan's National Police Agency has received 225 reports of harassment calls to date, Jiji News reported, and the government said it was seeking help from telecommunications companies to block the calls. NTT and other phone companies including KDDI (9433.T) and SoftBank Corp (9434.T) are discussing measures following the government's request. "It is extremely regrettable and concerning about the large number of harassment calls that have likely come from China," Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said during a news conference.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Sanae Takaichi, Yasutoshi Nishimura, Nishimura, Kantaro Komiya, Mariko Katsumura, Sakura Murakami, Chang, Ran Kim, Simon Cameron, Moore, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, World Trade Organization, Economic, Japan's National Police Agency, Jiji News, NTT Communications, Nippon Telegraph, Telephone, NTT, SoftBank Corp, Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, China, WTO

☆ Japan says harassing calls from China over Fukushima water release 'extremely regrettable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Japan said on Monday it was extremely regrettable that there were many instances of harassing phone calls from China regarding the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific. Japan started the water discharge on Thursday in a key step toward decommissioning the Fukushima plant, which suffered triple meltdowns after being hit by a tsunami in 2011 following a powerful earthquake. "A lot of harassment phone calls believed to be originating from China are occurring in Japan ... Other municipalities, hotels and restaurants have also been getting such calls since the day the water release began, domestic media said.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Hirokazu Matsuno, Masataka Okano, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Martin Pollard, Jacqueline Wong, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Pacific ., Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, China, Pacific, Pacific . Japan, Tokyo, Beijing

☆ Japan says harassment calls from China regarding Fukushima water release extremely regrettable
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Japan's top government spokesman said on Monday it was extremely regrettable that there were many instances of harassment phone calls from China regarding the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific. "A lot of harassment phone calls believed to be originating from China are occurring in Japan ... These developments are extremely regrettable and we are concerned," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a regular news conference. Japan on Thursday started the water discharge, a key step in decommissioning the Fukushima plant, which suffered triple meltdowns after being hit by a tsunami in 2011 following a powerful earthquake.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Hirokazu Matsuno, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Martin Pollard, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Japan, Thursday, Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, China, Tokyo, Beijing

☆ Japan says seawater radioactivity below limits near Fukushima
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc FollowTOKYO, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Japan's environment ministry on Sunday said tests of seawater near the Fukushima nuclear power plant did not detect any radioactivity, days after the discharge of treated water that had been used to cool nuclear reactors. The east-Asian nation on Thursday started releasing water from the wrecked Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean, sparking protests within Japan and neighbouring countries and prompting China to ban aquatic product imports from Japan. It said the seawater "would have no adverse impact on human health and the environment". Japan's fisheries agency on Saturday said tests of fish in waters around the plant did not detect tritium.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Kaori Kaneko, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Rights Companies Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Reuters, Tokyo Electric Power Co, Tepco, Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, China

☆ China's biggest salt maker urges public not to panic buy after Fukushima discharge
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan August 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Bateman Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 25 (Reuters) - China's biggest salt producer urged people against panic buying after Japan began discharging treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant on Thursday, despite firm opposition from Beijing. "We are working overtime to produce, distribute and making all efforts to guarantee market supply," the National Salt Industry Group said in its statement. The national salt group said sea salt only accounts for 10% of the salt people consume, the rest are well and late salt, which are safe from contamination. The group said its salt supply is ample and the stock shortfall would be temporary.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Albee Zhang, Brenda Goh, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Japan, Salt Industry Group, International Atomic Energy Agency, Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Rights BEIJING, Beijing, China, Shanghai

[1/3] Supermarket owner Takashi Nakajima, 67, prepares sashimi, or raw fish, to sell at his store, near the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, in Soma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, August 9, 2023. It's been a long battle to get radiation-wary customers back to the seafood from waters near the Fukushima nuclear power plant that was wrecked in the 2011 tsunami, Nakajima says. Now, with the imminent release of treated radioactive water from the plant into the Pacific, he fears a return to square one. "This can't be happening," the 67-year-old said in the backyard kitchen of his supermarket in Soma city, just 45 km (28 miles) north of the stricken power plant. The problem is, this water release will go on for at least 30 years."

Persons: Takashi Nakajima, Akiko Okamoto, It's, Nakajima, Yasutaka Shishido, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Tom Bateman, Chang, Ran Kim, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Tokyo Electric Power, Thomson Locations: Soma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, China

☆ Japan's Kishida to meet fishermen on Fukushima water release plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan August 20, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will meet fishermen as soon as Monday to seek their understanding of the government's plan to release radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific. He said his government would make every effort to ensure the safety of the water release and counter reputational damage. Releasing the water is a key step in decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi plant and revitalising Fukushima, he added. The prime minister declined to say when it would begin.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Tom Bateman, Yuka Obayashi, William Mallard Organizations: Japan's, Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Tokyo Electric Power, Tepco, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Thomson Locations: Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, South Korea, China

An aerial view shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following a strong earthquake, in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan in this photo taken by Kyodo on March 17, 2022. Members of a group that tracks such levels in food and seawater, they fear Japan's plans to release treated radioactive water into the sea near the Fukushima nuclear plant could stir an anxiety among residents reminiscent of the 2011 disaster. "The people of Fukushima endured the risks for the last 12 years and have confirmed the radiation level has dropped," said Ai Kimura, director of non-profit group Mothers' Radiation Lab Fukushima, also known as Tarachine. Japan is preparing this summer to start discharging into the Pacific more than a million tons of water from the tsunami-crippled power plant, but has not yet revealed the date. Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka, Akiko Okamoto and Tom Bateman; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ai Kimura, Kimura, what's, Kimura's, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Akiko Okamoto, Tom Bateman, Chang, Ran Kim, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Kyodo, Rights Companies Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Tokyo Electric Power, Thomson Locations: Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, IWAKI, Fukushima, Iwaki, Pacific, China, Tarachine

[1/6] German tourist Kevin Khani and Austrian tourist Georg Riedlbaur use an automated translation window at the Seibu-Shinjuku station in Tokyo, Japan, July 26, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File photoTOKYO, July 31 (Reuters) - As Japan enjoys a post-pandemic resurgence in tourism from around the globe, Seibu Railway is testing out an automated translation window to help confused foreigners navigate one of Tokyo's most complex transportation hubs. Kevin Khani was among foreign travellers who got turned around in the Seibu-Shinjuku station recently and found the VoiceBiz window helpful. Across the road from the Seibu station is Shinjuku's central Japan Railway (JR) station, which is the busiest in the world, with some 3.6 million people passing through daily. Weary from a 1 a.m. flight arrival, French tourists Isabelle and Marc Rigaud used the translation window to try to find their way from the Seibu station to the JR station.

Persons: Kevin Khani, Georg Riedlbaur, Kim Kyung, Harry Potter, Ayano Yajima, Toppan, Isabelle, Marc Rigaud, Tom Bateman, Rocky Swift, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Seibu, REUTERS, Japan, Seibu Railway, Seibu Holdings, Kansai International, Japan Railway, Thomson Locations: Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, United States, Europe, Seibu, Alibaba

[1/5] Kazuyuki Tanioka, the owner of Japanese cuisine Toya restaurant, prepares a sashimi dish, during an interview with Reuters, in Beijing, China July 25, 2023. China is the biggest importer of Japanese seafood. Shortly after the 2011 tsunami and earthquake damaged the Fukushima plant, it banned the import of food and agricultural products from five Japanese prefectures. The latest import restrictions were imposed this month after the United Nation's nuclear watchdog approved Japan's plans to discharge the treated water. "Our main focus is to source seafood within China or sourcing from other foreign suppliers," Tanioka said.

Persons: Tanioka, Tingshu Wang, It's, Toya, Kenji Kobayashi, Fukuoka, Duan, restaurateurs, Martin Quin Pollard, Chris Gallagher, Tom Bateman, Mariko Katsumura, Xiaoyu Yin, Justin Fung, Miral Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, United, Aomori, Aomori Chuosuisan Co, Japan, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Toya, Beijing, China, Tingshu Wang BEIJING, Kumamoto, Japan, Aomori Chuosuisan, Hong Kong, Tokyo

☆ Silkworm sashimi, cricket curry on menu as bugs make a comeback in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Almond tofu with beetle larvae is pictured at Take-Noko cafe in Tokyo, Japan, July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonTOKYO, July 26 (Reuters) - On a recent vacation in Tokyo, Takumi Yamamoto opted for a special lunch of cricket curry and silkworm sashimi, washed down with a water bug cider. In particular, the water bug cider was quite refreshing and delicious, like a green apple." While some consumers think eating insects is just gross, Japan has a rich culinary history of insects as food. The delicate "sashimi" is the left-over casing of silkworms, and the cider is infused with water bug extract and topped with a whole insect, said to taste like shrimp.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Hoon, Takumi Yamamoto, Yamamoto, Entomophagy, Michiko Miura, Miura, Takeo Saito, Saito, Rocky Swift, Tom Bateman, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, United, Grasshoppers, Nippon Telegraph, Telephone, Takeo, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Hoon TOKYO, Hyogo, United Nations, silkworms, Pasco

☆ Dancing cyborgs: Japanese researchers develop robot arms to 'unlock creativity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Staff members control the robot arm control unit which is synced with wearable robot arms "Jizai Arms" which Masahiko Inami of the University of Tokyo wears during its demonstration at the school's lab in Tokyo, Japan, June 22, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonTOKYO, June 27 (Reuters) - What would society look like if cyborg body parts were freely available for use like roadside rental bicycles? Masahiko Inami's team at the University of Tokyo have sought to find out by creating wearable robotic arms. A promotional video for the "Jizai Arms" shows two ballet dancers performing a routine with robotic arms protruding from their backs and torsos - human and machine moving in concert. Reporting by Anton Bridge and Tom Bateman; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Masahiko Inami, Kim Kyung, Hoon TOKYO, Masahiko Inami's, Inami, Yasunari Kawabata, Anton Bridge, Tom Bateman, Chang, Ran Kim, Stephen Coates Organizations: Staff, University of Tokyo, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ OpenAI CEO says 'optimistic' on global AI coordination
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Sam Nussey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, attends an open dialogue with students at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan June 12, 2023. REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, June 12 (Reuters) - The CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI on Monday said a tour of capital cities had left him "quite optimistic" about prospects for global coordination on artificial intelligence (AI). Altman visited Japan in April, meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and saying he was considering opening an office in country. "All of the conversations have progressed quite well," Altman said on Monday without providing detail. Reporting by Sam Nussey and Tom Bateman; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Issei Kato TOKYO, Altman, Fumio Kishida, Sam Nussey, Tom Bateman, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Keio University, REUTERS, Microsoft Corp, Regulators, European, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia

☆ ‘Based on a True Story’ Review: Only Murders on the TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( James Poniewozik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“The great American art form isn’t music or film or television,” says a podcast host in “Based on a True Story,” a new dark comedy on Peacock. “The great American art form is murder. Forget the surfeit of murder podcasts that “Based on a True Story” satirizes, however fitfully. “Based on True Story” is not even the first TV comedy about a fictional murder podcast. (Steve Martin and Martin Short would like a word.)

Persons: ”, “, Steve Martin, Martin, Craig Rosenberg, Kaley, Nathan, Chris Messina, sleuths, Matt, Tom Bateman, Peacock, it’s Locations: Los Angeles

[1/5] A student practices smiling with a mirror at a smile training course at Sokei Art School in Tokyo, Japan, May 30, 2023. Only 8% said they had stopped wearing masks altogether. Tellingly, roughly a quarter of the art school students who took the class kept their masks on during the lesson. Her trademarked "Hollywood Style Smiling Technique" method comprises "crescent eyes", "round cheeks" and shaping the edges of the mouth to bare eight pearly whites in the upper row. With a surge in inbound tourists, Japanese people need to communicate with foreigners with more than just their eyes, she added.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Hoon TOKYO, Keiko Kawano's, Himawari Yoshida, Young, Kawano, Anton Bridge, Tom Bateman, Chang, Ran Kim, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Sokei Art School, REUTERS, NHK, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

Yahata is a 'hibakusha', a survivor of the atomic bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima by the United States. While talks by hibakusha have become a regular feature of the city's memorial sites, Yahata stands out for her presentations in English. Resolving to learn English, she began taking classes at the YMCA as she headed into her 80s, and by 2021, was giving her presentations exclusively in English. Yahata's English ability is mostly limited to reading the script, but the impact of her spoken words on the audience is undeniable, moving some to tears. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is hosting the G7 summit in Hiroshima, his home constituency, starting on Friday.

The incident exposes vulnerabilities in Japan's security system and a failure to institute changes following the killing of former prime minister Shinzo Abe during an election campaign last year, four experts interviewed by Reuters said. Fukuda said for such big, international events, authorities are able to provide solid security by mobilising a huge police presence. The government has instructed authorities to strengthen security measures and to ensure safety precautions at gatherings of VIPs, he added. read moreIn Saturday's attack, the suspect was about 10 metres from Kishida, according to media reports. He said it showed that a review of security plans by the National Police Agency could only go so far.

☆ Tokyo court upholds not guilty verdict for ex-Tepco execs over Fukushima disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wrongful judgment" after the The Tokyo High Court upheld a not guilty verdict for former Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) executives of negligence over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power station disaster, in front of the court in Tokyo, Japan, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday upheld a not guilty criminal verdict by a lower court that cleared former Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) (9501.T) executives of negligence over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power station disaster. The ruling on Wednesday to uphold the not guilty verdict sits at odds with a separate civil case brought to the Tokyo court by Tepco shareholders, which found four former executives responsible for the 2011 nuclear disaster. Judges ordered the former executives to pay 13 trillion yen ($99.14 billion) in damages in the civil lawsuit. The court judged that the executives could have prevented the disaster if they had exercised due care.

☆ Japan's ispace launches world's first commercial moon lander
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Rocky Swift | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ispace Inc's HAKUTO-R mission took off without incident from Cape Canaveral, Florida, after two postponements caused by inspections of its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The project was a finalist in the Google Lunar XPRIZE before being revived as a commercial venture. The M1 lander will deploy two robotic rovers, a two-wheeled, baseball-sized device from Japan's JAXA space agency and the four-wheeled Rashid explorer made by the United Arab Emirates. "The Rashid rover is part of the United Arab Emirates ambitious space programme," said Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also vice-president of the United Arab Emirates and who watched the launch at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. Privately funded ispace has a contract with NASA to ferry payloads to the moon from 2025 and is aiming to build a permanently staffed lunar colony by 2040.

From Tuesday, Japan will reinstate visa-free travel to dozens of countries, ending some of world's strictest border controls to slow the spread of COVID-19. Just over half a million visitors have come to Japan so far in 2022, compared with a record 31.8 million in 2019. GHOST TOWNNarita Airport, Japan's biggest international airport some 70 kilometres from Tokyo, remains eerily quiet, with about half of its 260 shops and restaurants shuttered. Whether overseas visitors wear face masks and abide by other common infection controls in Japan is another concern. "From the start of the pandemic until now, we've had just a few foreign guests," said Tokyo innkeeper Sawa.

The work builds upon previous insect-control experiments at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and could one day result in cyborg insects that can enter hazardous areas much more efficiently than robots. Even when the backpack and film are glued to their backs, the bugs can traverse small obstacles or right themselves when flipped over. Kakei said he constructed the cyborg backpack with 5,000 yen ($35) worth of parts purchased at Tokyo's famed Akihabara electronics district. The backpack and film can be removed, allowing the roaches to go back to life in the lab's terrarium. Beyond disaster rescue bugs, Fukuda sees broad applications for the solar cell film, composed of microscopic layers of plastic, silver, and gold.

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