Technology
JR Tokai aims to begin construction of maglev train by early 2010s
Technology › 20 November, 2008 02:55
NAGOYA - Central Japan Railway Co. hopes to start building a magnetically levitated train system linking Tokyo and Nagoya by the first half of the 2010s to meet its plan to launch the service in 2025, the company's president said
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Crime Blotter › 23 October, 2008 01:37
National › 19 October, 2008 08:25
Tecmo, Koei to form joint holding firm in April
Technology › 19 November, 2008 07:09
TOKYO - Tecmo Ltd. and Koei Co., two major players in the game business, said Tuesday they will establish a joint holding company April 1, a move that would create a game software maker with over 40 billion yen in ...
Radar technology to predict arrival of strong winds developed
Technology › 18 November, 2008 08:52
TOKYO - Two research institutes in Japan have jointly developed technology to foretell areas which might be hit by strong winds an hour ahead of time by using a radar observation network in the Tokyo metropolitan area, researchers said Monday.The ...
Fuji Heavy releases Subaru Dex subcompact car
Technology › 14 November, 2008 09:08
TOKYO - Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. on Thursday released the 3.8-meter-long, 1.3-liter Subaru Dex subcompact car featuring angular exterior lines.The Subaru Dex is the first Subaru-brand model made and supplied by Daihatsu Motor Co., a Toyota Motor Corp. subsidiary, under ...
Geomagnetic navigation system for underground malls developed
Technology › 12 November, 2008 01:32
NAGOYA - Aichi Steel Corp. said Tuesday it has developed a navigation system employing a geomagnetic sensor that can provide location information and directions in underground shopping malls.The system -- comprising a geomagnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor and a microprocessor ...
Panasonic to sell 'super-energy-efficient' fridge from December
Technology › 11 November, 2008 11:54
OSAKA - Panasonic Corp. said Monday it will release on Dec. 1 what it claims will be Japan's most energy-efficient home-use refrigerator among products with capacities of 501 liters or larger.The fridge, which does not use chlorofluorocarbons as coolant, consumes ...
Emobile soars to 2nd in October cellphone subscription gain ranking
Technology › 11 November, 2008 11:52
TOKYO - Relative newcomer Emobile Ltd. surged to second place in October from fourth the previous month in net subscription gains among Japan's top cellphone carriers, an industry body said Monday.Emobile posted a net gain -- new contracts minus cancellations ...
Computer virus infections via USB spreading in Japan
Technology › 08 November, 2008 08:30
TOKYO - Computer infections with viruses by way of USB flash memory drives are spreading in Japan, according to a Trend Micro Inc. survey released Saturday.Based on the finding, the Tokyo-based virus-scanning software company called on PC users to take ...
Tomy to release digital camera that prints photos on site
Technology › 07 November, 2008 07:56
TOKYO - Tomy Co. said Thursday it will begin marketing Nov. 28 its Xiao digital camera that can print out photos on the scene in 45 seconds.The new product also prints photos sent from other digital cameras and cellphones by ...
Honda to release all-new Life minicar Fri.
Technology › 07 November, 2008 07:24
TOKYO - Honda Motor Co. said Thursday it will release its new Life minicar on Friday after making a full model changeover for the first time in five years.The all-new Life offers enhanced drivability and comfort with such features as ...
NTT Docomo unveils winter lineup of handsets to boost flagging sales
Technology › 06 November, 2008 05:58
TOKYO - Japan's top mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo Inc. on Wednesday unveiled an eclectic lineup of mobile phone handsets for the winter season to bolster flagging sales in the saturated domestic market.Beginning in November, NTT Docomo will launch 22 ...
Panasonic LED lighting to be used in transport craft for space lab
Technology › 06 November, 2008 05:56
OSAKA - Panasonic Electric Works Co. said Wednesday that its light-emitting diode will be used from around 2010 for lighting inside an unmanned vehicle that will transport supplies to Japan's Kibo laboratory on the International Space Station.It will be the ...
Japanese team clones mice from bodies frozen 16 years
Technology › 05 November, 2008 01:21
OSAKA - A team of Japanese researchers said Tuesday it has succeeded in producing healthy cloned mice from bodies frozen at minus 20 C for 16 years.The seven-member team, led by Teruhiko Wakayama, released its achievement in a report carried ...
Qatar shows interest in new Mitsubishi small jet
Technology › 05 November, 2008 01:07
TOKYO - The Qatari government on Tuesday expressed interest in Japan's first passenger jet to be produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Japanese officials said.A joint statement, released after the third meeting of the Japan-Qatar Joint Economic Committee, said the ...
Nintendo launches DSi in domestic market
Technology › 02 November, 2008 09:58
OSAKA - Nintendo Co. launched the DSi, a new version of its popular DS handheld game console, in Japan Saturday.Nintendo apparently wants to stimulate the domestic amusement goods market ahead of the year-end holiday season, launching the third generation of ...
Nintendo to release DSi overseas by next summer
Technology › 01 November, 2008 01:32
TOKYO - Nintendo Co. plans to release a new version of its popular DS handheld game console overseas sometime between next spring and summer, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said Friday.The release of the DSi next autumn or year-end would be ...
PC makers recalling Sony's lithium ion batteries worldwide
Technology › 01 November, 2008 03:53
TOKYO - Sony Corp. said Friday a total of five personal computer makers, including Hewlett-Packard Development Co. of the United States and Japan's Toshiba Corp., are set to recall about 100,000 of its lithium ion batteries used in their notebook ...
Pioneer wins patent infringement case against Samsung SDI
Technology › 30 October, 2008 05:05
TOKYO - Pioneer Corp. said Wednesday it has won a lawsuit against South Korea's Samsung SDI Co. and two other Samsung firms over their infringement of patents related to the Japanese electronics maker's plasma display panel technology.Pioneer said a jury ...
Communications traffic could grow 200 times with new cellphones
Technology › 25 October, 2008 02:42
TOKYO - Cellphone communications traffic will increase more than 200 times from the current level within 10 years if next-generation mobile phones are widely adopted, according to an estimate released Friday by a task force of the communications ministry.With next-generation ...
Mercedes-Benz Japan launches premium compact SUV
Technology › 25 October, 2008 05:06
TOKYO - Mercedes-Benz Japan Co. said Friday it has launched its GLK-Class premium compact sport utility vehicle targeting dual-income couples in their late 30s and 40s.The 6.75 million yen four-wheel-drive SUV is 4.53 meters long and 1.84 meters wide, and ...
52% think it OK to buy counterfeit brand goods, DVDs
Technology › 24 October, 2008 05:43
TOKYO - A survey released Thursday by the Cabinet Office showed 52.4 percent of those polled said buying counterfeit products such as brand name bags, watches, CDs and DVDs is acceptable, up 7.2 percentage points from a previous survey in ...
Dainippon Sumitomo, Osaka Univ. to jointly develop psychiatric drug
Technology › 24 October, 2008 04:32
OSAKA - Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. said Thursday it will jointly develop new drugs for neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and depression with Osaka University.A new consortium, called the Neuropsychiatry Drug Discovery Consortium, will be established in November to promote ...
JR Tokai reports to gov't on Tokyo-Nagoya maglev train project
Technology › 23 October, 2008 05:57
TOKYO - Central Japan Railway Co. submitted a report to the transport ministry Wednesday saying all three routes proposed for the construction of a magnetically levitated train system between Tokyo and Nagoya are feasible on the basis of terrain and ...
All JR East bullet trains equipped with overturning-prevention gear
Technology › 23 October, 2008 05:56
TOKYO - East Japan Railway Co. or JR East has equipped trains of all of its five shinkansen bullet train lines with equipment designed to prevent them from overturning it developed based on lessons learned from the nation's first-ever shinkansen ...
India launches unmanned spacecraft to moon
Technology › 23 October, 2008 05:53
NEW DELHI - India launched an unmanned spacecraft to the moon on Wednesday, joining an elite group of nations engaged in lunar exploration.An Indian-made Polar Space Launch Vehicle rocket blasted off from the Sriharikota Space Center in southern India early ...
Apple's July-Sept. net profit surges 26% on strong demand iPhones
Technology › 23 October, 2008 05:52
NEW YORK - Apple Inc. said Tuesday its net profit for the July-September quarter jumped 26 percent from a year before to $1,136 million on brisk demand for Macintosh computers and iPhone units.Revenues soared 27 percent to $7,895 million, the ...
Sony delays sales of game software over Koran phrase usage
Technology › 22 October, 2008 06:54
TOKYO - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Tuesday it will delay this week's overseas launch of its latest game software for the PlayStation 3 game console as it has learned that the soundtrack features some phrases from the Koran.SCE is ...
Suzuki releases 5-door Splash for Japan
Technology › 22 October, 2008 06:41
TOKYO - Suzuki Motor Corp. on Tuesday took the wraps off its Splash five-door compact car for the Japanese market manufactured by its Hungarian subsidiary.The 1.2-liter, 3.7-meter-long car, produced by Magyar Suzuki Corp. in Esztergom, around 50 kilometers from Budapest, ...
Toshiba to buy 30% of SanDisk venture to boost flash memory capacity
Technology › 21 October, 2008 11:55
TOKYO - Toshiba Corp. said Monday it has reached a basic agreement to buy about 30 percent production capacity of its U.S. partner, SanDisk Corp., at its jointly run factory in a bid to boost its slumping flash memory business.Toshiba ...
Toshiba to buy SanDisk's equipment if SanDisk is acquired by Samsung
Technology › 19 October, 2008 08:29
TOKYO - Toshiba Corp. intends to buy semiconductor-making equipment owned by its U.S. partner, SanDisk Corp., in their jointly run factory if SanDisk is acquired by Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea, informed sources said Saturday.If Samsung, the world's largest ...
53 firms eager to air broadcast satellite-based digital TV programs
Technology › 18 October, 2008 11:01
TOKYO - A total of 53 companies have expressed desire to enter the broadcast satellite-based digital TV broadcast business in light of a government plan to name qualified broadcasters next July, the government said Friday.The companies include Walt Disney Japan ...
Sharp unveils world's first LCD TV with Blu-ray disc recorder
Technology › 16 October, 2008 01:20
OSAKA - Sharp Corp. unveiled Wednesday the world's first liquid crystal display televisions equipped with Blu-ray disc recorders in a new lineup of its Aquos brand ahead of the year-end shopping season.The products will be launched in Japan on Nov. ...
Kyoto Univ. professor wins Nobel Prize in physics
Technology › 08 October, 2008 12:30
KYOTO, Japan - Toshihide Masukawa, emeritus professor at Kyoto University, speaks at a news conference in Kyoto on Oct. 7 after he, along with Makoto Kobayashi and U.S. scientist Yoichiro Nambu, was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for 2008. ...
U.S. sounds out Japan about security technology cooperation pact
Technology › 07 October, 2008 03:04
TOKYO - The United States has sounded out Japan about concluding a new pact on cooperation over national security technologies, including terrorism information exchanges and joint development of devices to detect dangerous materials, government sources said Thursday.The overture aims at ...
Japan to conduct missile interceptor test over Hawaii in November
Technology › 23 September, 2008 06:45
TOKYO - Japan's Self-Defense Forces will test the capabilities of an anti-ballistic missile interceptor in space over Hawaii in the week starting Nov. 17, Defense Ministry officials said Monday.The planned test of a Standard Missile-3 interceptor to be launched from ...
Gov't inaugurates space development strategy headquarters
Technology › 22 September, 2008 05:05
TOKYO - The government on Wednesday inaugurated the headquarters for space development strategy in line with the mandate of the basic space law enacted in May.The headquarters, led by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, is tasked with drawing up a basic ...
Matsushita devises technology to make lead-free fluorescent lamps
Technology › 22 September, 2008 05:03
OSAKA - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Thursday it has developed a technology to produce electrode glass for fluorescent lamps without using environmentally harmful lead.The industry's first technology of its kind, which replaces lead with barium, will enable Matsushita to ...
Japan agency helping to finance membrane protein lab in Britain
Technology › 22 September, 2008 05:01
LONDON - The Japanese government-sponsored Japan Science and Technology Agency has provided financial support for the creation of the world's first membrane protein laboratory to be based inside a synchrotron particle accelerator, which was officially opened in Oxfordshire, northwest of ...
Int'l space station to get Japanese food
Technology › 22 September, 2008 04:59
TOKYO - Japan is scheduled to start supplying regular food to the international space station beginning next year, including ramen, curry and rice, and mackerel cooked in miso.They are on the list of 28 Japanese space food items approved last ...
Kyoto Univ. gets patent for induced stem cells in world's 1st case
Technology › 16 September, 2008 01:40
Kyoto - Kyoto University said Thursday it has obtained a domestic patent for a means to develop induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, which have the potential to grow into any type of body tissue.It is the first time ...
Japan intercepts ballistic missile in space test off Hawaii
Technology › 19 December, 2007 03:05
A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer shot down a mock ballistic missile in space over the Pacific Ocean shortly after noon Monday with a U.S.-made interceptor in a test conducted off Hawaii, Defense Ministry officials said. ...
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