Japanese encephalitis virus activity in the Kimberley  Government of Western Australia Department of Health

Below are two lists of nominations for Japanese buzzword of the year.  Each has 30 entries, and from each list one will be chosen as the respective winner.  Since the two lists are already quite long and rich, I will keep my own comments (mostly at the bottom and focusing on phoneticization) to a minimum. […]

Billionaires Jensen Huang and Masayoshi Son joke about how SoftBank was once Nvidia's largest shareholder — before dumping its stake. The two are now joining forces on an AI supercomputer. https://trib.al/s6PVLjU -------- Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://trib.al/KM4k5RA Subscribe to…

Japan has announced a new plan to revitalize the country's semiconductor and artificial intelligence industries as it works to regain its chip leadership. The proposal will provide support worth 10 trillion yen ($65 billion) or more by fiscal 2030, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said earlier this…

TOKYO -- Japan's 7-Eleven convenience store chain owner Seven & i Holdings is considering plans to go private by means of a management buyout, Nikkei learned on Wednesday. In a statement responding to the reports, the retail giant has admitted that it has received such an offer from its founding…

Get a taste of Japan — without leaving San Francisco! I’m excited to see my latest post is up on Thrillist. Some of my favorite Japan-inspired things to do and ways to experience Japanese history, art, and culture here in the Bay Area. Check it out: How to Experience Japan in San Francisco

The article EIT Elsewhere | How to Experience Japan in San Francisco originated at EverInTransit.com

The Indo-Pacific: Geostrategic Perspectives until 2024 – Japanese perceptions 24 February 2020 — 9:00AM TO 1:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 22 March 2021 Chatham House

The roundtable brought together stakeholders within Japan’s strategic and policymaking communities to explore Japanese perceptions of evolving strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific until 2024. The roundtable took place in Tokyo and was organized in partnership with the Indo-Pacific Studies Group.

The report below contains a summary of the discussions and an essay by Hiroki Sekine, Visiting Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House.

Read a summary and essay

Japan’s G7 leadership: Defending the liberal order amid crisis 28 February 2023 — 9:00AM TO 10:00AM Anonymous (not verified) 20 February 2023 Online

How G7 countries should best respond to global economic and security challenges in order to defend the liberal international order.

In May 2023 Japan hosts the G7 summit in Hiroshima, where leaders of the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany and Italy come to discuss the most urgent challenges facing the world.

This year’s summit takes place against a backdrop of continued global economic and political instability from the war in Ukraine to intensifying competition between China and the West.

The speakers discuss Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s priorities at the summit and consider how G7 countries should best respond to global economic and security challenges in order to defend the liberal international order.

This event is the third of a three-part series held in partnership with Japan House London.

Watch the first event which looked at Africa-Japan relations here, and the second event, on the UK and Japan’s engagement with Southeast Asia, here.

Following its snap election, Japanese politics has entered uncharted waters Expert comment LToremark 5 November 2024

Prime Minister Ishiba’s election gamble has failed. Japan now faces another period of political uncertainty, which could affect its international standing.

In Japan’s snap election on 27 October, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and New Komeito lost the overwhelming majority it had held since the 2012 general election. The ruling coalition now has 215 seats, leaving it 18 seats short of a majority. 

The largest opposition party is the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), which gained 50 seats to 148. The second largest opposition party is the Japan Innovation Party (Ishin), which lost six seats to 38, and the third largest opposition party is the National Democratic Party (NDP), which gained 21 seats to 28.

But the opposition is divided and there is no real appetite to form a coalition government. This will likely result in a hung parliament, which will further destabilize Japan’s government.

The election results reveal three key things  about the state of Japanese politics and what comes next.

First, that Prime Minister Ishiba’s snap election gamble has failed. The aim was for Ishiba, a non-mainstream member of the LDP, to strengthen the party base and stabilize his administration. But with the ruling coalition losing its majority, the party base has been further weakened and the Ishiba administration is now more likely to be short-lived. LDP voters as well as the public in general  had hoped that Ishiba, as the ‘opposition within the party’, would change the LDP’s structure and government policies, eliminate the uncertainty surrounding party funding and increase transparency on how MPs use public funds to finance political activities.

However, when Ishiba became LDP leader and prime minister, he abandoned his previously more critical stance and prioritized carrying on the policies of the mainstream LDP, leaving his supporters feeling betrayed.

Second, while the ruling coalition has been punished, the people of Japan still did not vote for a change of government. The opposition is divided and, despite its gains in this election, the CDP is not fully committed to take the lead and consolidate the opposition to form a coalition. The CDP also suffers from internal division. The left wing of the party would prefer a coalition with the Communist Party, while the right wing of the party does not want to form a coalition with the LDP or the Communist Party, preferring a partner such as the NDP.

Third, the NDP has become the key to future Japanese politics. By becoming the minority ruling party, the NDP is in a position to control the fate of Ishiba administration. While the CDP has no intention of cooperating with the LDP, the NDP is more willing to do so in order to implement its own policies. As the budget cannot be passed without the NDP’s cooperation, the ruling coalition will have no choice but to accept the NDP’s policy of substantial tax cuts through the expansion of tax credits. It will also likely have to accept an option for married couples to decide their family names, which requires a change of civil codes and is something it has been reluctant to do so far. 

If the NDP’s demands are rejected, a no-confidence motion will likely be submitted and passed, leaving the Ishiba cabinet with no choice but to resign or dissolve the House of Representatives (the lower house of Japan’s parliament).

But the NDP has chosen to not form a coalition with the ruling party and enter government. Why? From the NDP’s point of view, forming a coalition with the LDP, would mean getting involved in the LDP’s internal turmoil – something it wishes to avoid. In addition, elections to the House of Councillors (upper house of parliament) will be held in the summer of 2025. The NDP may have judged that it will have a better chance of implementing its policies by cooperating with the government on a case-by-case basis, rather than forming a coalition with a party that is losing public support and risk following suit.

The minority ruling system that has emerged after the election is extremely rare in Japan’s political history and is likely to make its politics even more unstable in the years ahead. The Ishiba administration will probably be able to survive until the budget is passed in March next year by cooperating with the NDP, but beyond that its prospects are unclear.

As the House of Councillors elections get closer, some in the LDP may say that they cannot fight the election with Ishiba as prime minister. If so, they may choose the option of a same-day election for the lower and the upper house. The cost of an election campaign is significant, and the LDP’s financial strength gives it an advantage in the case of a same-day election. There is also a strong possibility that the public will choose the LDP to regain stability in government. However, this election has shown that public distrust of the LDP is high, and if Ishiba continues to be pushed around by the NDP, his party’s chances of winning would be reduced.

Japanese politics has entered uncharted waters, where the patterns and customs of the past do not apply. There are now doubts both at home and abroad as to whether Ishiba, who has a weak party base, will be able to stay on and steer the government. Over the past decade, the Abe and Kishida administrations have provided Japan with political stability, which has in turn enhanced its international presence. An unstable political system, with frequent changes of government, will likely lead to a decline in Japan’s international influence.

There is also a risk that US–Japan relations  could become unstable. Although the NDP does not have a strong agenda to change the course of this relationship, Ishiba may struggle to keep the promise made by his predecessors to increase defence spending. Ishiba’s nationalist posture could also create a confrontational relationship with the United States, while his weak leadership means he may not seek to invest in strengthening the US–Japan alliance. 

Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential election could pose a further risk. Although Trump might be open to Ishiba’s demand for parity with the US, he could become irritated with Ishiba’s weak domestic position. Ishiba may not be able to make decisions – or a deal with Trump – unless the NDP agrees to it.

Africa-Japan relations and evolving multilateralism 23 November 2022 — 9:00AM TO 10:30AM Anonymous (not verified) 17 November 2022 Online

This panel discussion reflects on the outcomes of TICAD 8 in 2022 and looks forward to TICAD 9 in 2025.

The eighth edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), held in Tunisia from 27–28 August 2022, marked the second time that Japan’s now-triennial summit was hosted in an African country, after TICAD 6 was held in Kenya in 2016.

The summit was attended by 48 representatives of African countries and at least 20 heads of state and government and included a pledge by the Japanese government to commit $30 billion in public and private finance to Africa over the next three years.

In reaffirming the three pillars of TICAD 8 – revolving around the economy, societal resilience, and peace and stability – the newly adopted Tunis Declaration (28 August 2022) also outlined some of the key projects underpinning Japan’s pledge, including a $4 billion fund for a Green Growth Initiative with Africa (GGA).

2023 will mark 30 years since the inception of TICAD in 1993 and ten years since the African Union (AU)’s adoption of its flagship Agenda 2063, on which the Tunis Declaration placed distinct emphasis.

This panel discussion reflects on the outcomes of TICAD 8 in 2022 and looks forward to TICAD 9 in 2025, exploring wider developments in summitry, Africa-Asia relations, and modes of multilateralism.

Questions explored include:

• How has international summitry evolved over the past three decades since the inception of TICAD in 1993, which represented the first periodic high-level summit engagement with Africa by a ‘non-traditional’ partner?
• Looking ahead to TICAD 9 in 2025, what are the priorities for enforcing the stated tenets of TICAD – ‘African ownership, international partnership, inclusivity and openness’ – in cooperation efforts?
• What lessons can be drawn from TICAD’s co-partnership approach (with the African Union Commission and others) – particularly given increasing calls for AU membership of the G20 and Prime Minister Kishida’s pledge at TICAD 8 to support a permanent African UNSC seat during its non-permanent membership in 2023–24? Beyond membership, what are the priorities for furthering agency?
• How are Africa-Asia relations evolving and diverging? How are Japan and other Asian countries perceived by different African countries?

This event is the third in the Chatham House – Japan House London webinar series (2022-2023). The series is held in partnership with Japan House London. You can watch previous webinars from the series here.

The Japanese parliament on Monday re-elected Liberal Democratic Party chief Shigeru Ishiba as prime minister in a rare runoff vote after the ruling LDP lost its majority in the lower legislative chamber.

Racing settles in for the winter season this weekend with the Breeders' Cup in the rearview mirror and the Dubai World Cup Carnival opening its tents Friday at Meydan Racecourse.

After a decade of forward deployment in Japan, the USS Germantown departed U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo on Wednesday.

The USS John S. McCain on Friday headed to its new homeport in Naval Station Everett, Wash., after 24 years in Yokosuka, Japan, the Navy said.

The wreckage of the U.S. destroyer USS Edsall, sunk by Japanese forces more than 80 years ago during World War II, has been found at the bottom of the Indian Ocean, according to the U.S. Navy.

Rome - Two new sites in Japan - an inland fisheries and associated paddy farming system centred on the country’s largest lake and a traditional fruit-growing area  believed to have been the [...]

The temples and scenery of Japans San-in coast are as captivating now as they were when Lafcadio Hearn wrote about them in the 19th century (Produced by: Brendan McCabe; Narration by: T.A. Frail; Music by: Kevin MacLeod; Photos by: Hans Sautter / Aurora Select).

During World War II, Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps used scraps and found materials to create beautiful works of art.

The so-called good-luck flag, which hung on an American veteran's wall for many years, returned home last month after nearly eight decades

No one was injured in the blast, and authorities are investigating why the ordnance detonated after so many years underground

The grassroots organization, Nihon Hidankyo, was lauded for "demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again"

After a summer that tied for the country's hottest, meteorologists say an unusually warm autumn is delaying snowfall

The president of the Canadian Japanese Cultural Centre of Hamilton is Mitchell Akira Kawasaki — an Olympian, judo master, on-call mail carrier and recent recipient of an award from the Japanese government.

Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu nearly became the first skater to land a quadruple axel while easily outpacing Shoma Uno and Yumi Kagayami to win the Japanese national championship on Sunday.

OM Japan Tsunami April Update

Since it was announced publicly that OM Japan were ready to receive volunteers, many people wrote to express interest and requested for more information. This past week (23 - 27 May), OM Japan took their first volunteer group, consisting of 3 foreigners and 4 Japanese to Miyagi prefecture to help with clearing up rubble and bringing encouragement.

OM Japan feels honoured to have played a small part in helping bring hope and relief to tsunami survivors.

A small amount of radioactive debris removed by a robot from Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant has arrived at a research lab near Tokyo, the plant operator said Tuesday, after a journey kept secret for safety reasons.

The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven is considering going private by buying back its own shares in a bid to avoid a takeover attempt by Canadian rival Alimentation Couche-Tard.

The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven is considering going private by buying back its own shares in a bid to avoid a takeover attempt by Canadian rival Alimentation Couche-Tard.

Japan's next prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, says he reads three books a day and would rather do that than mingle with the ruling party colleagues who picked him as their new leader today

With the latest release (Sigrity and Systems Analysis 2022.1 HF2) of Clarity  3D Solver, support for encrypted component models is now available. With this functionality, vendors that supply 3D components, such as connectors, can now merge their...(read more)

In May 2023, Austrade’s International Education teams in South Korea and Japan delivered face-to-face Study Australia Education Fairs for the first time in four years.

NVIDIA today announced a series of collaborations with SoftBank Corp. designed to accelerate Japan’s sovereign AI initiatives and further its global technology leadership while also unlocking billions of dollars in AI revenue opportunities for telecommunications providers worldwide.

NVIDIA today announced that Japan cloud leaders SoftBank Corp., GMO Internet Group, Highreso, KDDI, Rutilea and SAKURA internet are building AI infrastructure with NVIDIA accelerated computing, networking and software to accelerate transformation across the nation’s robotics, automotive, healthcare and telecom industries.

NVIDIA and SoftBank Group CEOs to describe advancements in AI ecosystem, including generative AI, both in Japan and globally, at an exclusive event.

From call centers to factories to hospitals, AI is sweeping Japan. Undergirding it all: the exceptional resources of the island nation’s world-class universities and global technology leaders such as Fujitsu, The Institute of Science Tokyo, NEC and NTT. NVIDIA software — NVIDIA AI Enterprise for building and deploying AI agents and NVIDIA Omniverse for bringing Read Article

Lifelike digital humans engage with audiences in real time. Autonomous systems streamline complex logistics. And AI-driven language tools break down communication barriers on the fly. This isn’t sci-fi. This is Tokyo’s startup scene. Supercharged by AI — and world-class academic and industrial might — the region has become a global innovation hub. And the NVIDIA Read Article

Consulting giants including Accenture, Deloitte, EY Strategy and Consulting Co., Ltd. (or EY Japan), FPT,  Kyndryl and Tata Consultancy Services Japan (TCS Japan) are working with NVIDIA to establish innovation centers in Japan to accelerate the nation’s goal of embracing enterprise AI and physical AI across its industrial landscape. The centers will use NVIDIA AI Read Article

Established 77 years ago, Mitsui & Co stays vibrant by building businesses and ecosystems with new technologies like generative AI and confidential computing. Digital transformation takes many forms at the Tokyo-based conglomerate with 16 divisions. In one case, it’s an autonomous trucking service, in another it’s a geospatial analysis platform. Mitsui even collaborates with a Read Article

To provide high-quality medical care to its population — around 30% of whom are 65 or older — Japan is pursuing sovereign AI initiatives supporting nearly every aspect of healthcare. AI tools trained on country-specific data and local compute infrastructure are supercharging the abilities of Japan’s clinicians and researchers so they can care for patients, Read Article

Robots transporting heavy metal at a Toyota plant. Yaskawa’s robots working alongside human coworkers in factories. To advance efforts like these virtually, Rikei Corporation develops digital twin tooling to assist planning. And if that weren’t enough, diversified retail holdings company Seven & i Holdings is running digital twin simulations to enhance customer experiences. Physical AI Read Article

The next technology revolution is here, and Japan is poised to be a major part of it. At NVIDIA’s AI Summit Japan on Wednesday, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang and SoftBank Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son shared a sweeping vision for Japan’s role in the AI revolution. Speaking in Tokyo, Huang underscored that AI Read Article

Creating Connections: The Role of Community in Minnesota-Japan Relations Creating Connections: The Role of Community in Minnesota-Japan Relations