June 31, 2025 Chisato Nakatsugawa What do you think about Osaka Expo’s theme, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” In general, EXPO is an opportunity to present and exchange state-of-the-art technology and knowledge among many countries and areas. Although the term “Live” seems far from the latest technology, we can find a good connection between them. Through EXPO, we can find some challenges and problems in Japan related to “Lives”. Japan Is Facing Challenges of “Liv

During the Meiji era [1968-1912] in Japan, masks were made out of wire mesh as the core and used cloth as the filter. At that time, the Japanese used it to protect themselves against the fine particles of coal or metal. After the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, this mask attracted attention as a preventive product. The use of masks is no longer for additional preventative measures, but an essential preventive measure. Masks as a Daily Necessity In 2020, the spread of COVID-19 h

January 14, 2021 AKARI ODAGIRI In Japan, overcrowding in cities and rural depopulation are serious long term social problems. These problems are compounded by a declining birthrate and an aging population. Many young people in rural areas tend to migrate to cities in pursuit of their dreams or a modern lifestyle. So, the question must be asked, are urban areas more attractive than rural areas? ※Three major metropolitan areas include Kanto (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba), C

Due to the spread of COVID-19, many university students have become dissatisfied with two issues: The prohibition of face-to-face classes and the continued payment of high tuition fees despite the lack of in-person classes. Dissatisfaction with Online Classes Since April, most Japanese universities have conducted classes online in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Initially, while the prospect of attending classes from the comfort of one’s home may seem like a good ide

October , 2020 Nao Kazuma The spread of COVID-19 has had a major impact on the demand for tourism worldwide. On July 22nd, the Japanese government began its “Go To Campaign,” targeting the industries of tourism and transportation, which have been greatly affected as a result of the spread of the coronavirus. The campaign is a public-private integrated demand-boosting effort, available for a limited period. The government has budgeted 1,679.4 billion yen ($15.8 billion) for th

“The world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming.” Helen Keller wrote it on her book published in 1902. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese agriculture got damaged seriously. If Keller is trueーwhen are Japanese farmers full of overcoming? This Is The Hardest Ever According to Tokyo Meat Market Co., the price of meat fell down by 700 yen from April 2019 (see Figure 1). That was because of the decrease of going-outs and of inbound tourists. “This is the

Naito, an amusement machine company, has begun to manufacture and sell the face guards for newborn babies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections since late April. Naito is located in Aichi prefecture and develops pachinko, a Japanese gambling game of pinball. That is one of the few companies which supports the Japanese entertainment industry. In late April, the pachinko manufacturer began producing and selling face guards to support medical institutions as a social cont

August 1, 2020 Akari Odagiri What do you select as a gift for Mother’s Day? According to a survey conducted in 2019 by Rakuten Insight, approximately half of those respondents who replied they gave a present to their mothers gave flowers to their mother. Especially, young people tend to choose flowers as gifts. In a language of flowers, red carnation means “love for mother” or “true love.” That seems to be a reason why it became a well-known gift of Mother’s Day in Japan.

August 1, 2020 Ayano Hata With the spread of new coronavirus, the Toyota Corp, the biggest automarker, is providing medical support to counter the COVID-19. This support activity is called Kokoro Hakobu Project. In fact, this project is a long-term support activity, originally started to support areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred nine years ago. The name of the project means to carry or deliver one’s heart along with things to people and place i

July 31, 2020 NATSUHA AKIYAMA To counter COVID-19, Fujitsu group, a Japanese information and communication technology giant, has started many supportive services for free including offering it’s intellectual property rights for free. Freeing 40,000 Patents To Counter COVID-19 The medical crisis is becoming a great issue by COVID-19 and the vaccine and yet drugs for the terrible virus are not innovated. Fujitsu has suggested to supply it’s patents under the project of Open COV

July 31, 2020 Nao Kazuma In Japan, due to the aging population and the increase in single-person households, the number of people who feel the inconvenience and difficulties in purchasing is increasing, especially among elderly people. Today, this purchasing problem has become even bigger due to the spread of the coronavirus. Optician Go Shopping on Behalf of Customers Meganesuper Co., the chain of optician's shop that deals contact lenses and hearing aids, as well as glasse