One recent sweltering summer’s day, a tour bus from Tokyo pulled up at a sun-kissed beach at Atami, a Pacific coast resort southwest of the metropolis, and disgorged more than a dozen excited, iPhone-clutching young men.
The determined youngsters, paying scant attention to the bikini-clad girls frolicking on the sand, instead headed straight for a bronze statue that depicts Kanichi and Omiya, a couple from an old love story set in Atami.
The focus of the men’s attention—and of their smartphone cameras—was a tiny black and white square, a two-dimensional barcode that, …

Today, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan decided to expand their PlayStation Store to sell 3-D music videos.
The 3-D music videos are available on the Playstation 3, and are the first ones available in Japan. As of today, there are four videos available: Genki Rocket’s “make.believe,” Ikimonogakkari’s “Arigatou,” UVERworld’s “GOLD,” and MISIA feat. M2J+Francis Jocky’s “Maware Maware.” MISIA’s video cost 700 yen (about 8 USD) to download, and all the other videos cost 730 yen (about 8.50 USD). All sales are done with unlimited views available after purchase.
Genki Rocket’s …

Fujifilm Corp announced a digital camera that can shoot 3D still pictures and 3D movies Aug 17, 2010.
The digital camera, "FinePix Real 3D W3," is a successor to the FinePix Real 3D W1, Fujifilm’s 3D camera released in August 2009 (See related article). The FinePix Real 3D W3 will be released Sept 4, 2010, in Japan. There is no manufacturer’s suggested retail price, but the expected retail price is ¥48,000 (approx US$562), which is lower than the price of the FinePix Real 3D W1 (about ¥60,000).
The W3 has the same …

Sharp Corp will release a 60-inch touch-sensitive display for business use Aug 31, 2010, in Japan.
By using an accompanying pen, it is possible to write characters directly on the display and to operate the display. Therefore, it can be used as an electronic whiteboard in an office or a school. Characters and figures handwritten on the display can be stored as data and printed out, making it easy to create and distribute conference minutes.
There is no manufacturer’s suggested retail price, but the expected retail price of the display is ¥1 …

Cloud computing-related business is expected to create a market with a combined value of more than 40 trillion yen by 2020, a study by a government panel showed Monday.
The study by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry panel also forecast that the expansion of cloud computing, which allows software and stored data to be accessed remotely via the Internet, could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 7 percent from 1990 levels as it makes information processing more efficient.
Read the rest of the story: Cloud computing expected to create over …

NEC Corp announced Aug 6, 2010, that it will start testing a rapid charger for electric vehicles (EVs) in collaboration with Portland General Electric Co (PGE).
The rapid charger manufactured by Takasago Ltd, a subsidiary of NEC, was installed at the headquarters of PGE, which is located in Portland, Oregon, the US. The two companies had a demonstration of charging Nissan Motor Co Ltd’s Leaf electric vehicle.
The rapid charger is based on the standard being promoted by Japan’s CHAdeMO Council. According to the standard, the maximum voltage and maximum current are …

After prodding from the Japanese government, Apple Inc. will post prominent notices on its website warning some iPod Nano music players in Japan may overheat.
Sixty-one cases of batteries overheating have been reported in first-generation iPod Nano machines sold in 2005 and 2006, according to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Some units were warped by the heat that caused minor burns when people touched them, but no serious injuries or damage have been reported, it said.
via Apple to set up Japan Web warning on problem iPods.

Microsoft Corp met Wednesday with Japan’s Fair Trade Commission officials to object to the planned tie-up between Yahoo Japan and Google Inc, the Nikkei business daily reported.
Microsoft expressed concerns about the deal from a competitive standpoint, citing how it will give Google nearly complete control over Japan’s search services and related advertising, the paper said.
Last week, Microsoft said it planned to provide proof underscoring how the Google-Yahoo Japan partnership would be detrimental to competition, Nikkei said.
Yahoo Japan, Japan’s largest Internet portal operator that currently uses Yahoo Inc’s search technology, has …

Two pedals, inches apart, one for gas and the other for brakes. For years, a Japanese inventor has argued that this most basic of car designs is dangerously flawed.

Mr. Naruse’s pedal accelerates the car when pressed with the side of the foot and triggers the brake when pushed down.

JAPAN is looking at sending a wheeled robot to the moon in five years and building a lunar base by 2020.
The robots would set up solar panels to generate energy and have an observation device to gather geological samples. The materials would then be sent back to Earth by rocket.
The robots would work from the lunar base at the moon’s south pole from 2020.
The plans are part of a year-long study backed by a panel of experts yesterday that will be recommended to Japan’s Government.
But it has been estimated the …