Japan’s Nuclear Reactor Reaches Milestone

Nuclear energy has long been controversial, and even in today’s modern societies, not everyone is convinced of the safety of nuclear energy. Take Japan, for example, perhaps the most progressive country in terms of technology today. They have been working on a nuclear reactor for a long time, and it was even suspended for 14 years.

The nuclear reactor is considered a fast-breeder. Dubbed the Monju Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor, it has once again come under the spotlight. The news is that the nuclear reactor has reached the status of criticality. That is, the nuclear chain reaction is now self-sustaining. This was the first of many tests that the nuclear reactor has to undergo before it can become fully operational. The target date is 2013.

The Monju Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor has more than technical issues to face. When it was shut down, it was for a serious reason: a fire occurred in 1995, which was covered up – or at least a cover up was attempted. Naturally, when the news came out, it sparked an outrage among the people of Japan. From the looks of it, though, the nuclear reactor just might be back in the game.

Fast-breeder reactors are supposed to be more advantageous than regular light-water reactors. The former uses uranium and plutonium; more so, it produces more plutonium than it consumes. The danger, as many governments see it, is the amount of plutonium produced – plutonium that may be used to make weapons. Japan, however, is placing utmost importance on this technology and aims to produce fast-breeders commercially by 2050.

Japan To Get Tesla Electric Sports Cars

The environment-conscious Japanese are about to receive another treat: electric sports cars. Recently, I wrote something about electric cars hitting the market in the very near future. Now, it’s more than these Japanese electric cars that is getting me (and a lot of other people) excited.

Tesla Motors Inc. has announced its plans to launch one of their electric sports cars in Japan! Tesla is an American car maker that specializes in electric vehicles. According to their official statement, they are launching the Roadster early next month. That’s pretty soon, especially since we’re almost at the end of April!

This is a big move by the American car maker, as Japan is well known to protect its domestic industries, and Mitsubishi and July are also releasing their own electric vehicles this year. While it means stiff competition for the car makers, it means more choices for the Japanese people.

The Roadster is a high-end sports car – a two-seater right-hand drive. Its rate of acceleration is 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 3.7 seconds. For an electric vehicle, that is not bad. Not bad at all!

The only drawback to Tesla’s Roadster is that the price will be about double the selling price in the United States. It’s currently selling for USD 101,500 (9.4 million yen) in the United States, and it will go for about 18 million yen when released in Japan. That is quite a considerable sum, ensuring that the Roadster will probably not be a common sight on the roads.

Electric Cars Starting To Get Japan’s Attention

It’s not really a surprise, is it? After all, the Japanese people are known to be very conscious when it comes to the environment. With electric cars poised to be one of the major solutions to the carbon emission problem, it is quite logical that they will make it big in the Japanese market. We also have to consider the fact that electric cars involve a lot of advance technology, and this nation is also well known for that.

Last week, the first mass-market electric car was launched in Japan. The brainchild of big brand Mitsubishi, the car is called i-MiEV. It is shaped like a bubble (yeah, like something from the future), and it costs 2.8 million yen. That’s roughly $30,000. This price is not the original selling price, though. In fact, the price will only go down to that amount (from 4 million yen or $43,000) after you take into consideration government incentives.

This brings me to another point – the importance of government action in encouraging people to become more environmentally-aware. Who would want to purchase a car that is so much more expensive and maybe not as well-performing as the “good old fuel” cars? With such incentives in place, however, the playing field is somehow leveled.

Mitsubishi is not the only Japanese automaker that is offering an electric car. Nissan has its Leaf, which it is already taking orders for. This car is much cheaper at around $25,000. Needless to say, other car makers are already rolling out plans to join the fray.

Nintendo To Become Educational

I have long been a fan of video games and gaming consoles, and I strongly believe in the potential of these as tools to promote learning. While there are a LOT of people who will disagree with this idea, one of the most influential and most creative minds in the world of video games has made it his mission to incorporate Nintendo handheld consoles into the classroom.

Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Mario (the most recognizable video game to date – arguably, perhaps) says that he is devoting himself to this massive project. CBS reports:

Speaking through a translator, Miyamoto said that Nintendo’s DS console was already being used in Japanese museums, galleries, and aquariums, and that his company was beginning to roll out the Nintendo DS system “in junior high and elementary schools in Japan starting in the new school year.”

He framed the project as part of his company’s effort to broaden the audience for gaming consoles.

I think that it is but fitting that Japan, once again, take the lead in this kind of revolution. After all, they have always been at the head of the pack when it comes to new video games and gaming hardware. Why shouldn’t they be the first one to inject the use of video games in education? We cannot deny that technology has become so much more attractive to the young people of this day. With more modern tools, the whole learning experience can become much more effective. I look forward to the day that other countries will adopt this way of thinking.

First LTE Modem Certified In Japan

Mobile phone and wireless Internet enthusiasts will surely clap their hands with glee when they hear about this new technology. Dubbed LTE, the technology is an improvement of the 3G, which is currently the standard in many parts of the world. Naturally, Japan is the leader in this new technology – what else can we expect?

Last week, the government certified the first ever LTE modem and the honor of having this modem certified belongs to electronics giant LG Electronics. This is a huge step towards the establishment of an LTE network in Japan, and we can only hope that the technology will spread to the rest of the world.

What’s so good about LTE anyway? Think about data transmission that reaches 100Mbps (wirelessly) – at the very least! You can just imagine how fast wireless transfer of data will be if LTE becomes the standard. No more frustrating moments while you’re on the road, I bet.

NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s biggest telecommunications company will be using the LTE modem to run tests later on this year. If the tests prove to be a success, then commercial clients just might be able to use LTE technology before the end of year 2010. That means that the general public will not have access to the technology till 2011 at the earliest. Still, things are looking pretty good as the news is that NTT DoCoMo is working with other partners with regard to handsets and other devices that can be used on the platform. Exciting, don’t you think?

Japan’s Fujitsu: We Made The First “iPad”!

Apple made the world stop on January 27 when Steve Jobs announced the newest gadget in its already long line of toys: the iPad. This tablet computer is being touted as the next gadget that will change the way we perceive things. Much like when the iPhone was launched, the unveiling of the iPad has got the whole world a-buzzing.

Japan’s Fujitsu, however, is quick to speak up. Apparently, they have been using the term iPad to call a gadget that they launched as early as 2002. If this is true, then Apple might have to deal with a trademark issue in the coming months.

The official word is that the Fujitsu subsidiary in the United States launched their own iPad in 2002. The Fujitsu iPad is a small handheld gadget that is targeted at stores. Its purpose is to keep track of inventory, to scan barcodes, and other similar activities that store clerks may have to do. Inside the Fujitsu iPad, there is an Intel processor. It runs on Microsoft (big difference!). The gadget’s screen is 3.5 inches and has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The positive thing – at least for Apple – is that the trademark application has not yet been approved. However, Fujitsu applied for the patent in 2003, definitely giving it an edge. The company has not made any announcement as to what their next move will be though. The official word is that they are “sorting out the facts.” As for Apple, they are no strangers to this sort of thing.

The Wonder Football Robot

The World Cup always attracts immense amount of attention. Every four years, when it is held, the whole world stops in its tracks to follow what’s going on in the world of football. Of course, part of the reason for the large following (aside from the love of the sport itself) is the fact that tons of money is spent on advertising. That means that sponsors will not hesitate to advertise their own wares.

This time around, Castrol is jumping into the advertising bandwagon big time. Have you ever heard of the “wonderful” robot made by Castrol Japan? If not, then check this video out at the World Cup Blog.

So what can the robot do? If you took the time to watch the video, you would know that it can kick a football (just like a football player does when making a free kick). But it’s not just like any kicker – the machine can kick a ball at a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour! That’s 70 kilometers per hour more than the world record that is held by famous football player Cristiano Ronaldo! Of course, there really is no comparison (despite the allusions made by Castrol executives) here as Ronaldo is made of flesh and bone while the machine is, well, a machine (made of nuts and bolts?!).

In any case, this robot will certainly draw a lot of attention, if only for the fact that it doesn’t look anything like a football player and that it has awesome kick powers.

Hybrids Rule In 2009

Chinese astrology may have dubbed the year 2009 as the Year of the Cow, but it was something else in Japan. People have been calling last year as the Year of the Hybrids in the country. This is due to the fact that, for the first time, a hybrid car has gotten the distinction of being the bestselling car in the whole country.

I am talking about the Toyota Prius, of course. This car was launched with a lot of promises and much potential. It seems that it has lived up to its reputation – based on sales figures released in the past week, 208,879 units of the Prius were sold by Toyota in 2009. The figure makes the Prius the number one car in Japan. More than that, though, it is the number one hybrid car in the entire world!

Is the Prius as great as it seems or is there another reason for its success? Experts and consumers alike extol this hybrid’s virtues but there is another factor that has to be taken into consideration. The truth is that packages and incentives provided has made the price of the Prius so low that consumers are more attracted to it. With all the incentives, one might be able to save as much as 4,200 USD!

Aside from the Prius, another hybrid car sold really well in Japan last year: the Honda Insight. Compared to Toyota’s sales figures, Honda only had 93,283 – not even half. Still, overall sales figures support the fact that hybrids are very much on their way to being the standard.

Japanese Man Says I Do…With Video Game Character

Just the other week, some colleagues and I were discussing a woman who supposedly married the Eiffel Tower. Naturally, we were all bewildered by the whole thing. We just couldn’t fathom how a person could marry an inanimate object!

So when I read about a Japanese man marrying a video game character, I was not all that puzzled. In a news report published by Reuters, I learned about SAL9000 – that’s the Japanese guy’s online moniker – marrying Nene Anegasaki, a character in the video game Love Plus. I am not familiar with the video game, but from what I have been reading (and based on the name as well!), it is a dating simulation game.

SAL9000 says he is an “otaku,” which is the Japanese term for young adults who have an extreme passion (or even obsession) with video games and fantasy. I think it is also being considered as a sub-culture, and in their own world, it is acceptable to call characters their “wives.” SAL9000 says that since he has been calling and thinking of Nene Anegasaki as his “wife,” the logical thing to do was to marry her!

The couple exchanged “I do’s” several weeks ago, and they spent their honeymoon abroad – in Guam. They have been traveling the famous city of Tokyo as a couple, with SAL9000 documenting their dates diligently. As for the new husband, he says his wife can rest assured that he will never cheat. Ahh, where have I heard that before?

Japan LOVES The iPhone

I had always thought that Japan would be one of the first countries to embrace the iPhone. I was wrong – as were the other people who thought the same way. The iPhone has been out for a few years now, but it isn’t till recently that the Japanese welcomed the iPhone.

Countless people have speculated on the reason for the initial coldness the Japanese displayed towards the iPhone. Some say that maybe the mobile phone is simply too functional and lacks the glitter that the Japanese like. Others say that it could be that the Japanese were merely reacting to something Western and not made (and designed) in Japan. Whatever the reason, it is now moot as the Apple iPhone has captured countless Japanese technophiles – and is going strong.

You want proof that the iPhone is indeed making it big in Japan? This could very well be the biggest proof of all. Try visiting the app store. The chances are that you will be overwhelmed with the huge number of applications, and mind you, these are not your run-of-the-mill apps that you can find. They are the products of super creative Japanese minds, and from what I hear, these apps will blow your mind away. Another indication that the iPhone is starting to make waves is that more than apps, hardware is also being developed and released, not to mention the bling (stickers and accessories) that the Japanese is known for.

So for the naysayers out there, the iPhone looks like it is proving itself once again. This time, to one of the biggest and critical markets in the world.

Photo courtesy of The Telegraph