Japan’s technology news in March 2023 covered items including electric vehicles and battery-swapping, Nissan’s apparent moves into Web3 and NFTs, Indo-Pacific intelligence-sharing in the national security context, and more. Read each article in full, online, by hitting the headline links below.
Our other editions include daily, weekly, monthly, and mobile technology news updates.
Subsea Communications Cables and Responsible State Behaviour
- Japan and New Zealand to fast-track talks on intelligence-sharing to strengthen security ties and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, in part also aiming to boost Pacific Islands engagement
- Japan: Major firms including Fujitsu, Mizuho Financial Group and Mitsubishi Corp partner to create ‘Japan Metaverse Economic Zone’, using Open Metaverse Infrastructure to enable interoperability between platforms
- Japan: Rapidus Corp, formed by 8 major Japanese firms, unveils plan to build its first next-gen semiconductor chip plant in Hokkaido
- Japan: Gov’t to establish permanent flight routes over coastal area of Fukushima Prefecture for testing drones and flying car technologies
- Japan: Fomm startup to launch service converting gasoline vehicles into EVs, alongside battery-swap service, potentially accelerating adoption in the country
- Japan: Warpspace backed by insurance major, with satellite communications network using optical signals instead of electromagnetic signals, consuming less power and enabling higher data transmission volumes
“With over 10,000 satellites already traveling in low Earth orbit, demand in medium Earth orbit is forecast to grow. The market for medium-Earth-orbit satellite payloads will grow 7.4% in 2028 from 2021, according to India-based Data Bridge Market Research.”
- Japan: Country’s first domestically-built quantum computer to become available for use by corporations and universities later this month for research projects
- Japan: Marubeni trading house inks agreement with France’s Ynsect around nutrient-rich mealworm larvae for use as alternative feed for fish commonly farmed in Japan
- Japan’s Nissan automaker files Web3-focused trademarks, indicating plans for virtual goods such as clothes, cars, trading cards, tickets, and an NFT marketplace for trading and minting
- Japan lifts export controls on South Korea relating to materials for semiconductor and display production, following Seoul’s withdrawal of WTO litigation
- Japan to gain from critical minerals trade agreement with US with electric vehicles tax credit for Japanese automakers on EVs made with metals processed in Japan
- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co reportedly planning 2nd facility in Japan to produce more-advanced 5 and 10 nm chips, with the first likely to be producing by December 2024
Deloitte: 2023 Semiconductor Industry Outlook
Asia’s tech news headlines
Our other news editions go out on a range of platforms and channels, and across a range of timeframes, highlighting key tech news from across Asia and the Indo-Pacific, and showcasing the region’s startups and technology developments:
