K I Z U NA
Linking Japan and the World

Science & Technology /Japan and Africa

Summer2022

KIZUNA

KANAZAWA SHOKO
Calligraphy Artist
Born in Tokyo in 1985, she started learning
calligraphy from her mother when she wasfive years old. One of the notable young
calligraphers of today, her solo exhibitions
have been held throughout the world,in cities such as New York, Singapore,and Prague. She was selected as one of theofficial poster artists for Tokyo 2020.

Welcome to KIZUNA, the official
magazine of the Government of Japan.
This bold work of calligraphy is
絆(kizuna) written in Japanese. Kizuna
means the enduring bonds between
people—close relationships forgedthrough mutual trust and support.
Originally describing the rope used
to tether domestic animals such as
horses and dogs, the meaning of
kizuna has evolved over the years. A
passage in The Tale of the Heike,compiled in the 13th century, uses theterm to refer to the bonds of love
between a father and his children.
More recently, kizuna has gone
beyond bonds tying together family
and close acquaintances; it is now
used in a broader sense of human ties
and connections. Of particular note is
the kizuna born among people during
natural calamities, which fosters
feelings of solidarity and serves as theunderlying strength to overcome
hardships.
Similarly, the kizuna cultivatedamong the countries of the world has
the power to deepen cooperation for abetter future. By reporting on a wide
variety of topics concerning Japan, we
hope that this magazine will provide
opportunities for Japan and the rest of
the world to connect and build
strong kizuna.

CONTENTS
JAPAN AND AFRICA

04

Toward TICAD Ⅷ:
Raising Awareness of the Africa-Japan Link

06

Japan-Tunisia Academic Exchanges Sow Seeds
of Business

08

Generating New Value in Africa,a Captivating Land

10The Freedom of Reading a Visually Impaired Man
Gained in Japan
PORTRAITS OF JAPAN

12

Coolness and Sweetness of Japanese Summer

14

50th Reversion Anniversary:
Okinawa’s Sustainable Tourism Development and Beyond

16

Sado Island Gold Mines:
A Precious Heritage for Japan and the WorldSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

18

Integrated Innovation Strategy 2022:
Making Great Strides Toward Society 5.0

20

Touching the Cutting Edge of Quantum Technology
in the Homeland of the Superconducting Qubit

22

Creating an Innovation Ecosystem in Okinawa

24

The Day When Man-Made Shooting Stars Will Shinein the Sky

26

Making a Big Leap in Magnet Innovation

28

Go Together, Go Far:
A Grand Space-Avatar Dream Fulfilled by Open Innovation

30

The Impact of AI: Anyone Can Be a Skilled Farmer

Summer 2022

COVER
Top Left: OKAJIMA Lena, founder ofAle, which is developing man-madeshooting stars.
Top Right: MIYASHITA Fumiko is
supporting organic agriculture andmanaging a Japanese restaurant in
Uganda. ATSUSHI SHIBUYA
Bottom Left: MISIA, a Japanese singer,
visited Zambia in 2019. GENERALINCORPORATED FOUNDATION MUDEF

Bottom Right: Dr. NAKAMURA
Yasunobu is the director of the RIKEN
Center for Quantum Computing.

03

During MISIA’s 2019 trip to Zambia, she visitedan orphanage where former street children live
and an elementary school in a refugee camp.
GENERAL INCORPORATED FOUNDATION MUDEFTOWARD TICAD Ⅷ:RAISING AWARENESS OF
THE AFRICA-JAPAN LINK
For many years, the singer MISIA has been involved in aid work for Africa. Since 1993, she has twice served as
Honorary Ambassador at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which is
gaining significance as an international conference spearheaded by the Government of Japan to address
Africa’s development issues. What has been inspiring MISIA to visit Africa and provide support all this time?
“What a wonderful place!”
That was the first impression
Japanese singer MISIA had
when she visited Kenya for the
first time, in 2007. It has a pleasantclimate and plenty of nature,
culture, tradition, and music. As
soon as she exited the airport,
she was captivated by the vastadjacent national park, dottedwith giraffes strutting around.
On the other hand, the city was04

so developed that her simplistic
image of Africa as a place ofwidespread hunger and disease
was immediately erased.
From a young age, MISIA had
known of Africa’s poverty-related
problems through music. Moreover,because the roots of the soul musicthat influenced her lay in Africa,
she developed a natural interestin the continent. After she joined
the White Band Project—a global

poverty-eradication campaign—
she took the advice of U2 singer
Bono, who was already actively
involved in aid for Africa, to visit
the continent for herself andsee what it had to show to her.
Encouraged by Bono, she decided
to set off, with Kenya as a firstport of call.
In Kenya, she had contact
with many people through her
visit to an elementary school in

JAPAN AND AFRICA

Left: TICAD VII in Yokohama, Japan in August 2019. There were over 10,000 participants, including 42
heads of state from 53 African countries, those from 52 development partner countries, 108 internationaland regional institutions, and the private sector, and other members of civil society such as those working
at NGOs. Discussions centered on promoting business. AFP/AFLO
Right: MISIA was an honorary ambassador at TICAD VII. The photo shows her inauguration speech.

Kibera, which is said to be oneof Africa’s largest slums, andplaces such as Maasai village.
She was surprised to see so many
facets to a single country, and she
wanted to show the world this real
Africa, including its wonderfulattractions.
So, while first learning about
Africa herself, she started to
introduce the continent to thepeople of Japan through hermusic. Simultaneously, she beganproviding educational support tothe children there. Since 2010, she
has been working with the generalincorporated association “mudef,”
whose various support includes
funds for operating schools,
scholarships, textbooks and otherschool supplies, sanitary goods
for schoolgirls, school meals, andthe funds necessary to participate
in music competitions. She also
created a picture book, “Leonawith the Heart Mark,” which tells
the story of Leona, a lioness with aheart symbol on her forehead. The
profits from this picture book,which captures the people whom
MISIA met in Africa and thelessons she learned there, are also
used to support the education of

African children.
Due to such activities over theyears, MISIA has twice served
as an Honorary Ambassador at
TICAD, which is organized by theGovernment of Japan. In addition
to African countries, TICAD
participants include internationalorganizations involved with
development, partner countries,
Asian countries, and privatecompanies. The conference serves
as a platform to discuss how tomove forward on Africa-led
development. TICAD VIII will
be held in Tunisia this August.
MISIA says, “I believe thatlearning about each other andtaking action together fosters
peace in our hearts. I hope thatjoining forces at TICAD towork on Africa’s development will
also lead to world peace.”
She continues, “Japan and Africa’s
support of each other exists inmany different forms, such as foodand resources. Even if you don’t
go to Africa for yourself, you can
get a lot of information throughthe Internet. When I give talks at
Japanese universities, I sense that
there is an increasing number ofstudents now who are interested

in Africa compared with when I
first became involved in aid work.
By sharing my knowledge andexperience, I want these students
to feel the connection between
Japan, Africa, and the rest of theworld more deeply than everbefore. I want people to maketheir daily choices knowing that
we live in support of each other.
The fastest way to do this would
be to become friends. I dreamof a wonderful future where
everyone has one or more friendor acquaintance from the morethan 50 countries of the African
continent. I wish to serve as abridge, using the power of music
to connect people to each other.”
MISIA sang the national anthem of Japan at theOpening Ceremony for the Olympic GamesTokyo 2020, which were held in 2021. She
pursues her career in music based on the saying
she learned in Africa, “where there is music, there
is no fighting.” THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS/AFLO

05

JAPAN AND AFRICA

JAPAN-TUNISIAACADEMIC
EXCHANGESSOW SEEDS OF BUSINESSTUNISIAJAPAN

For more than two decades, Japan and Tunisia have engaged in academic exchanges. At a technology park that opened
in Tunisia with Japan’s support, a new business collaboration is budding among industry, government, and academia
through research into food and medicinal bioresources.
Olives have a reputation as a healthy food, as they
contain polyphenol, which can reduce the risk of cancer
and arteriosclerosis. But did you know that the olives
grown in Tunisia, one of the world’s leading producersof the fruit, contain 10 to 20 times as much polyphenol
as those from elsewhere around the Mediterranean?
Many years of academic exchanges between thatcountry and Japan have helped uncover evidence ofthe functional components of Tunisian olives.
Located in northern Africa and facing theMediterranean Sea to the northeast, Tunisia is acrossroads of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, andAfrican civilizations, making it a treasure trove forresearchers in fields ranging from the humanities andTunisian students visit the University of Tsukuba
every year to conduct a wide range of research, fromcomputer science to biotechnology.

06

social sciences to natural science. To advance various
types of research, Japan and Tunisia have engaged inacademic exchanges for more than two decades. The
University of Tsukuba in Japan was particularly quick
to become involved in Tunisia, initiating exchanges
in the late 1990s. In 2004, it established the Alliancefor Research on the Mediterranean and North Africa(ARENA), and in 2006, opened its first overseas officein the country’s capital of Tunis. The university has thus
facilitated organic collaboration connecting possibilities
for Tunisia with Japanese science and technology.
ISODA Hiroko, an ARENA professor, is linked
by fate to Tunisia. A leading researcher into the
medicinal bioresources of North Africa, she has

Professor ISODA Hiroko of
the University of Tsukuba’s
ARENA said, “I love
Tunisia. It is such a receptive
country.” She added, “The
Tunisian researchers are
adaptable and highly
motivated. I have great
respect for them.”

visited the country over 100 times already and has
analyzed the functional components of such plants as
Tunisian olives and rosemary. Professor Isoda was theone who identified the aforementioned functional
components of olives. The Science and Technology
Research Partnership for Sustainable Development(SATREPS)—the Japanese government programthat promotes joint research between developing
countries and Japan—selected her to prepare abioresource database for a joint research project with
Tunisia. She said that her team has already collected
evidence showing that some 100 of the approximately
900 types of plant components have the potential forcommercial use.
This research is also being conducted at the Borj
Cedria Science and Technology Park in Tunisia,
which was built with support from the Japan
International Cooperation Agency ( JICA) in an
ODA loan project. Located on the outskirts ofTunis, the technology park has garnered attention
for identifying the seeds of new businesses throughcollaborations among industry, government, andacademia in the fields of biotechnology, water
resources, and renewable energy. Professor Isoda said,“We are trying to turn our research into economic
benefits, and I hope that the two countries will enjoy
a win-win relationship.”Mohamed Moncef Harrabi, the former director of
the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT)
and former head of the technology park, said,“Despite having limited experience with Japan, I wasconvinced of the country’s high level of technology

Professor Mohamed Moncef Harrabi, former head of the technology
park, has contributed to academic exchanges in agricultural science
between the two countries for more than two decades.

Top: The Biotechnology Center, where Professor Isoda and Tunisian researchers
cooperate on bioresources research.
Bottom: With Japanese support, the Borj Cedria Science and Technology Park has
state-of-the-art equipment enabling it to conduct research at the same level as Japan’s.

and science, which led to my decision to encourage
exchanges. Academic exchanges with Professor Isoda
and others from Japan have had a big impact at many
levels in Tunisia, such as the transfer of technology.”
Academic exchanges have also been focused on
developing professionals in technology. So far,almost 100 Tunisian students have studied inJapan, pursuing collaborative research. What worries
Professor Isoda, however, is that the students, once
return to Tunisia, have few employment opportunities
available to them to apply the research skills thatthey acquired in Japan. To address the situation,
she established a company last year in Tsukuba that
supports drug discovery, thereby creating places forsuch students to thrive. She plans to merge the venture
eventually with a local company in Tunisia andpromote research and development there. Research
into functional bioresources is one area where Japanleads globally, and she aims to create significant added
value through local discoveries in Tunisia that will leadto related production being launched there.
Professor Isoda said, “With the current attention
on well-being, my hope is that the talented students
who have studied in Japan will connect theirresearch to business and become professionals who
demonstrate leadership around the world.”

07

JAPAN AND AFRICA

GENERATING NEW
VALUEIN
AFRICAA CAPTIVATING LANDJAPANUGANDA
A Japanese woman goes into business in Uganda, managing
a Japanese restaurant and supporting organic agriculture. Her goal
is to generate new value through business and contribute to African
development. Her source of energy? The positive attitude of Africans who see hope for the future.

Tank Hill Park made use of
local timber to create an
open space. In 2020, thebuilding was awarded theGood Design Gold Award(Minister of Economy, Tradeand Industry Award) by theJapan Institute of Design
Promotion as an outstanding
example of Japanese design.
TIMOTHY LATIM“I was captivated by Africa,” says MIYASHITA
Fumiko. She is talking to us in a pleasant, open spacewithin a Ugandan café that is part of a Japaneserestaurant called Yamasen, managed by Miyashita
herself. In addition to managing the restaurant, she
is also a co-director of Cots Cots Ltd., a company
that deals with agricultural products and operates
a commercial facility in Kampala, the capital of
Uganda.
Miyashita’s fascination with Africa began in her
college years. As a cultural anthropology major, she
was intensely drawn to African culture, which wasso different from her own. She had hoped to becomea scholar to probe the depths of the land that had
captivated her. In 2011, however, just as she wasabout to begin her graduate studies, the Great East
Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, changing
her outlook. Driven by a need to connect withsociety, she joined a venture company that supports
sustainable farming. She worked for the company

08

while continuing her studies, and started travelingto and from Uganda as part of the firm’s efforts
to expand its business to developing countries. In
2014, she relocated to that country as the company’s
overseas representative.
She met several fellow Japanese people livingin Kampala, and they discussed the possibility oflaunching a Japanese-style restaurant there. Aroundthat time, her partner—who managed a restaurant asa chef in Kyoto—decided that he, too, would relocate
to Uganda. In 2017, Miyashita teamed up with others
and co-founded Cots Cots Ltd.
The name of the company—Cots Cots—stems
from the Japanese term kotsu-kotsu, which means “towork diligently, step by step.” Miyashita took over thebusiness of the company she formerly worked for—namely supporting organic farmers and distributing
and exporting their products—and is making steadyefforts to develop it in a way that will engender morevalue. The expression kotsu-kotsu doesn’t necessarilymean that she doesn’t take risks though. She thoughtthat scale would be an important factor if she hoped topopularize Japanese cuisine and enable the company
to succeed as a business. The company procured
the necessary funds and, in 2018, established acommercial facility named Tank Hill Park. A focus
on good design resulted in an eye-catching piece ofarchitecture that truly stands out. In the center ofthe facility is Yamasen, a restaurant specializing inJapanese cuisine. Forty of its staff are local employees.
Running the business has not been easy. WhenYamasen is the firstJapanese restaurant tohave a Japanese chef in
Kampala, the capital of
Uganda. Initially, guests
were mainly foreigners,
but now locals also visit
and enjoy its food.
TIMOTHY LATIM

Uganda closed its borders in March 2020 to preventthe spread of COVID-19, 80% of foreign residents—
core restaurant clients—left the country. An
unexpected but happy development, however, wasthat local residents began to visit the facility moreregularly than previously, possibly because they wereno longer shy about frequenting a place that mainlycatered to foreigners. The restaurant has been revising
its price list and menu to fit better the needs and tastes
of locals, who are more conservative about what theyeat. “One popular item is cassava, simmered in dashi(broth) and then fried, similar to the way Japanesepotatoes are prepared in Kyoto. Foreigners are also
coming back, and the restaurant is now a place for all
kinds of people to come together.”Miyashita admits that there were troubles along
the way, but laughs and says she has forgotten themall. “Ugandans are such a positive people. I’ve beensaved many times by the way they can let go of pastissues. The population is growing and the country
has momentum, with people thinking that tomorrow
will be better than today and that the future will beeven better still. This positivity is the engine that

Local cassava,
simmered indashi and fried, isa popular item on
Yamasen’s menu.

propels me forward.”
Cots Cots is also busy developing new businesspossibilities. The company collaborates with Miyagi
Prefecture’s Fisherman Japan, an association of young
fishermen, to demonstrate the possibility of creating
a value chain with pre-processed, high-value-added
marine products from neighboring Tanzania. It is also
working with Japanese trading firms that want to build
responsible ties with local producers and help them toprocure and distribute sustainably grown cotton.
Captivated by Africa, Miyashita is generating value,
step by step, thereby contributing to the continent’s
development. That is her mission, and she follows herpath with light but determined steps.

MIYASHITA FUMIKO

Cots Cots Ltd. is committed
to organic farming, using its
products at Yamasen andexporting chili peppers andshea butter to Japan.

MIYASHITA Fumiko joined SakaNo Tochu Co., Ltd., a venturecompany that advocatesenvironmentally friendly farming,
while a student at the Kyoto
University Graduate School. In 2012,
she began to deal with agricultural
production and distribution in Uganda
and relocated there as the firm’s
overseas representative in 2014. In
2017, she co-founded Cots Cots Ltd.

ATSUSHI SHIBUYA

09

Mohamed Omer Abdin notes thatJapanese cities have extensive
mass-transit systems and tactile paving is
widespread. Furthermore, orientationand mobility training, including
walking with a white cane, is widely
available. The existence of appropriate
facilities and assistance for the visually
impaired in Japan was life-changing for
him after leaving Sudan.

THE
FREEDOMOFREADINGA VISUALLY IMPAIRED MAN

To defend the right to education for visually impaired
children in Sudan, Abdin works through an NPO thatprovides braille textbooks. The man reading a braille textbook
in the photo is CAPEDS Board Member Murtada Eljailani.

GAINED IN JAPAN

Leveraging experience gained from living in Japan, a visually
impaired man from Sudan has been working energetically tohelp those similarly impaired. What is the “freedom ofreading” for him? Discover how he has been endeavoring toshare that freedom with his fellow Sudanese back home.
“Visual impairment equates toinformation impairment. To be
active members of society, thevisually impaired need information
to be accessible.” This idea has driven
a Sudanese man in Japan to support
those afflicted in this way. Hisname is Mohamed Omer Abdin.
He is almost completely blind.

10

JAPAN
SUDAN

How did Abdin become involvedin those support activities in aforeign land so far from home? Tounderstand this, we need to know
something about the “freedom ofreading” he obtained in Japan.
In Sudan, where Abdin lived
until 1998, braille and schools
for the blind were few and far

between. Therefore, he had tostudy by having his classmates
read his textbooks out loud tohim. Even after admission to arenowned university, the lack of
information accessibility within
the learning environment andclosure of the university due
to the deteriorating political

JAPAN AND AFRICA
Left: Abdin plays blind soccer,
which he took up at university.
He met FUKUCHI Kentaro,
with whom he started up the NPO,
through the sport. H. WANIBE/JBFA
Right: Abdin participating in a
meeting in his office at Santen
Pharmaceutical. Santen has a clear
vision to realize an inclusive
society in which people with andwithout visual impairment playequal roles.

situation in his own country made
Abdin uncomfortable at times. It
was then that he discovered that
the International Association for
the Visually Impaired, locatedin Japan, was recruiting blind
students to study in the country.
“Japan seems to have anappropriate learning environment
for the visually impaired,” thought
Abdin, and leapt at the chance.
Upon arrival in Japan, Abdin
found a wealth of books inbraille and works of literature asaudiobooks that he could borrowfrom the library. This environment
allowed him to immerse himself
in reading—something that had
previously been all but impossible
for him. Once Abdin learned how
to use narration software on acomputer, his horizons expanded
further still. He no longer neededsomeone to read aloud to him,making this a revolutionary eventin his life. This is how he gained
the “freedom of reading.”“How might my life have beendifferent if I’d known braille andhow to use a computer during
my schooldays?” Abdin cameto wonder what he could do forother visually impaired people
back in Sudan, so consequently,
in 2008, he and his companionsin Japan started up an NPO, theCommittee for Assisting andPromoting Education for the
Disabled in Sudan (CAPEDS).
The NPO has been carrying out
a variety of activities in Sudan,
including installing braille printersand providing braille and computer
lessons. These activities have madebraille textbooks, which previously
could not be produced, available inlocal Sudanese communities. Oneof the computer-lesson students,
Musharraf Omer, went on to
become a computer programmer
and develop Bookworm, ascreen reader software for thevisually impaired. In addition toproviding narration for websites
and documents in various formats,
Bookworm comes with many
convenient features such as
bookmarks and notes but is simple
and accessible. Seeing potential in
Bookworm, CAPEDS provides
support for the software, expecting
it to enrich the lives of visually
impaired readers around the world.
Since 2020, Abdin has also
been involved in a CSR projectat a Japanese company, Santen

Pharmaceutical, which specializes
in ophthalmic treatment, tosupport the visually impaired inJapan. The project holds job-searchseminars for the visually impaired
and supports startups to create
services tailored to their needs.
“Japan has accumulated a great
deal of knowledge concerning
how to assist the disabled. The
reason I am in this country is tospread that knowledge to every
corner of the world. I wish to help
connect Japan and Sudan. At thesame time, I want to contributeto the acquisition of the right tostudy and work for the visually
impaired in Sudan and beyond.”
Abdin is taking on challenges tohelp the world’s visually impaired
obtain the “freedom of reading”
and create a future where they canfully participate in society.

MOHAMED OMER ABDIN
Born in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital,
in 1978. Currently works for Santen
Pharmaceutical, heads the Committee for
Assisting and Promoting Education for
the Disabled in Sudan (CAPEDS),
conducts research on African politics, andwrites essays.

11

MORNINGGLORY
At dawn in summer, morning glories waiting
for the day to begin open their fresh blossoms.
Enthusiastically cultivated in Japan from the 17th
to 19th centuries, numerous species were created withvarious colors and shapes. Collectively referred to as“Japanese morning glory,” they are still widely loved
today. Trellises of the flowers form by vines that cling
to supports as they grow upwards—a way to live
wisely by avoiding sunbeams on hot summerdays. The botanical “green curtains” ofthe olden days are still alive andwell in the modern era.

COOLNESS ANDSWEETNESS
OF JAPANESE SUMMER

Vibrant summer in Japan delights people in a variety of ways. Inherited wisdom to beat the heat creates refreshing
scenery, and Japanese summer delicacies have been attracting fans across the seas.
12

PORTRAITS OF JAPAN

WHITE
PEACH
Japanese fruits are increasingly appreciatedabroad. Among them—white peaches, which ripen
with the approach of summer—have a delicate flavor,
juiciness, sweetness, and elegant aroma, making them
popular as gifts. One major producing region, Fukushima,
vigorously promotes the development of cultivars such as“Akatsuki,” distinguished by its large size and fleshiness,through the establishment of overseas markets.
During the Olympic and Paralympic GamesTokyo 2020, Fukushima peaches created abuzz on social networks when athletes
posted rave reviews after
tasting them.
AFLO

SHAVED
ICE

Cooling the eye and chilling the tongue,
shaved ice is a popular summer treat. Usually
topped with colorful syrups, shaved ice in Japanis often flavored with matcha (powdered green tea),
giving it a lovely green tint with a faintly bitter tastethat is superb. As people become ever more healthconscious, a wide variety of Japanese tea is being
welcomed around the world, and exports of matcha
from Japan continue to grow. Japanese culture,
at times taking surprisingly creative forms,
continues to find an appreciative audienceabroad, signaling a heritage with agood future.

13

PORTRAITS OF JAPAN

50TH REVERSION ANNIVERSARY:

OKINAWA’SSUSTAINABLE
TOURISMDEVELOPMENT AND BEYOND

May 2022 marks a full half century since the reversion of Okinawa
Prefecture to Japan after 27 years under U.S. administrative control. Whileconfronting many difficulties, the prefecture has capitalized on its unique local
features to transform itself into a resort destination welcoming 10 million
visitors a year. Take a closer look at the trajectory followed by Okinawa andthe vision it intends to pursue.
“We were just glad we would
no longer need passports totravel to and from the mainland.
There was a great sense of
expectation among the younger
generation, myself included, 50
years ago,” recalls KAWAKAMI
Yoshihisa, chief director of the
Okinawa Development FinanceCorporation, as he looks back on
May 15, 1972, the day on which
Okinawa Prefecture, under U.S.
administrative control since theend of World War II, was returned
to Japan. “But I think many ofus residents were torn between
feelings of hope and concern.”
Comprising more than 160
islands at the southwestern edge ofJapan, Okinawa today has growninto one of the country’s leading
resort destinations. Yet at the timeof the reversion, the circumstances
surrounding Okinawa were quite
severe in various areas: income

levels were less than 60% of
the national average; various
infrastructure development was
falling behind; and disparities
existed with mainland Japan insuch areas as education, healthcare, and welfare. In addition
to the confusion caused by
the introduction of a newadministrative and economic
system, including the dollar-toyen shift, the prefecture was also
hit by the “Nixon shock” and thefirst oil crisis, the effects of which
Japan as a whole was suffering.
Even now, Okinawa bears
the heavy burden of housing—
within the prefecture’s own
limited land space—more than
70% of the total exclusive-use U.S.
Forces Japan (USFJ) facilities andareas in the whole country. Despite
such difficult circumstances,the prefecture underwent a
stunning transformation to

Okinawa’s greatest tourism resource is its beautiful ocean, which is also a treasure trove of
diverse and rare marine creatures. Reportedly more than half of all coral species in the world
live in Okinawa’s vast waters, which spread approximately 1,000 km from east to west. AFLO

14

Okinawa

become “tourism islands” visitedby 10 million people a year. It has
also striven to leverage its local
characteristics and has succeeded
in developing new industries
besides tourism, including IT
and global logistics, as well as
having established OIST, aninterdisciplinary graduate school
offering world-class standards ofresearch and education. Reflecting
on the past 50 years, Kawakami
says, “Okinawa has experienced
a remarkable transformation
unimaginable at the time ofreversion.”
Expected to provide acompetitive edge to the prefectureeven as a remote island area,
tourism has been positioned asa key industry for Okinawa eversince the first days of reversion,
with work advancing on essential
infrastructure—from transport
to accommodation. The world’s
first international ocean-themed
exposition was held in Okinawa
in 1975, helping to cement theprefecture’s image as a beachresort. Coupled with the Japanese
postwar economic miracle andairline travel campaigns, theislands saw first an increase indomestic travelers. By 1991, theannual number of visitors had
reached 3 million, a large increase
from the 450,000 at the time ofLeft: The signing ceremony for the Okinawa Reversion Agreement in June 1971. It was carried out
simultaneously in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and was broadcast live via satellite. Center: Okinawa on
May 15, 1972, the day of its reversion to Japan. Displayed above the road is a banner celebrating theoccasion. Under U.S. administrative control and for a while thereafter, cars drove on the right side of theroad, but from 1978 onward they switched to the left in accordance with national traffic rules. Changing
everything from traffic signals to signs and road markings was an enormous undertaking. Right: There are
31 USFJ facilities and areas in Okinawa Prefecture alone, including Camp Hansen. THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS/AFLO (left photo), THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN/AFLO (center), THE ASAHI SHIMBUN COMPANY/JIJI PRESS PHOTO (right)

reversion. From 2000, the islands
focused on further building up
their tourism resources, including
their inscription on the World
Heritage List, aiming at attracting
visitors from overseas. As a result,as many as 18 air routes from otherparts of Asia were established, andthe number of travelers exceeded
10 million in fiscal 2018.
With its growth as a tourist
destination, Okinawa has been
confronted by new challenges,
including overtourism—with anaccompanying excessive dependence
on tourism income—as well as

The northern part of Okinawa Island andIriomote Island, often described as the“Galapagos of the East” due to their many
endemic species, have been registered as a
World Natural Heritage site. AFLO

socioeconomic damage fromthe COVID-19 pandemic,
intensified by plummeting tourist
numbers. But these problems havealso presented opportunities forthe prefecture to reconsider how
tourism should be. Now, aiming
for sustainable tourism that isfriendly to local communities
and the environment, Okinawa
is promoting initiatives such as
eco tours and environmental
measures, including the treatmentof marine debris, in compliancewith the Global Sustainable
Tourism Criteria for Destinations,a widely recognized sustainability
guideline.
Okinawa is also taking
advantage of its unique local
characteristics to pursue paths
for further development otherthan tourism. One example isthe initiative it is taking toward
decarbonization, which includes
the application of renewableenergy and ocean thermal energy
As part of the Gusuku Sites and Related
Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, the ruinsof Shuri Castle were registered as a World
Cultural Heritage site in 2000. This and the G8
Summit, also held on the island that year, served
to boost Okinawa’s international profile. The
castle burned down in 2019, but thanks to about
5.5 billion yen (42 million dollars) in donations
from within and outside Japan, the castle is now
under restoration. Kawakami says, “When the
castle caught on fire, many Okinawans, including
myself, felt a huge sense of loss. I would like toexpress my deepest gratitude for such enormous
support.” WATARU KOHAYAKAWA/AFLO

conversion on remote islands.
“It is crucial to closely watch
the trends of the times, suchas digital transformation anddecarbonization, and determine
how to design our region to
be more competitive,” notes
Kawakami. “There are still many
local challenges to overcome,but we want to set our sights
on becoming a self-sustaining
economy and, eventually, a region
that can contribute to Japan andthe rest of Asia.”
Okinawa will continue toembrace and build upon its
distinctive environment andculture, a strong emphasis ofefforts made since the 1972
reversion, and explore new
possibilities in these changing
times.
“What is important in sustainable regional
development is for the islands of Okinawa tocontinue being rich and attractive. We need totake care of nature and firmly pass on our history
and traditional culture to following generations,”
remarks KAWAKAMI Yoshihisa, chief directorof the Okinawa Development FinanceCorporation. The corporation was establishedwhen Okinawa reverted to Japan, and has been
providing funds integral to the national
government’s measures for the promotion anddevelopment of the prefecture.

15

The Aikawa-Tsurushi Gold and Silver Mine.
The artificial V-shaped crack running
through the top of the mountain was dug 74
meters deep and 30 meters across. Experts
speculate that during the Edo period, fromthe early 17th to the mid-19th century,
miners extracted some 40 tons of gold.

SADO ISLAND
Aikawa-Tsurushi
Gold and Silver MineNISHIYAMA HOICHISADO ISLANDGOLDMINES:A PRECIOUS HERITAGE

Nishimikawa Placer
Gold Mine

FOR JAPAN AND THE WORLD

The gold mines on Sado Island once made Japan the “land of gold.” With the aim of having them inscribed on theWorld Heritage List, the Government of Japan has nominated the mines to UNESCO. This nomination has
drawn attention to their Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).
Once upon a time, Japan was
known in the Western world as
the “land of gold.” Gold mining
in Japan actually dates back to
at least the 8th century, and thecountry produced about 20%of the world’s gold output inthe mid-17th century. The Sado
Island Gold Mines, in particular,
were central to Japanese gold
production for many years. With
its OUV, it is anticipated thatthe site will be inscribed on the16

UNESCO World Heritage List.
In June 2022, a symposium
was held at the International
University of Japan in Niigata
Prefecture, where Sado Island islocated, to publicize the culturalvalue of the gold mines. Sado
Island, 40 km off the coast of theprefecture and covering 855 km2in the Sea of Japan, has two typesof gold deposits. The Nishimikawa
area has a placer gold mine where
sandy gold is found in the layersof sediment. The Aikawa-Tsurushi
area, on the other hand, has lodedeposits where gold lies in theveins that penetrate through therocks. The different characteristicsof these gold mines led todifferent mining techniques. In
Nishimikawa, miners used water
Historical material in the form of picture scrolls depicting a seriesof gold production processes, from extraction to dressing,
smelting, refining, and coin minting. On Sado Island, large
quantities of the purest gold in the world were produced entirely
by hand, rather than through the mechanized production that
was advancing in the world’s mines at the time. SADO CITYPORTRAITS OF JAPANflowing from artificial reservoirs
to extract the placer gold, whilein Aikawa-Tsurushi, advanced
techniques were developed for
efficient mining, such as digging
drainage or ventilation tunnels
separately from the main tunnel.
The two mines were adapted totheir different mining methods,
not only in regard to their technicalsystems, but also their production
systems. The Nishimikawa Mine
had an unspecialized small-scale
production system, in contrast
to Aikawa-Tsurushi, which had a
specialized large-scale production
system. In addition, the entire
production process from mining
to dressing, smelting, refining,and coin minting, was conductedon the island. Barry Gamble, aninternational World Heritage
consultant with a special interest
in industrial sites and a panelist
at the symposium, pointed out,
“It is the gold-mining heritage
and the socio-technical systemsof the Edo period that make theheritage of Sado Island Gold
Mines unparalleled in any othercountry in the world.” Gamble
went on to say, “Organized by
the government at the time on a
massive scale, Sado Island became
the largest gold mine in the world.

The International Symposium on the Cultural
Value of the “Sado Island Gold Mines” was heldin June 2022 at the International University ofJapan in Niigata Prefecture. Students fromvarious countries participated in a vibrant Q&A
discussion with three panelists.

Top: This coin was minted on Sado Islandaround the year 1720. COLBASE
Right: A traditional performing arts ritual
offering prayers to mountain deities so as todiscover soft ore containing gold and silver.
SADO PERFORMING ARTS ARCHIVE

It was important nationally, to thegovernment, and globally, in termsof the role it played within trade.”
Human resources for theisland’s gold production wererecruited from all over thecountry. Their ability to produce
gold
using
unmechanizedhandicraft methods with a purityof 99.54%, higher than that ofWestern European gold mines ofthe same era that used machinesand chemicals, was due to the
combination and revolutionary
development of traditional techniques.
Settlements were built near eachmine, and these also had different
characteristics depending on
the mine—a fact that is known
thanks to their comprehensive
preservation. At the symposium,
OKADA Yasuyoshi, presidentof ICOMOS Japan, theJapanese national committee of
the International Council on
Monuments and Sites, explainedthat over 100 colorful picture
scrolls depicting the mining
processes from extraction to
currency production are stillin existence. He stated, “These
scrolls are among the numerous
precious materials that give us

an insight into the gold minesof that time.” Another panelist,
MIYATA Ryohei, a metal craftartist and former Commissionerof the Agency for Cultural Affairs,
Government of Japan, from Sado
Island, noted that more than 30
stages used for Noh, a traditional
Japanese performing art, remainon the island. “Cultural values
have spread around the island as amatter of course,” he said proudly.
On the island, with cultural
practices that developed aroundthe mining industry alive to thisday, people are able to witness
scenes that are largely unchanged
from drawings created several
hundred years ago.
Today, organizations of landowners
and the local community, actively
participate in the preservationof the cultural heritage. The
Sado Island Gold Mines provide
near-complete evidence of theaccomplishments of those who
lived during the pinnacle of agold production system thatwas founded on traditional
handicrafts. There is nothing like it
anywhere else. It is an exceptional
cultural heritage for Japan as wellas the world.

17

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYINTEGRATEDINNOVATIONSTRATEGY
2022
MAKING GREAT STRIDES TOWARD SOCIETY 5.0
Science, technology, and innovation are growing increasingly vital not only for sustaining economic growth, but forfinding solutions to social problems and ensuring safety and security. Here are the three pillars of Japan’s “Integrated
Innovation Strategy 2022,” which lays out the direction for such policies and the priority measures to be taken.
As the situation in Ukraine, infectious disease,climate change, and other unpredictable crises andunprecedented social challenges sway the world,developments in science, technology, and innovation
have become not only the drivers of economic
growth, but also crucial lifelines for countries to solve
social problems and ensure the safety and security of
their citizens. In the 6th Science, Technology andInnovation Basic Plan, Japan set the goal of reaching

At the meeting of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovationin June, PM Kishida received an explanation while observing a modelof a quantum computer. He expressed his determination to collaborate
with other nations and draw focused investment from the public andprivate sectors to accelerate initiatives for the social implementationand industrialization of quantum technology.

18

120 trillion yen in R&D investment between the
public and private sector over the five years fromfiscal 2021, aiming to realize Society 5.0—a model
future society proposed by the Japanese government,
in which both economic growth and the resolutionof social issues can be achieved by making full useof advanced technologies. This June, the Kishidaadministration released the Integrated Innovation
Strategy 2022, which outlines the process forachieving this goal.
The strategy has three fundamental pillars. The
first is strengthening research capabilities anddeveloping human resources. Utilizing a 10-trillionyen University Endowment Fund, long-term support
will be provided to realize world-class research
universities that generate outstanding results andfoster talented individuals who can lead society.
Inquisitive minds and critical thinking, essential
for the age of rapid technological innovation, will
be cultivated via efforts such as enhancing STEAM
education—cross-sectional education prioritizing
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,
with the addition of the arts—in elementary, middle,
and high schools, and providing opportunities toexperience high-level pursuits at universities andother institutes for higher learning. Through suchinitiatives, “knowledge”—a source of innovationand value creation for future generations—will be
continuously created.
The second pillar is the strategic promotion ofadvanced and emerging technology. R&D in awide range of technologies that can bring abouttransformational change, such as AI and quantum
technology, will be advanced strategically to accelerate
their practical application. For AI technology, deeplearning is positioned as a priority area since its
effective utilization is anticipated in a broad rangeof fields. Additionally, the creation of digital twins
and applications for sustainability will be pursued
to allow agile responses to impending crises, such aslarge-scale earthquakes and increasingly torrential
rainfall. Regarding quantum technology, newtargets of having 10 million users in Japan by 2030,
achieving production on the scale of 50 trillion yen,
and creating quantum unicorn startups have been set.
To that end, innovation hubs for industry,
academia, and government collaboration at all levels
from basic research to social implementation will bestrengthened, and utilization of such cutting-edge
technologies will be promoted. Moreover, centeringon the launch of programs that provide powerfulsupport for such development, bold investment inadvanced science and technology will nurture worldleading technologies.
With research capabilities and the seeds ofSociety 5.0 refers to the new society that follows the hunting society (Society 1.0),
agricultural society (Society 2.0), industrial society (Society 3.0) and information society(Society 4.0). It is defined as “a human-centered society that balances economic advancement with the resolution of social problems by a system that highly integrates cyberspaceand physical space.” It was first proposed in 2016 by Japan as the future society it should
aspire to be. Furthermore, Society 5.0 was redefined in 2021 as “a sustainable and resilient
society that protects the safety and security of the people and one that realizes the well-being of individuals.” Key to its realization is the advancement of science, technology, andinnovation. Incorporating AI, quantum technology, IoT, and other cutting-edge
technologies in all industries and social activities, and creating new value from innovation,
will both achieve economic development and find solutions to social problems in parallel.

technology developed through these two pillars,
the creation of an innovation ecosystem—the third
pillar—will be a game-changer in realizing the futuresociety. By reinforcing initiatives for the advancementof the venture capital market, a stronger mechanism
for the continuous birth and growth of startups thatlead to innovation will be developed. In addition,
public-private R&D investment will be expanded
through measures such as R&D tax incentives and theJapanese SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research)
program. While leading to new growth, the rewards
will be given back to individual citizens and society
as a whole in the forms of fulfilling diverse well-being
needs and solving social issues.
The integration of these three pillars is essential torealizing Society 5.0. The complex social problems
confronting the world today are difficult toovercome through sector-specific technologies andindividual policies alone. By enhancing overall policy
integration, new value will be created to sustain
economic growth and solve global-scale issues, andthe fruits of such efforts will be distributed to citizens,
society, and the world. Japan will make strong strides
toward its goal of becoming a science and technology
nation for the new age that will achieve this virtuous
cycle of growth and distribution.

19

Dr. NAKAMURA Yasunobu poses alongside
RIKEN’s superconducting quantum computer.
He produced superconducting qubits when he wasa researcher at NEC Corporation’s Basic ResearchLaboratories. Dr. Nakamura is now director of
RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing and aprofessor at the University of Tokyo’s Department
of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering.

TOUCHING THE CUTTING EDGE OFQUANTUMTECHNOLOGYIN THE HOMELAND OF THE
SUPERCONDUCTING QUBITThe April 29, 1999, edition of Nature thatpublished Dr. Nakamura’s paper. The coverfeatures an illustration of a superconducting qubit
measurement signal. On the left is asuperconducting qubit chip.

Quantum computing—once considered a distant dream—is now in the initial stages of becoming a reality.
Amid the fierce global competition to develop the technology, the Government of Japan has formulated the Vision of
Quantum Future Society in April of this year, and is accelerating R&D in that field. A researcher who paved the way
to its practical use with his world-first breakthrough 20 years ago talks about the outlook for quantum technology.
In 1999, a paper published in the journal Nature
amazed and encouraged researchers around theworld, having demonstrated the realistic possibilityof creating a working quantum computer for the
first time ever. The paper described the world’s firstsuccessful attempt at developing superconducting
quantum bits (qubits), which act as the heart of aquantum computer. Through that breakthrough,the microscopic world of quantum mechanics,
normally invisible to the human eye, was realized20

on a macro scale in the form of an electrical circuit.
The technology’s developer, Dr. NAKAMURA
Yasunobu, said, “In the laboratory, I witnessed aphenomenon nobody had seen before. It was truly
gratifying for a researcher such as myself.”
A quantum computer that performs calculations
with quantum mechanics could be far more powerfulthan the latest supercomputer. In recent years,
governments around the world have been formulating
national strategies and putting effort into developing

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

the quantum technology. Likewise, the Governmentof Japan considers quantum computing a coreelement of the growth strategy under the Kishidaadministration’s New Form of Capitalism.
In 2020, the government laid forth the Quantum
Technology and Innovation Strategy, and thefollowing year, established eight new R&D centers
to facilitate collaboration and accelerate research.
Dr. Nakamura is the director of one of these, RIKEN
Center for Quantum Computing. The center’s work
follows a full-stack approach—from hardware tosoftware and from basic science to application—thus
covering broad aspects of R&D. He says, “At ourcurrent stage, we have produced a prototype, which
was unthinkable two decades ago,” and adds, “Theprogress of humanity’s wisdom and technology feels
tangible to me.”In April 2022, the Japanese government formulated
a new strategy, named the Vision of Quantum Future
Society, that expanded on the initiatives for social
innovation through quantum technology from the2020 strategy. It aims for society’s positive evolution
by embedding quantum technology throughout
social and economic systems, which will create
opportunities for industrial growth and a carbonneutral society, as well as addressing social issues suchas those raised by the SDGs.
For several years already, a number of foreigncompanies have been operating cloud services
powered by quantum computing. Japan is also
making practical applications in the area a reality,
as the government’s strategy calls for the country to
produce its first domestically manufactured quantum
computer by March of next year.

A 64-bit superconducting qubit chip, measuring about 2cm on each side. It
is mounted onto a wiring package that connects to the quantum computer.

The inside of the superconducting quantum computer. Superconducting qubits only
function in a state of superconductivity, in which electrical resistance disappears. They are
stored in a cooling device that produces the superconducting state and reduces errors bylowering the temperature to near absolute zero (−273.15ºC + 0.01ºC). RIKEN CENTER FOR
QUANTUM COMPUTING

However, human society is still at the dawn of
the quantum computing era. Current quantum
computers are limited in what they can do as theycannot churn out accurate calculations, owing to thefact that they produce errors after a certain amountof computation. The eventual goal is a fault-tolerant
quantum computer that reduces errors during thecomputing process, while correcting any new ones
that do arise. With researchers across the globe facing
an enormous number of challenges, Japan’s goal is to
produce such a device by 2050.
Dr. Nakamura says that Japan’s advantage inquantum computing comes from “consistently andsteadily conducting basic research, and accumulating
results.” In addition to his development ofsuperconducting qubits, Japan also developed theconcept of quantum annealing—one of the principles
behind quantum computing—underpinning thecountry’s contribution to basic research on quantum
technology. In the future, Japan will accelerate R&D
so as to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s
leaders in industrializing the technology.
“The new field of quantum technology faces a
global challenge—that of developing talent. I would
like us to achieve advances in quantum technology
and eventually develop a quantum computer byenlarging our circle of collaboration to include
people working in different fields, not only in Japan,
but also throughout the entire world.”

21

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYCREATING ANINNOVATIONECOSYSTEM
IN OKINAWA
Ranked top by the Nature Index for its renowned research excellence, the Okinawa Okinawa
Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University is giving comprehensive
and hands-on support to researchers and early-stage startups to spur economic growth.
In the rolling hills of Onna Village on Okinawa
Island, a collection of curved buildings nestles in thesubtropical rainforest. It is easy to mistake it for oneof the resorts dotting the white-sand beaches nearby.
The campus, however, is the Okinawa Institute of
Science and Technology Graduate University, known
as OIST for short, a unique hub of scientific researchand innovation in Japan.
Founded in 2011 with support from the Governmentof Japan, OIST has two objectives: to help the promotion
and self-sustainable development of Okinawa,
Japan’s southernmost prefecture and to contribute tointernational science and technology development.
To achieve these objectives, OIST will nucleate aknowledge cluster that will catalyze technology transfer
in Okinawa. The institution is a university like no otherin Japan. Its five-year Ph.D. program in science has beendrawing world-class researchers, students, and staff fromabroad as well as from within the country.
Among them is Gil Granot-Mayer. After a career inlaw, he led Yeda Research and Development Company,
the technology transfer arm of the prestigious

OIST is an interdisciplinary graduate school that attracts leading researchers
from around the world. Courses and research are conducted entirely inEnglish. OIST has also been selected by the government as one of theresearch centers for quantum technology innovation. Photo shows the
Quantum Materials Science Unit.

22

Onna Village

Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. In 2021, hejoined the team at OIST as Executive Vice President
for Technology Development and Innovation.
Granot-Mayer shared some insights about what makes
OIST a unique innovation driver and how it has beencollaborating with various players to support research,
startups, and the Okinawan economy.
“In December last year, the Nature Index looked atseveral universities in terms of research output normalized
to size and OIST was ranked top,” says Granot-Mayer,
referring to an analysis measuring high-quality articles
as a proportion of an institute’s overall research output.
“We are small number-wise. But on average, we aremuch more impactful in leading Japan and the world.
This is a testament to our research quality. For a young
university of 10 years in a remote location, this is an
extraordinary achievement. In my opinion, this has
been a tremendous return on investment for Japan.”Granot-Mayer points to several factors thatare enabling OIST to outperform. The focus isinternational, with English as the main language, andthe structure is flat and interdisciplinary. To encourage
collaboration, there are no departments, and eachresearch group has secure, long-term funding,which allows researchers to be bold and take risks,maximizing the odds of generating breakthroughs. In
addition, OIST has dedicated to housing and other
Gil Granot-Mayer, an executive
vice president at OIST, led thecommercial arm of Israel’s
Weizmann Institute of Science.
He says OIST will help establish afund to invest in high-growthstartups that can sow the seeds ofan innovation ecosystem.

OIST is located in Onna Village on the main island of
Okinawa, one of the most popular resort destinationsin Japan. The campus is designed to blend in with its
surroundings, with stone walls that reflect thetraditional architecture of Okinawan castles.

facilities and services to attract foreign students andstaff. In early 2022, OIST had 255 Ph.D. students
from 50 countries and territories.
One of the greatest public health threats in recent
decades has been COVID-19, which has been aserious challenge on many levels for OIST, as it has forother academic institutions.
In this battle against the virus, one of most important
assets is mRNA, which was co-discovered by one of
OIST’s own founding scientists, Nobel Prize laureate
Sydney Brenner. Noting that it took 60 years ofcontinuous efforts in basic research for this discovery
to finally mature into the form of a coronavirus
vaccine, Granot-Mayer emphasized the importanceof basic scientific research and compounded upon
how it can benefit society. That is exactly what theTechnology Development and Innovation Center,
TDIC, is working toward.
OIST’s Innovation Square Startup Accelerator
program is dedicated to fostering and commercializing
new technology to support economic growth. The
prefectural government sponsored its establishment in2018 as the first global accelerator in Okinawa. Each
year, OIST chooses two global startups to receivea residency program and 10 million yen in funding.
In addition to scientific expertise, they can receive
useful feedback from OIST’s community of venture
capitalists. By catalyzing startups in Okinawa, OIST
aims to strengthen the innovation ecosystem aroundthe university and contribute to self-sustaining

Output in
Nature Indexand Dimensions
Normalizing the output tracked by
the Nature Index makes it possible
to compare OIST on a level playing
field with much larger institutions.
The results were published in the
December 9 issue of Nature as asponsored article in Nature Index
2021 Young Universities.

1
2
3
4
5

economic development in the region. Meanwhile,
OIST is helping create a 40-50-million-dollar fund forearly-stage support of startups from OIST, Okinawa,
and around the world.
“As of May 2022, we expect five companies from the
Accelerator Program to have established a presence in
Okinawa,” notes Granot-Mayer. “While this is a small
program, it is proof of concept of a good thing we cando to encourage startups and innovation to come here.”
Looking to the future, Granot-Mayer sees great potential
in OIST’s research and innovation due to continued
support from the central government and Okinawa.
“I see great value in diversification and openness inJapan,” says Granot-Mayer. “The more Japan can bring intalent from abroad, do everything in English and selecttop researchers and funding according to international
standards, the better for Japan’s competitiveness.
Putting more money into supporting basic researchand students is the right direction for Japan.”
Chosen as one of the institutions in Japan that willdevelop quantum technology—one of the crucial
areas for implementing the New Form of Capitalism
proposed by the Kishida administration—OIST is an
example of success in prioritizing high-level research.
To reinforce Japan’s renowned science and technology
infrastructure, the government has announced a fundof 10 trillion yen to create top-class universities. As ascience powerhouse as well as a hub for innovation,
OIST is acting as a launchpad for new ideas in Japanand around the world.

O IST
California Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stanford University
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
Harvard University

6
7
8
9
10

University of Cambridge
University of Oxford
The University of Tokyo
Johns Hopkins University
Tsinghua University

0.14
0.12
0.10
0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

23

OKAJIMA Lena, who received her Ph.D.
in astronomy from the University ofTokyo, founded Ale with the aspiration ofdeveloping man-made shooting stars.
Besides wishing to inspire more interest in
space, she hopes that her company’s
research will lead to the sustainable
development of humankind and science.

THE DAY WHEN

MAN-MADESHOOTINGSTARSWILL SHINE IN THE SKY
As part of its growth strategy, the Kishida administration has pledged its support for startup companies. A leader ininnovation, Ale Co., Ltd. is pioneering the original idea of releasing man-made shooting stars into the night sky.
This new startup won a prize in the 21st Japan Venture Awards and now seeks to develop its own unique
technologies for sustainable progress in space exploration and scientific development.
It all began in November 2001 with the Leonid
meteor shower. The shower of shooting stars fizzling
through the night sky consisted of tiny dust particles
from outer space that burn up as they enter the Earth’s
atmosphere. Given their relatively simple composition,
one can create their very own shooting stars—inspiring

the idea of making falling stars visible on demand
from anywhere in the world. While majoring inastronomy at the University of Tokyo, OKAJIMA
Lena was able to envisage such a possibility.
To make her dream a reality, Okajima founded
Ale Co., Ltd. in 2011. For a man-made shooting
Left: Ale’s man-made shooting stars,
designed to be observable for a longer
duration than natural shooting stars,
will be visible within a 200-km diameterin the night sky. The company is also
looking to branch into new businessareas such as tourism. ALE CO., LTD.
Right: The shooting star particles—just
1 cm in diameter—will completely burnup in the Earth’s atmosphere and aredesigned not to collide with otherobjects orbiting the Earth. ALE CO., LTD.

24

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

In the Sky Canvas mission, which will release shooting stars
in the night sky, particles of about 1 cm in diameter are to bereleased by a device installed on a satellite. The meteor
particles will look like shooting stars as they burn up at analtitude of about 60-80 km, and from the Earth’s surface will
be observable at a maximum distance of 200 km. ALE CO., LTD.

star to be created, a small satellite will be launchedthat releases particles roughly 1 cm in diameter.
These particles will then burn up as they enter theatmosphere to look just like shooting stars when
seen from the ground. The shooting stars developedby Ale will emit light observable even from brightly
lit cities, with the spectacle lasting for a few seconds
longer than natural shooting stars. “Fireworks can beseen from about 10 km away, but man-made shootingstars will be observable with the naked eye over an
area 200 km in diameter. I hope that people will sharethose precious extra seconds to enjoy the fun andexcitement of looking up at the night sky,” explains
Okajima.
Technological development on small satellites
and a meteor-release device proceeded smoothly at
first thanks to the support of a university and otherorganizations, enabling the launch of two satellites in
2019. Though Ale’s first man-made shooting stars had
been scheduled for release in 2020, this unfortunately
had to be postponed due to a malfunction with oneof the satellites. Undeterred, however, the company isaiming to release the world’s first man-made shootingstars in 2023.
Ale’s activities are not limited to painting the sky
through the science of shooting stars under the Sky
Canvas project. Okajima, who majored in astronomy,
explores how science can lead to business. “I strongly
believe that fundamental science is crucial for thesustainable development of humankind. Throughspace entertainment with man-made shootingstars on such a grand scale, our goal is
to inspire more interest in science andcuriosity about the universe, and at thesame time, we hope to contribute to asustainable Earth and space with thetechnologies we develop.”
One goal that the company has set
as its mission is solving the problem ofspace debris. In collaboration with theJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency( JAXA), Ale has developed a device to use the Earth’s
atmospheric drag and the Lorentz force to change theorbit of old satellites and the upper stages of rockets,bringing them down to a level where they can safely
burn in the atmosphere, thus preventing them frombecoming debris.
The company is also developing a technology tomeasure water vapor concentrations from around sea
level up to an altitude of about 50 km using remotesensors on satellites. Atmospheric observations at sea
are relatively difficult, and the data available are scarcecompared to measurements from the ground. Usingsatellites to obtain the wealth of oceanic atmospheric
data that is currently lacking will not only improve
weather forecasting but will also help unravel themechanisms of climate change and extreme weather.
To develop the necessary science and bringinnovations to space is the strong desire that drives
Okajima. “We plan to extend into a variety ofbusinesses. For example, we can use the technology
as a tourism resource by releasing shooting stars at
events worldwide,” she says. “Over the last decade,the environment surrounding space exploration haschanged dramatically, making it easier to obtain
technical cooperation or raise funds.”
The Kishida administration is promoting Japan asa science and technology nation and has proposedcomprehensive support for startups. Just as Okajima
pioneered a space business with her novel idea,
new innovators will contribute to creating futureindustries.

25

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYMAKING A BIG LEAP INMAGNET INNOVATIONThe neodymium magnet has enhanced the performance of a wide range of products, from electronic devices toelectric vehicles and wind turbines. The magnet’s inventor and developer, who was recently awarded the worldrenowned Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, speaks about the driving forces that led to this breakthrough andthe potential for upcoming technological innovations.
The shift to electric vehicles andfuel cell vehicles is acceleratingaround the world, as many
countries strive to achieve carbon
neutrality. Japan is also promoting
the widespread use of thesevehicles and has set the goal of
having electrified vehicles accountfor 100% of new passenger car
sales by 2035.
Among the various technologicalinnovations that have enabled
the mass production of electricvehicles, the most crucial has
been the neodymium magnet(also known as the NdFeB
magnet). Featuring high heat
resistance and powerful magnetic
strength—strong enough that
one gram of it can lift 1 kg ofsteel—the magnet has madepossible the creation of the small
and powerful motors that are
indispensable for such vehicles. It
has also contributed to enhanced
performance and reduced costs
in a broad range of items,
from HDDs used for personal
computers to air conditioners andwind turbines.
“I didn’t think it would be
used so widely,” says SAGAWA
Masato, the Japanese scientist
who developed the magnet

26

in 1982. In February 2022, electronics manufacturer. He
he was awarded the Queen didn’t receive the go-ahead from
Elizabeth Prize for Engineering his company to develop an iron—one of engineering’s most based magnet, however, sinceprestigious awards, honoring bold, the element was consideredgroundbreaking innovations that unsuitable for making a superare of global benefit to humanity strong magnet. But believing—for developing the world’s most that such a magnet would surely
powerful permanent magnet, contribute to the world, hewhich has been transformational continued to persist with his
for its contribution towards work, and in 1982, after joining
enabling cleaner, energy-saving Sumitomo Special Metals (nowtechnologies. “To have something Hitachi Metals), he succeeded
I devised myself be of such benefit in developing the neodymium
to society—I couldn’t behappier,” he adds.
Dr. SAGAWA Masato lifting a steel block with the helpof a neodymium magnet. Having developed the magnet,
Back in the day when
he currently serves as an advisor for Daido Steel, one of
the strongest magnets were
the world’s leading specialty steel manufacturers. He also
founded NDFEB, a startup located in Kyoto Prefecture
deemed to be those madethat specializes in R&D on neodymium magnets.
mainly from the two basic
ELEMENT STRATEGY INITIATIVE: TO FORM CORE RESEARCHCENTERS/ATSUKO TSUJI
elements of samarium andcobalt, Sagawa turned
his attention to iron.
Pursuing a hunch thatexcellent magnets could
be made from iron—less expensive and more
plentiful than cobalt—
Sagawa began conducting
his own research in that
direction while working
on developments such as
samarium-cobalt magnets
at a major JapaneseNeodymium magnets (center) are mainly composed ofiron—an abundantly available and inexpensive
substance—along with neodymium and boron. Their low
cost has led to their rapid popularization and has greatly
improved performance for a wide range of products: from air
conditioners to personal computers, electric vehicles, andwind turbines. AFLO (top left photo); SHUTTERSTOCK (center, top right,
and bottom left); EYEEM (bottom right)

magnet.
Spurred on by the advantages of
its low cost and having twice themagnetic force of the samariumcobalt magnet, applications of
the neodymium magnet spread
rapidly. Even now, nearly four
decades later, there is no magnet
that can surpass it.
Now aged 78, Sagawa canstill be found at the frontline ofdevelopment working to improve
the neodymium magnet. He
recently succeeded in substantiallyreducing the magnet’s ratio ofdysprosium—a heavy rare-earth
element in particularly scarce
supply—while enhancing its
strength. This magnet also has
the potential to improve energy
efficiency through properties
that help keep the temperature of
the motor from rising. “Motors

consume almost half of the world’s
electricity. The widespread use ofelectric vehicles will only result infurther consumption. Under suchcircumstances, even the slightest
improvement in motor efficiency
will contribute substantially tocarbon neutrality,” he says.
Japan has developed technologicalinnovations not only in magnets,
but also in such materials ascarbon fiber and high-tensile steel,which play crucial roles in creatingproducts in a broad range offields. According to data for 2017,
Japanese companies accounted forat least 60% of the global market
for up to 70 advanced materials
used in high-tech fields. “Materials
have been the backbone
supporting civilizations fromtime immemorial. We can solve
extremely large problems throughthe innovation of materials. That’s
why I want young researchers
to find projects that will benefit
society and aggressively pursue
them,” states Sagawa. With theaim of making the world moreconvenient and eco-friendly,
Japan will continue along thispath to seek new innovations.

A major feature of the neodymium magnet (left)
is its strong magnetic force; it is about 10 times
stronger than a ferrite magnet (right), the mostwidely used magnet in the world, including fordaily necessities. NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR
MATERIALS SCIENCE

27

The space avatar in “Kibo”, theJapanese Experiment Module on theInternational Space Station. JAXA
official ICHIKAWA Chiaki said,“This was the first test to access Kiboand send commands from outside a
JAXA facility. The incredibly clear
video feed impressed the participants.”

GO TOGETHER, GO FAR:A GRAND SPACE AVATARDREAMFULFILLED BY OPEN INNOVATIONThe space avatar project won
the top prize at the 4th Japan
Open Innovation Prize in 2022,
where the Japanese government
recognizes excellent examples ofopen innovation. Pictured at theaward ceremony from left:
HAYASHI Takanori,
representing Oita Prefecture;
avatarin’s COO, KAJITANIKevin, and CEO, FUKABORI
Akira; ICHIKAWA Chiaki of
JAXA.

Open innovation is a vital part of the Japanese government’s growth strategy. It aims to create innovative technologies
and services by fostering collaboration between government, the private sector, and academia. One good example is thespace avatar project that a startup, a research institute, and a local government have teamed up to produce.
In the more than six decades since humanity first
ventured into space, only some 560 people have
traveled to this frontier. But in 2020, about 400
people experienced outer space in a four-day span.
How was that possible? Think “avatars.”
In 2020, avatarin, a startup spun out of the airline
company ANA Holdings Inc., partnered with the28

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA) andOita Prefecture to install a remotely operated robot
specialized for activities in space—a “space avatar”—
in the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” on theInternational Space Station. That same year, theyheld an event that allowed members of the public
to control the space avatar from Earth. About 400

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Avatars are coming into more widespreaduse in cultural facilities. For example, they
provide tours at aquariums and museums.

people, mentioned above, participated in this event.
avatarin defines mobility as being able to transmit
one’s consciousness to a remote location and movearound on one’s own initiative. The company has
been developing its robotic avatar technology topioneer a new mode of transportation accessible toall. By using an avatar, people can easily transport
their thoughts into space, a place where very few
people can travel due to physical constraints. This isa concept that avatarin has been developing since its
establishment. The company’s CEO, FUKABORI
Akira, said, “The space avatar plan was too grandiosefor us to achieve on our own, so we sought out
partners. JAXA and Oita Prefecture were the firstto jump at the opportunity.” They were a perfectmatch for avatarin’s vision: JAXA anticipates theapplication of avatar technology to space education,
exploration, and development, while Oita Prefecture
wants to use advanced technology to solve problems
in its communities and promote its local industries.
To help develop the space avatar, many
demonstrations using the terrestrial avatar “newme”
were conducted. Oita Prefecture, which provided thetest field, is located far from Japanese metropolises
like Tokyo and Osaka and has many remote islands
and mountainous regions. The prefecture sees
avatars as a way to address local challenges likepoor transportation. HAYASHI Takanori, an Oita
Prefecture official, said, “We have conducted anumber of demonstrations using avatars, including
supervising elderly people, communicating withpeople who are working away from home in Oita,
allowing a hospitalized high school student toparticipate remotely in afterschool activities, andimplementing a remote sightseeing experience ofOita at an overseas tourism exhibition. Especiallysince the COVID-19 pandemic, the avatars havebeen used as substitutes for school trips by providing
remote tours at museums, etc., and are also used
as a means of remote shopping for local shopping
districts that have suffered a loss in customer traffic.”

Top: Avatars offered by avatarin.
The monitor displays the user’s
face, and the user can tell theavatar where to go and look.
Left: Demand for online
shopping has exploded during
the pandemic. Oita Prefecture
has used avatars at farmers’
stands selling marine andagricultural products.

This success has led to the mass production of avatars
in the prefecture, creating a new local industry withgrowing promise.
In a time when society and the technology aroundus are changing dramatically, conducting research anddevelopment has become difficult for a single player
alone. Hence the increasing need for open innovation
like that carried out by avatarin and others, wherecompanies, laboratories, and local governments
collaborate outside their own organizationalframeworks. Fukabori pointed out that “even if you
want to engage in open innovation, it’s not easy
getting organizations with different financial andhuman resources to work together.” That is why the
Kishida administration has encouraged investment
in startups to cover their financial weaknesses, thestrengthening of collaboration between government,
the private sector, and academia, and reformationof universities to attract more talent and funds as a
growth strategy that will help create a new form ofcapitalism—a core administration policy.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go
far, go together,” said Prime Minister Kishida during
his very first policy speech, expressing his ambitions
going forward. If open innovation can create teams oftalent like the one that put avatars in space, then any
dream, no matter how grand, can become a reality.

29

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

THE IMPACT OF AI:

ANYONE CAN BE
A SKILLED FARMER
Artificial intelligence, or AI, has made rapid gains in recent years as it approaches the level of human intelligence.
The Government of Japan has formulated a national strategy that is accelerating efforts to apply AI to real life. One
example of the high-level AI social implementation pioneered by Japan is agricultural pest diagnosis using AI—partof a smart agriculture drive.

FarmChat is an agricultural ICT app offered by
Farm Alliance Management. It uses the AI pest
identification system developed by the NARO-led
consortium. The user sends a photo of the
produce damaged by a pest, which FarmChat uses
to determine the disease and the harmful insect.
An increasing number of farms are using the app.
CREATED USING AN IMAGE TAKEN FROM THE AI PESTIMAGE DB (https://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/org/niaes/damage)“AI will surpass human intelligence.” Such a comment
is a sign of how remarkable AI’s recent progress has
been. The Government of Japan considers AI a core
part of its growth strategy in seeking to achieve a
new form of capitalism as proposed by the Kishidaadministration. Since 2019, a national strategy has
been in motion to conduct R&D and implement AI
in society. Under the AI Strategy 2022 announced thisApril, Japan aims to create Society 5.0—the next logicalstep in the progression from a hunter-gatherer society
through an agricultural society, industrial society, andthe information society of today—which will achieveadvanced convergence between cyberspace and physicalspace. In order to take that step, the AI strategy sets new
goals to make AI a more entrenched part of society and30

creates a concrete action plan to respond to emerging
threats and challenges facing society, such as pandemics
and major disasters.
With the support of that strategy and the Public/
Private R&D Investment Strategic Expansion
PrograM (PRISM), a national government initiative
to create scientific and technological innovation, theimplementation of AI has led to a notable evolution
in agriculture. Japan’s temperate and wet climate isalso unfortunately conducive to a wide variety of pests.
Indeed, those plants and animals designated as harmful
species by the government, and thus controlled
through a pest forecasting project, total some 110
species of insects, pathogens, and so forth. Subduingthese menaces requires their prompt identification,

followed by appropriate countermeasures. In recent
years, however, Japan’s aging farming populationand the increase in the number of new farmers andfarming organizations has led to greater difficultyin the smooth transmission of techniques for pest
diagnosis and pest control. It has been noted that
global warming and abnormal weather patterns maylead to an increase in the pest population, as well aschanges in when and where they appear. That means
conventional knowledge may be insufficient to copewith controlling these pests.
In response, a consortium led by the National
Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO)
has developed a sophisticated system using AI to identify
images of agricultural pests. This will enable relatively
inexperienced farmers to quickly and accurately
identify pests. The system is expected to be part of asmart agriculture approach that uses fewer agriculturalchemicals and makes farming more efficient.
Similar systems are under development around theworld, but the NARO-led consortium says its system
is superior in terms of the quality and quantity ofdata used to train the AI. Working with publicresearch organizations in 24 Japanese prefectures,the consortium has gathered approximately 700,000
images of pests that experts have tagged with accurate
labels. Furthermore, the consortium has collaborated
with universities and system development firms with
AI knowledge to recognize images more accurately
by removing backgrounds and detecting objects
with a convolutional neural network, a deep learning
method modeled on the human visual cortex. The
result is a system that can recognize major pests offour crops—tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, andExamples of pests
identifiable with asystem developed by a
NARO-led consortium.
Photo shows crown rot ofa strawberry. AI PEST IMAGE
DB (https://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/
org/niaes/damage)eggplants—with more than 80% accuracy.
Challenges arose when putting the system into
practice. YAMANAKA Takehiko from NARO said,“We’re a research institute, so developing commercial
services is not within our expertise.” NARO decided
to use a cloud service, the WAGRI agricultural datacollaboration platform, to release this AI diagnosis
system as a web Application Programming Interface(API) in 2021. It provides private enterprises withaffordable access to the system so as to develop
their own AI pest-diagnosis apps. As a result, thetechnology has quickly been accepted in practical
agricultural fields. This year, eight more crops wereadded to the system. Next, the consortium plans tocreate a data aggregation scheme to train AI with datacollected from general users to further bolster thesystem’s accuracy. The system will also gain a feature
to provide information on both the ecology andcontrol methods for identified pests. The consortium
has received inquiries from private businesses aboutrolling out the system in other countries and may
consider localizing it in the future.
People program AI and AI helps mankind.
Through this cycle, humanity and AI will growtogether, which will turn Japan into a scientific andtechnological powerhouse. The fruits of the growthreaped by AI will be enormous.

A growth model of the AI-powered pest identification system
Private sector offers pest diagnosis
services to the general public

Providing Web
API of thediscriminator to
private sector
through WAGRI

General users use
pest diagnosis
services

NA R O

Discriminator

Improving theaccuracy of thediscriminator’s
diagnosis by utilizing theaccumulated data

Image Database

Accumulating
images of pests
provided bygeneral users

WAG R I
Private Sector
General Users

31

Summer 2022

Published by

Edited by

Public Relations Office, Cabinet Office
andOffice of Global Communications, Cabinet Secretariat
1−6−1 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
100−8914, Japan

Available in electronic format.
https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/

We would be delighted to have your feedback.
Please send us your comments.
https://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment_ssl.html

Links to the websites of ministries
Cabinet Office
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Ministry of Defense
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Ministry of the Environment
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Digital Agency
Reconstruction Agency
Nuclear Regulation Authority

https://www.cao.go.jp/index-e.html
https://www.maff.go.jp/e/https://www.mod.go.jp/en/
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/
https://www.mext.go.jp/en/
https://www.env.go.jp/en/
https://www.mof.go.jp/english/
https://www.mofa.go.jp
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/
https://www.soumu.go.jp/english/
https://www.moj.go.jp/EN/
https://www.mlit.go.jp/en/
https://www.digital.go.jp/en/
https://www.reconstruction.go.jp/english/
https://www.nsr.go.jp/english/©Copyright 2022 Cabinet Office of Japan. No article or any part thereof may be reproduced without the express permission of the Cabinet Office.
All inquiries should be made through a form available at: https://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment_ssl.html

JapanGov (https://www.japan.go.jp)
is your digital gateway to Japan.
Visit the website and find out more.
JapanGov, the official portal of the Government of Japan,
provides a wealth of information regarding various issues that Japan is tackling,
and also directs you to the sites of relevant ministries and agencies.
It introduces important policies that the government is addressing , such as economic growth,
innovative technology, and diversity, among others, with many videos and infographics.

https://www.japan.go.jp

You’ll also find the official web magazine “KIZUNA ”(https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/).

Follow us to get the latest updates!
JapanGov

JapanGov / JapanPMOJAPAN

The Government of Japan

K I ZUNA
https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/