Autumn
2023

Linking Japan and the World

New Technologies
for a Sustainable Future

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
NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

04

Japan’s Long-Planned Photovoltaics:
Space-Based Solar Power and Perovskite Solar Cells

08

Inexhaustible Energy: Engineering toRealize Fusion Power

10

Japan’s Innovative Catalyst Enables
Local Production of Ammonia

12

Delicious Sea Urchins Restore Oceans andHelp Decarbonization

14

Making Our World Better from Space:
A Japanese Astronaut’s Perspective

16

Microsatellites Addressing Earth’s Challenges
from Space

18

Japan-U.S. Partnership to Foster Diverse Talent
for the Semiconductor Industry

20

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train:
The First Step Toward a Safe, Sustainable Society

22

Leveraging Japan’s Disaster Experience for
Ukraine’s Reconstruction
Autumn 2023
POLICY & DIPLOMACY24

Japan’s Long Efforts to Realize a World
Without Nuclear Weapons
PORTRAITS OF JAPAN26

Sensing Japanese Autumn amid the Colored Leaves

TO READ MORE CONTENT,CHECK OUT OUR WEB MAGAZINE.
https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/

COVER(Clockwise from top left)
The pilot plant of Tsubame BHB,
which develops small-scale ammonia
production systems; the laboratory of
Kyoto Fusioneering, which develops
engineering technologies forcommercial fusion reactors; image of aperovskite solar cell wall installation*;
Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio andMrs. KISHIDA Yuko at the G20 New
Delhi Summit, with Prime Minister ofIndia Narendra Modi (left) andHon’ble President Smt. Droupadi
Murmu (second from the right).**Photo credit: *NEW ENERGY AND INDUSTRIALTECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION;**PIB INDIA

03

JAPAN’S LONG-PLANNED PHOTOVOLTAICS:SPACE-BASEDSOLAR POWER
AND PEROVSKITESOLAR CELLS

Solutions are emerging to conquer solar power’s shortcomings, namely, limited installation sites
and low-capacity utilization rates. Japan is spearheading the development of two promising technologies
to make optimal use of both the Earth and space and fully harness the Sun’s power as electricity:
space-based solar power and next-generation flexible solar cells.
Sunlight illuminates and warms
the Earth and is the ultimate
source of all biological activity.
Solar power, which converts theSun’s energy into electricity, is
one method of generating powerthat the world is increasingly
focusing on in the effort to createa decarbonized society.
Although solar power has beenin practical use since the 1970s, it
has yet to become a major source ofpower worldwide. That stems fromthe dearth of appropriate locations
for installing solar panels, alongwith the low-capacity utilization
rate as power generation falls
off, such as at night, during bad

Left: Diagram of a space-based solar power (SBSP). An antenna located at sea receives microwaves transmitted from a satellite in geostationary orbit andconverts them into electricity. Microwave irradiation requires an accuracy of less than 0.001º in angular error. SHINOHARA LAB., KYOTO UNIV.
Right: Image of a perovskite solar cell (PSC) wall installation. NEW ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONProfessor SHINOHARA Naoki of Kyoto
University’s Research Institute for Sustainable
Humanosphere specializes in wireless powertransmission, space solar power stations, andmicrowave processing. He has served as amember of the Japan National Space Policy
Committee and as chair of the Wireless Power
Transfer
Consortiumfor
Practical
Applications. SHINOHARA LAB., KYOTO UNIV.

weather, or when the panels get
dirty.
To maximize the use of solar
energy and overcome thosedrawbacks,
two
promisingtechnologies have been developed:
space-based solar power (SBSP)
and next-generation f lexible
solar cells. Japan is making steadyprogress toward the practicalimplementation of both.
The SBSP project involves thespace launch of satellites equippedwith giant solar panels measuring
2 km2, converting the generated
electricity into microwaves that arethen transmitted wirelessly to theground. Since the satellites will beable to generate power day or night
regardless of the weather, they will
boast a high-capacity utilization
rate of at least 90%, generating an
estimated five to 10 times more
power than ground-based solar
panels, whose capacity utilization
rate is a mere 15% or so. Eachsatellite will generate 1 million
kW of electricity, equivalent to the
output of a nuclear power plant.
Microwaves—atypeofelectromagnetic wave, used now
daily in microwave ovens andcommunications equipment, thatthe system will use to transmit
the power to the ground—canpenetrate clouds and rain if the
optimum frequency is selected,
making them virtually free fromweather interference. Since thetransmission would be wireless,moreover, the target destination
can be changed as needed. The
SBSP concept was first proposedin the U.S. back in 1968, but
research has stalled due to several
technical and cost-related issues,
such as the difficulty in establishinghighly efficient systems for power
generation and transmission andthe transport and assembly of
giant solar panels. With recent
technological advances, however,
SBSP technology has begun togarner renewed attention aroundthe world.
Meanwhile, Japan has been
continuing
SBSP
research
for several decades throughindustry-academia-government
collaboration. Kyoto University
has already taken the lead inestablishingwireless
power
transmission technology using
microwaves, a fundamental elementof SBSP. In 1990, the university’s
Professor SHINOHARA Naoki
was inspired to enter the field byhis mentor at the time, Professor
MATSUMOTO Hiroshi, who
said, “SBSP is a technology thatwill enable the human race tosurvive for the next 10,000 years.”
Looking back on his old mentor’s
declaration, Shinohara said, “Ifthe Earth’s population continues
to grow, so will the amount ofelectricity consumed, and thegeneration capacity on the groundwill be insufficient to supply thenecessary power. That’s why weneed to go into space.”
Since the 1980s, Japan
has conducted many SBSP
experiments in outer space andaccumulated a large amount ofrelevant data, even when researchhas been suspended elsewhere. In
1983, it conducted the Microwave
Ionosphere Nonlinear Interaction
eXperiment (MINIX), whichtransmitted power from one rocket

The photo shows a microwave wireless powertransfer experiment from an airship to theground, conducted by Kyoto University in2009. Due to its ability to send and receive
power over longer distances than othercontactless power-transfer methods, thetechnology to wirelessly transmit power withmicrowaves shows promise for use in a variety
of applications on the ground, such as
supplying power to disaster areas where
infrastructure has been disrupted.
SHINOHARA LAB., KYOTO UNIV.

05

PSCs are made by coating or
printing materials on a thin
substrate such as plastic. They
are considered to have higher
production efficiency thanexisting solar cells.
SEKISUI CHEMICAL

to another in space plasma for the
first time in world history. Later,in 1993, the country conducted a
successful rocket experiment using
the then newly developed phasedarray antenna for more accurate
power transmission in space plasma.
Japan also has strong enoughcapabilities in satellite system design
to maximize power generation
efficiency and accurately transmit
power to the ground.
Shinohara said, “SBSP has been
incorporated into the Japanese
government’s Basic Plan on Space
Policy since it was first formulated
in 2009. I’ve been researching
SBSP technology for many years,
and now that there is global
attention on it, I feel it will truly
work out.” The current plan has
set a goal of conducting a spaceto-ground power transmission
experiment by fiscal 2025. The
California Institute of Technology
already successfully conducted
such an experiment earlier this year,
but Japan is aiming to transmit
power with even greater precision,
with the focus on developing
beam-control technology toaccurately send microwaves from06

a fast-moving satellite in low orbit
to a receiving antenna on the
ground. Progress is steadily being
made toward the goal of creatinga feasible SBSP around the middleof the century.
On the other hand, the social
implementation of “flexible solar
cells,” namely perovskite solar
cells (PSCs)—a technology thatwill expand the area available
for generating solar power on
the Earth—is currently being
demonstrated. Utilizing the Green
Innovation Fund establishedby the Japanese government,
several companies and research
institutes are working together todevelop practical applications andpopularize PSCs.
PSCs were invented in Japan,
with the first research paper
published in 2009. PSCs are filmshaped solar cells made of a material
whose crystal structure resembles
that of a mineral called perovskite.
The cells are thin, lightweight,
and flexible, in contrast to today’s
mainstream silicon solar panels,
which are thick and rigid, andthus face restrictions on where
they can be installed. Meanwhile,

the power-generating layer of a
PSC is less than 1μm thick, morethan 100 times thinner than a
traditional silicon solar cell. PSCs,
which are about one-tenth theweight of ordinary solar cells, canthus be installed in places whereconventional solar panels cannot,
such as on the exterior walls of abuilding or on curved surfaces.
One
company
currently
developing PSCs is SEKISUICHEMICAL CO., LTD., amajor chemical manufacturer.
One problem with PSCs is theirpoor durability; outdoors, theyquickly degrade owing to moisture,oxygen, and ultraviolet light. This
is where SEKISUI CHEMICAL’s
technological expertise comes
into play. MORITA Takeharu,
Director of the Perovskite Solar
Cell Group at the company’s R&D
Center, said, “Our strengths lie
in our sealing technology that
protects precision equipment fromdust and moisture, as well as ourfilm sheet manufacturing. We havethe largest global share of liquid
crystal sealants, as well as interlayer

MORITA Takeharu (right), Director of
SEKISUI CHEMICAL’s R&D Center
Perovskite Solar Cell Group, is shown holding
a PSC along with KOGA Meiko (left),
Executive Officer of the company’s Corporate
Communications Department. SEKISUI CHEMICAL

films for automotive laminatedglass. We are also working withcustomers and suppliers to develop
construction and installation
techniques. Our development
now is geared toward future
maintenance and replacements.”
With more than 30 companies
and
local
governments
collaborating, many demonstration
tests and joint-research projects
are underway. In April 2024, amajor IT company in Tokyo plans
to install PSCs on the walls of adata center for a demonstration
test. In order to control theirindoor temperature and prevent
intrusion, data centers normally
have few windows, which makes
a substantial portion of their wall
surfaces suitable for installing
PSCs. Data centers also consume alot of power because they operatemany servers, so decarbonization
is an important issue. After theconclusion of the demonstration
tests, the IT company intends toinstall PSCs at 16 of its data centers
across Japan.
Other pilot projects are in theplanning and implementation
stages at sewage treatment plants,
thermal power plants, railroad
facilities, public facilities, andelsewhere to investigate durability
and power-generation efficiency
under various conditions. Afterthe trials are completed, the PSCs
will be deployed to other similar
facilities nationwide. KOGA
Meiko, Corporate Communication
Department Head and Executive
Officer at SEKISUI CHEMICAL,
said, “For over 75 years, wehave been working to solve
environmental issues throughour businesses and products, but
perovskite solar cells seem to holdparticularly great promise. Throughthis technology, we hope tocontribute to the building of social
infrastructure that helps give people
around the world peace of mind.”This April, at the Ministerial
Council on Renewable Energy,
Hydrogen and Related Issues,
Prime
Minister
Kishidaannounced that Japan aims tointroduce PSCs to society as soon
as possible, instead of waiting
until 2030. Commenting on thatannouncement, Morita said, “It isbeyond anything I ever expectedthat our company and our country
would be pursuing the same goal,”
but added, “We have to makea nationwide effort to develop
feasible PSCs as quickly as possible
and spread them across the globe.”
The search for more sustainable
and efficient methods of power
generation is indispensable forhumanity’s survival over the next
10,000 years and beyond. Moreover,given the unstable state of global

In May 2023, a PSC test measuring the powergeneration efficiency of PSCs and verifying
their corrosion resistance performance beganat the Morigasaki Water Reclamation Center, asewage treatment facility in Tokyo and thelargest water reclamation facility in Japan.
Tokyo Governor KOIKE Yuriko (foreground,left) and SEKISUI CHEMICAL President
and Representative Director KATO Keita(foreground, right), who is a co-researcher,mount a PSC to a pipe.
TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT

affairs, energy security has become
an urgent issue for every country. It
will become increasingly important
to introduce renewable energy
sources that do not require fuel, andto diversify energy sources. Japan’s
efforts to harness the potentialof solar power, a well-known
renewable energy source, will shine
a light on humanity’s future.

PSCs produced by SEKISUI CHEMICAL, which were also exhibited at the International Media
Center (IMC) at the G7 Hiroshima Summit. SEKISUI CHEMICAL07

INEXHAUSTIBLE ENERGY: ENGINEERING TO

REALIZE FUSION POWER
There are grand expectations for fusion power around the world in the pursuit of energy security and decarbonization. Kyoto
Fusioneering Ltd. is a unique Japanese startup specializing in fusion plant engineering. What are the company’s latest efforts?
“Recreating the Sun on Earth”
is how fusion power generation
attempts are often described. Bornalmost 5 billion years ago, theSun shines thanks to the processof fusion. In this case, hydrogen,which has a light atomic nucleus
consisting of one proton in its
most common form (known asprotium), combines with otherhydrogen atoms to form helium,
which has a heavier nucleus withtwo protons and two neutrons.
Fusion power seeks to replicatethat phenomenon on the groundas a next-generation energy source.
The most viable method of
producing fusion energy on Earthis to fuse together deuterium and08

tritium, two different isotopes ofhydrogen. The energy obtainedby fusing just one teaspoon of fuelis roughly equivalent to that ofa tanker truck full of petroleum(about 8 tons). Fortunately,
gases such as carbon dioxide andnitrogen oxides are not producedin the fusion process. Unlike
conventional nuclear power, which
involves chain reactions of nuclear
fission, nuclear fusion is easier tocontrol as no such chain reactions
take place. Moreover, because theprimary fuels—deuterium andlithium—for fusion power exist
in abundance in seawater andelsewhere, humanity will have anear-permanent source of energy if

fusion becomes practical.
“It is difficult to generate fusionenergy in a stable way, and even if
we succeed in producing it, we may
not necessarily be able to harness
its energy. We also need to develop
such peripheral technologies asfuel handling and heat recovery.
Ours is the only company in theworld working in that field,” said
NISHIMURA Miki, Doctorof Philosophy and Business
Development Manager at Kyoto
Fusioneering Ltd.
The company, which is a spin-off
from Kyoto University, supports
research institutes and privatecompanies around the worldthat are engaged in fusion R&D.

Its technological capabilities are
based upon the knowledge of
KONISHI Satoshi, Professor
Emeritus at Kyoto University.
Konishi, a leading expert in fusion
plant engineering and a founding
member of the company, hasbeen involved with International
Thermonuclear
Experimental
Reactor (ITER), a global fusion
megaproject launched in 1985.
YOGO Megumi is Corporate
Design Division Manager at Kyoto
Fusioneering. “There are manytechnological challenges: withmaterials, for example, one has toimprove a component’s heat andcorrosion resistance. Our businessmodel is proposing customized
solutions to clients to address such
issues,” said Yogo. “Even the tiniest
error of just a few microns is not
permitted in any component or
aspect of engineering in a fusion
plant. In this respect, Japanesecompanies, which excel at precise
manufacturing, are well suited
to this kind of work. As a global
Japan-based company, we want

to serve as a bridge between
outstanding domestic companies
and the rest of the world.”
The company is also currently
constructing
anintegrated
testing facility for fusion power
plant components, named theUNiqueIntegrated
TestingfacilitY (UNITY), where a worldfirst demonstration test is slated
for the end of 2024. The test
will comprehensively assess an
integrated series of components
used for extracting heat from afusion core to generate power,
under conditions close to those of
a commercial fusion power plant.
If successful, it will demonstrate,
for the first time, the possibility ofgenerating power through nuclear
fusion, taking a major step toward
the goal of viable fusion energy.
“In addition to the ITER
project, fusion research in theprivate sector has become more
active in recent years, primarily
at U.S. startups. The companies
in the fusion industry are more
like partners aiming for the samegoal, rather than rivals. We would
like to contribute in some way tothe realization of fusion power,

Left: NISHIMURA Miki (left) and YOGO Megumi (right) from Kyoto Fusioneering. “Fusionenergy sits at the forefront of human knowledge. At this moment in time, we are standing on theshoulders of giants. In other words, the knowledge and technology that humans have developed so
far have opened up new horizons,” affirmed Nishimura.
Right: A graphic image of the UNique Integrated Testing facilitY (UNITY), slated for completionin 2024. A high-temperature, high-magnetic field environment, mimicking that of a fusion core
(blanket), will be simulated without the use of radioactive tritium fuel to demonstrate a series ofpower generation systems.

A gyrotron, a special machine that heats theplasma fuel with microwaves to 100 million
degrees Celsius or higher. It operates in a similar
way to an extremely powerful microwave oven.

based on the solid foundationand capabilities of Japan’s
manufacturing industry,” said
Nishimura.
“The best thing about fusionenergy is that it is a form of energythat can be produced anywhere in
the world. This technology has thepotential to close the global divide
caused by the uneven distributionof natural resources,” added Yogo.
Looking to the future, Kyoto
Fusioneering plans to use theenormous
thermalenergygenerated by fusion plants not
only for electricity production
but also for carbon fixation. Thereis no shortage of ideas for thetechnology, from miniaturizing
fusion reactors and mounting
them on rockets to generating
electricity at sea.
When fusion technology isperfected and the “Sun is recreatedon Earth,” humanity will see thedawning of a new era.

09

JAPAN’S INNOVATIVE CATALYST ENABLESLOCAL PRODUCTION
OF AMMONIA

Ammonia has wide-ranging applications, such as fertilizer or other chemical products, and has been garnering
attention in recent years as a zero-emission fuel. Tsubame BHB has developed a small-scale plant that can synthesize
ammonia at low temperatures, low pressure, and low cost. What innovations is the company eyeing for the future?
As ammonia contains thenitrogen necessary for crops togrow, it is widely used as a raw
material for fertilizers as well as
for other chemical products. Also,
since it does not emit CO2 during

combustion, the material has been
attracting attention in recent
years as a next-generation fuel for
decarbonization.
The production of ammonia
requires a high-temperature, high-

Top: Ajinomoto Co., Inc., a Japanese food company and Tsubame BHB
shareholder, made its factory in Kawasaki City available for the installation of
the startup’s pilot plant. In operation since 2019, the plant produces 20 tonsof ammonia a year at a steady pace.
Right: In conjunction with the Ukraine Recovery Conference held in
London, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry ofForeign Affairs, and the Japan External Trade Organization co-hosted theJapan-Ukraine Public-Private Roundtable, at which a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) was signed for the Green Industrial Zone Project in
Bucha, Ukraine. The event, attended by around 120 participants fromJapanese and Ukrainian industries, confirmed the promotion of partnerships
between the public and private sectors as well as between companies fromboth countries.

10

pressure environment to inducea reaction between nitrogenand hydrogen. That is why massand centralized production atlarge plants has been the norm.
Developing countries that cannot
afford such large-scale facilities
are forced to bear the high cost oftransportation and storage.
If the reaction between nitrogenand hydrogen were to be achieved
at low temperatures and pressure,
however, the resulting downsizingof facilities could enable
the production of ammonia
locally—in developing countries
and elsewhere—in exactly thequantities needed. Tsubame BHBCo., Ltd., a startup spun out of theTokyo Institute of Technology,
has garnered prominence forits new catalyst technology thatrealizes such a goal. Its innovativeelectride catalyst—an article
about which was published inthe Nature Chemistry journal in2012, submitted by HOSONO
Hideo, a professor emeritus at
the university—facilitates thecleavage of the strong bonds
within nitrogen molecules,
thereby paving the way forsynthesizing ammonia at low
temperatures and pressure.
Hosono’sresearchwasgrounded in his desire to createtechnologies “essential for life.”
Tsubame BHB, founded in2017, inherited that concept
and embraced the mission ofusing creative technologies tosolve human issues related to theenvironment and food. According
to Tsubame BHB Representative
Director & CEO NAKAMURA
Koji, “In order to eliminate
the world’s food imbalance,
what’s crucial is to develop small
devices that can easily make therequired amount of ammonia onsite.” The company’s pilot plant,
which can produce 20 tons ofammonia a year, has proven thatthe catalyst is stable, enabling thecompany to move faster toward

In an electride catalyst, electrons act as anions
and behave like scissors to separate tightly boundnitrogen molecules at low temperatures andpressure.

Tsubame BHB Representative
Director & CEO NAKAMURA
Koji (right) and marketer SUDA
Hiromi(left).
Its
firstcommercial small-scale ammonia
synthesis
facilityforademonstration test of hydrogenand ammonia production in
Kashiwazaki City will begin
operation in August 2025. “Withglobal interest in ammonia
growing, it is critical to stayahead of the curve, so we aredetermined to make a strong casefor commercialization,” says
Nakamura.

commercialization.
Small-scale, on-site production
would also facilitate theproduction of green ammonia
from hydrogen produced byrenewable energy sources. For
example, in Laos—which hasabundant hydropower—Tsubame
BHB has been involved in a project
to investigate the profitability of
locally produced green ammonia
from surplus hydropower for
local consumption with thecooperation of the country’s
Ministry of Energy and
Mines. “The Lao government
is committed to agriculturaldevelopment to help Laos
graduate from its position as a least
developed country. We would be
happy if our technology could
contribute to both productivity
gains and decarbonization,” said
SUDA Hiromi, who is in chargeof the company’s marketingand business development indeveloping countries.
In May of this year, Tsubame
BHB announced its involvementin the Green Industrial Zone
Project in Bucha, Ukraine, whichaims to make hydrogen andammonia from renewable energy
for use in electricity generationand fertilizer production. The
startup is partnering with thePolish hydrogen system designer
Hynfra and the Ukrainian
engineering
firm
UTEM.
Tsubame BHB will provide its
ammonia-synthesis technology
to help Ukraine achieve its twingoals of reconstructing after
Russia’s aggression and achieving
energy independence.
The current global output ofammonia is insufficient for it to
be used extensively as fuel, so it isnecessary to expand production
at a low cost. Nakamura says,“We will focus on minimizing
the size of our facilities for onsite production in developing
countries, while at the sametime focusing on developing
highly efficient catalysts thatcan be applied to large-scaleammonia plants, with an eye tofuel applications.” Tsubame BHB
will continue exploring solutions
to this issue affecting all of
humanity.

11

DELICIOUS
SEA URCHINSRESTORE OCEANS AND HELP DECARBONIZATION
The disappearance of kelp forests in the oceans causes great damage to marine ecosystems and is becoming an
increasingly serious threat around the world. One Japanese startup company tackling that problem is drawing
international attention not only because of its efforts to restore oceans into vibrant ecosystems, but also for its
value-creating business model.
Sometimes called “nurseries of the sea,” kelp forests
sustain a whole host of aquatic life. These rich seaweed
forests have in recent years attracted attention as blue
carbon ecosystems for their ability to capture andsequester carbon dioxide from seawater. However,barren seafloors, devoid of such fertile feeding andbreeding grounds, have become a grave threat for
oceans worldwide. One cause of that problem is
sea urchins, uni, which, because of rising seawatertemperatures from global warming and other factors,
have been able to reproduce unhindered, leading
to overgrazing on the kelp forests. Sea urchins are“When you look at sea urchins every day,you can tell whether they are feeling goodor bad. I think that sea urchins are morestraightforward than people,” says ARAI
Miho, whose knowledge gained throughmany years of work on wastewater
treatment is now devoted to sea urchins.

in increasing demand worldwide as a high-end
ingredient in Japanese cuisine such as sushi, but thosesea urchins that have overgrazed kelp forests down
to the barren seafloor essentially starve and become
empty. Since there is nothing to eat inside them, they
have no commercial value and were previously simply
discarded.
While many people involved in the fishingindustry have been left scratching their heads, thecircular business model of the Japan-based startup
Urchinomics is a ray of hope to solve that problem.
Urchinomics engages with fishers to procure empty

Top: “Zombie” urchin—empty sea urchins are almost devoid of anything
edible.
Bottom: Sea urchins farmed at the Kayoi Uni Base just before being
shipped. These sea urchins are filled with plump roe and shipped aspremium seafood.

sea urchins, cultivate them through ranching on ashort-term basis, and ship them to restaurants andsushi chains throughout the year as valuable marine
products.
A catalyst for that model was the Great East Japan
Earthquake of 2011. Along the Tohoku coastline,
sea urchins appeared prolifically due to changes in
the marine environment caused by the tsunami. The
proliferation of sea urchins led to wider desolationon the seabed. Aware of the current plight, a project
began with the help of Norwegian technology, which
had been used to conduct advanced research in sea
urchin farming. Urchinomics was established in2017, leading to the world’s first sea urchin farm being
set up in Oita Prefecture in 2021. Initiatives such as
that—namely, those that treat environmental issues
as a business and which can help create jobs for the
local community—are increasingly in the spotlight.
Urchinomics’ second facility in Japan, Kayoi Uni
Base, was created in 2022 in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Built in collaboration with a local seafood processing
company, the huge farm has an annual production
capacity of 34 tons, making it the largest sea urchinranch in the world. At the heart of the sea urchin farmis a unique compound feed made primarily from theoffcuts of kombu kelp (harvested sustainably), andan efficient ranching system designed specifically forbreeding sea urchins on land. Coupled with that is
expertise in knowing how to reliably ship sea urchins
without exposing them to the natural environment
during their breeding period of two to three months.
ARAI Miho, a water treatment specialist and plantengineer, says, “There are still many things we don’tknow about sea urchins. Focusing solely on levelsof water quality will not produce high-quality sea
urchins full of roe. It’s a daily process of trial anderror. Yet, the quality of the sea urchins we can shipfrom our farms is the key to our circular business, so I
feel a great sense of satisfaction.”
Urchinomics was endorsed for its exemplaryinnovation in the United Nations Decade of Ocean
Science for Sustainable Development in 2022. And
through its kelp restoration efforts from 2021 to
2022 to remove empty sea urchins, Urchinomics
secured blue carbon credits equivalent to 2.6 tonsof sequestered carbon. That had only previously
been done with mangroves overseas, but now Japan,
blessed by waters on all sides, is the first country in
the world to obtain blue carbon credits from kelp
forests.
Today, demonstration experiments are underway
not only in Japan but also in the United States,
Canada, New Zealand and other countries where
there is much interest from fisheries. The goal of
Urchinomics is to roll out the sea urchin ranchingbusiness to all regions that suffer from overgrazed,
desolate seafloors, helping to restore the rich andvibrant nurseries of the sea. With passion andtechnology, the challenge for Urchinomics rolls on.There are about 200
tanks in the ranchingfacility where water
suitable for sea urchins is
processed through aclosed circulation systemcalled the Recirculating
Aquaculture System.

13

After studying aerospace engineering at
the University of Tokyo Graduate
School, YAMAZAKI Naoko wascertified as Japan’s second female
astronaut in 2001. Currently a memberof subcommittees of the National Space
Policy Committee of Japan, she also
engages in a wide variety of activities,
from giving lectures and writing about
space to developing human resources.

MAKING OUR WORLD:BETTERFROMSPACEA JAPANESE ASTRONAUT’S PERSPECTIVE
Amid rapid global advancements in the development and utilization of outer space, Japan is carrying out new efforts in
its aim to become a “self-sufficient space-faring nation.” A former Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
astronaut explains the country’s future space vision and the possibilities that are opened up through the use of outer space.
Today, over half a century
since the first human footsteps
were planted on the Moon, spacedevelopment and utilization are
advancing at a feverish pace. In
2022 alone, a record number ofsatellites and other objects werelaunched into orbit—2,368 in
total, about 11 times that of adecade ago—for various purposes,

from national security andcommunications to disastermanagement and environmental
conservation. While on the one
hand, private firms have begun
to offer manned spaceflights,
Artemis, an international space
exploration program promotedby the United States, aims to send
humans back to the Moon as early
In 2010, Yamazaki (top right) boarded
the Space Shuttle Discovery and spent 15
days in space, including time on theInternational Space Station. “When I
returned to Earth, I was struck by how
much I appreciated breezes and thefragrance of plants. That made me wantto take good care of what is usually taken
for granted. When people consider theissues facing the planet, I want them tolook for solutions by broadening theirhorizons to space. That will expand boththeir ideas and possibilities.” NASA14

as 2025, with the subsequent
plan to develop infrastructure
for sustainable activities on andaround the Moon. “Momentumis building to not just go to space,but to also expand economic
activities to cislunar space, the area
between the Earth and the Moon’s
orbit,” says YAMAZAKI Naoko,
a former astronaut with the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA), who now serves as amember of subcommittees of the
National Space Policy Committeeof Japan.
Against that backdrop, Japanis advancing new initiatives tobecome a “self-sufficient space-faring

nation.” With its sights set onparticipation in the Artemis
program, JAXA selected two
astronaut candidates in February
2023. Then, this June, Japan revised
its Basic Plan on Space Policy
with the aim of maintaining andstrengthening the autonomy of its
space activities. “As space becomesan indispensable foundation for
national security, industry, anddaily life, the ability to nurture andpossess its own key technologies foraccessing and utilizing space will be
crucial for any global leader,” notes
Yamazaki.
Recent advancements in space
exploration have been driven
mainly by the private sector.
Some estimates see the global
space industry tripling in scalefrom 350 billion dollars in 2020
to over 1 trillion dollars by 2040.
The private sector already launches
more satellites every year than does
the public sector worldwide, andin Japan innovative businesses havebeen generated such as startups
that aim to remove space debris—an increasingly serious issue oflate. Yamazaki points out, “Justas various IT industries first cameinto existence when the Internet
became accessible to everyone,

space can be a place where diverse
ideas emerge.”
Crucial to such a future is thereinforcement of infrastructure
promoting private-sector activities.
One example is the Quasi-Zenith
Satellite System, the global
navigation
satellite
systemdeveloped by the Japanese
government.
Workingincombination with the Global
Positioning System (GPS), it
enhances the accuracy of location
information to within centimetersof an object’s actual position.
Current efforts to fortify thesystem are sure to significantly
broaden its applications, including
the operation of autonomous
drones, and by the mid-2020s, it
is expected to provide such highly
accurate information even without
the support of GPS.
Constructing and organizing
satellite-launching
sites
and
space transportation bases will
also be important, given the
expected increase in demand.
Yamazaki herself has beenworking with local governments,
private organizations, and related
ministries to create a platform forcollaboration among spaceportprojects
throughout
Japan.

Left: Over the next few years, Japan plans to increase the number of satellites in its Quasi-Zenith
Satellite System, which provides highly accurate positioning information. That will enable thesystem to be used widely in the rest of Asia and in Oceania. QZSS.GO.JP
Right: An artist’s rendering of a spaceport. Currently, there are regional plans to construct such
spaceports in four locations across Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. In the future, such rural areas
might serve as space transportation hubs. ©2020 CANARIA, DENTSU, NOIZ, SPACE PORT JAPAN ASSOCIATION.

Artemis—an international space exploration
program in which Japan is participating—aims
to establish a long-term presence on the
Moon’s surface and in its general vicinity, withthe eventual goal of serving as a relay point for
exploratory missions to Mars. JAXA

Projects are already underway infour locations, as is coordination
with national spaceport projects,
with the ultimate goal of making
Japan Asia’s spaceport hub.
“Locating such crucial ports here
will be vital to making Japan a
global leader and will also generate
new industries with high added
value.”
Yamazaki had dreamed about
space and set her sights on
becoming an astronaut ever sincechildhood, but after participating
in a mission working on theInternational Space Station in 2010,
she experienced a radical change
in her perspective. “When I wasup there, I came to the awarenessthat space was an endless expanseof darkness, and that instead,what was truly irreplaceable was
the brilliant blue Earth shining
in the midst of that darkness.
And it made me feel that my new
mission was to protect it. We canuse space to change our planet forthe better. To do that, though, it
is important for us to cooperatewith various countries and people
under the principles of the Outer
Space Treaty—the United Nations
space treaty, which states thatthe exploration and use of outerspace shall be the province of all
mankind.”

15

MICROSATELLITESADDRESSING
EARTH’S CHALLENGES
FROM SPACEWith worldwide efforts accelerating to utilize space, a Japanese startup, Axelspace, has developed
microsatellites that can be mass-produced to reap new benefits from space. The company offers an exciting
vision for the future of the space industry.
“In the not-too-distant future, space will establish itself
as part of our social infrastructure,” says NAKAMURA
Yuya, co-founder, president and CEO of Axelspace, astartup that provides innovative solutions through the useof microsatellites. The company’s vision is “Space WithinYour Reach.” He continues, “The current position of
the space industry is similar to that of the IT industry afew decades ago. It is expanding from governmental use
to the private sector, with startups rapidly developing
new services. Space is no longer a ‘special place’ but isincreasingly a ‘place within our reach.’”Axelspace has developed an Earth-observation platform that utilizes aconstellation composed of multiple microsatellites called GRUS. The
platform is useful in many processes, such as predicting agricultural yields
and assessing damage in disaster areas. Clients include banks looking toconsider harvest predictions before providing loans. Above is an illustrationof GRUS, of which five are currently in operation in orbit. AXELSPACE

16

Nakamura was an engineering student at the Universityof Tokyo when he participated in a project to develop a
CubeSat, a tiny satellite measuring 10 x 10 x 10 cm, which
was successfully launched and operated in 2003—the firsttime ever in the world for such a small satellite. When heshared the images taken by the CubeSat with the world,
the reaction was beyond his expectations, and he cameto realize the potential of the space business, which heknew would have an immense impact on society. This
experience led him to start his own business in 2008.
Axelspace offers two major business solutions. The
first is AxelGlobe, an Earth-observation platformthat shares satellite imagery of the planet obtained by
GRUS—a next-generation remote-sensing microsatellite
developed by the company—with which it provides dataanalysis solutions. AxelGlobe has devised an integrated
constellation of five GRUS satellites in which multiple
satellites are linked and work in tandem as a single system
to provide the company with frequent images of any pointon the globe—with great ease and at low cost—to meetthe various needs of its clients. Unlike full-size satellites
that weigh up to a few tons, 100-kg-class microsatellites,such as GRUS, cannot convey the huge telescopes
necessary to capture high resolution images. Instead, aconstellation of smaller lower-cost satellites makes higherfrequency Earth monitoring possible, creating novel valuethat cannot be achieved by a single large satellite.
In the United States and elsewhere, for example,
photographing large tracts of farmland requires multiple
drones and much time, but one image taken from space
can achieve the same result. “Microsatellites enable us to“Our objective is to offer
packaged solutions for theprocess required for design,
manufacturing, and operationin orbit. That is the essence ofthe digital transformation of
space development,” says
Axelspace CEO
NAKAMURA Yuya. “Bymaking microsatellites asversatile as possible andachieving a scalable production
system, we want to add newvalue to space.” Themicrosatellite in the picture is afull-scale model of GRUS,
which is used by AxelGlobe.

provide data offering new value to space itself,” asserts
Nakamura. “In agriculture, precision farming becomes
possible by accessing daily crop health data, allowing
areas where growth is slow to be assessed and fertilizedaccordingly. In some cases, banks have utilized our service
because it enables them to predict crop yields before
authorizing loans.”
Meanwhile, Axelspace’s other business, AxelLiner—
announced in 2022—is a service that provides the complex
procedures necessary for a satellite project all in one
package. It is a unique one-stop service that encompasses
all the segments of a space business, from design toproduction and operation. By developing mass-produced,
highly versatile satellite buses, which are core bodies ofsatellites that are equipped with basic functions, Axelspaceintends to provide its service in a more affordable andfaster package, thus lowering the hurdles that prospective
satellite users may face. In early 2024, AxelLiner plans tolaunch Pyxis, its first demonstration satellite.
Axelspace has also invested in further efforts to develop
next-generation technology and participates in the“development and demonstration of inter-satellite opticalcommunication network system” program sponsoredby Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology
Development Organization (NEDO). If the opticalcommunication network is set up between multiple
satellites, not only will they facilitate a large-volume andlow-delay data relay between space and the ground but the
network can also be utilized as a backup communication
system in times of severe disasters. By 2029, the company,
together with its partners, plans to demonstrate thefunctionality and performance of the satellite opticalcommunication network in the vicinity of Japan.
The motivation behind Nakamura’s pursuits is his
passion for building microsatellites that are useful tosociety and for turning space into a common place with
Earth observation and communication infrastructureusable by anyone and everyone. “I think that space shouldplay a supporting role in that scenario. The way to create
fresh solutions is by switching the focus from space to thepeople who use it,” he says. Nakamura will keep his foot on
the accelerator until space is truly “within our reach.” 
Establishing a constellation ofsmall Earth-observation satellites
can increase imaging frequency.
Also, the medium-resolution
GRUS, with an imaging range of
57 km, can capture a broad area at
one time. The images above are of ajungle fire in Columbia (left), anda part of the U.S., showing plants’
distribution area and growing
condition (right). AXELSPACE

17

The 830-m2 super cleanroom at theHiroshima University Research Institutefor Nanodevices. It is open to outsideorganizations and serves as a setting forcollaboration among industry, academia,
and government, and between different
academic disciplines.

JAPAN -U.S. PARTNERSHIP TO FOSTER

DIVERSE TALENT FOR
THE SEMICONDUCTOR
INDUSTRY
With society undergoing rapid digitalization, semiconductors are a key technology that is essential to the realizationof digitalization and decarbonization, as well as a crucial strategic material in light of economic security. Japan andthe United States have joined forces to cultivate a more robust and highly skilled workforce in this field.
Semiconductors are integrated
into many objects, from familiar
electronic devices such as thesmartphones and PCs we use
in our daily lives to such basicsocial infrastructure as railroads
and bank ATMs. Some saythese materials, which process
information for data storage,
numerical calculations, and logicaloperations, are among the world’s
most critical resources in an age
when all sorts of industries andproducts have been digitalized
and vast amounts of data areexchanged over the Internet

18

on a daily basis. Even so, only alimited number of companies in
the world can manufacture thesecomponents, thus it is urgent
to decentralize semiconductor
production bases and strengthen
the capacity for their supply.
Moreover,asdigitalization
spreads and grows ever moresophisticated, they must be
technologically innovated tohave even greater capacity, speed,
miniaturization, reliability, andpower efficiency.
That is why the U.S.-Japan
University
Partnershipfor

TERAMOTO Akinobu, Director and Professorof the Research Institute for Nanodevices at
Hiroshima University, conducts research on
structural design, manufacturing processes, andevaluation techniques for semiconductor devices.
After working for Mitsubishi Electric
Corporation as an engineer for a decade, he was aprofessor at the New Industry Creation Hatchery
Center at Tohoku University before assuming his
current position.

Workforce Advancement andResearch & Development in
Semiconductors (UPWARDS)
for the Future was establishedin May 2023. With morethan 60 million dollars incontributions expected over the
next five years from a variety ofsources including semiconductor
companies, the partnership will
deepen ties between industry
and higher education acrossJapan and the U.S. Aimed at
cultivating a more robust andhighly skilled workforce throughthe development of leading
semiconductor curricula andthe creation of opportunities forcross-collaboration, the partnershipwill drive emerging research.
Japan’s Hiroshima University
is one of 11 institutes ofhigher education involved in
UPWARDS for the Future. Witha campus in Hiroshima Prefecture,
the site of this year’s G7 summit,
it has one of the longest histories
of semiconductor research inJapan. TERAMOTO Akinobu,
Director of the Research Institutefor Nanodevices at the university,
said, “I think the partnershipholds great significance because
it allows us to build a network
as a system, rather than relying

The facade of the Hiroshima University ResearchInstitute for Nanodevices. Formerly named the
Research Center for Integrated Systems, it wasestablished in 1986.

solely on individual researchers’
personal connections. Throughexchanges
withvarious
universities and companies, wehope to nurture a workforce witha high level of expertise as wellas broad perspectives that allow
them to see the big picture in thesemiconductor industry.”
AOTO Nahomi, who used
to work for Hiroshima-based
Micron Memory Japan, K.K., asubsidiary of U.S. semiconductor
manufacturer Micron Technology,
Inc., is a specially appointed
professor at the university. She
said enthusiastically, “Without
semiconductors, we cannot build
our world’s future. No otherindustry is growing like this one.
There is a common misconception
that
Japan’s
semiconductor
industry has declined, but infact, sales of the product haveheld steady, and Japan still boasts
advanced technological capabilities
pertaining to semiconductor
memory. We want to inform more
people about the opportunities
presented by semiconductors andattract more talent to support theindustry. That is our primary goalwith UPWARDS for the Future.”
Providing opportunities forfemale students, staff andleaders, in particular, is anotherimportant objective of thepartnership. Hiroshima University
has already been offeringscholarships and other support
to women, but the partnershipwill further expand upon
that. The purpose of focusing
on support for women is not
simply to recruit more excellent
talent. Aoto said, “I feel that

AOTO Nahomi is a professor (special
designation) at the Research Institute for
Nanodevices at Hiroshima University. In the four
decades since she was hired by NEC Corporationin 1983, she has been engaged in semiconductorprocess research and development. During thattime, the company was reorganized into Elpida
Memory, Inc., and later became Micron Memory
Japan, K.K. In 2023, she was appointed to her
position at Hiroshima University.

semiconductor manufacturing is
an industry in which employees
are fairly evaluated and enjoy
equal opportunities regardlessof their gender. I want to tellas many people as possible that
this is a place where women candemonstrate their abilities andflourish.” She added, “From my
own experience at Micron, where
people from diverse backgrounds
work, I am absolutely certainthat both technology and society
benefit when people fromdifferent backgrounds share theirideas and opinions.”
Semiconductors are bound to
become increasingly importantfor society’s development andeconomic security. To createa more prosperous and stableworld, universities and companies
in both Japan and the U.S. will
work closely together under
UPWARDS for the Future totrain a diverse semiconductor
workforce and strengthen theindustry’s technology base.

19

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Railway
Corridor, which is currently under construction.
Once its operation begins, the line is expected tohave wide-ranging impacts, from improved
convenience to a reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions and revitalization of the surrounding area.
NHSRCLTHE MUMBAI - THE FIRST STEPAHMEDABAD TOWARD
A SAFE,
BULLET TRAIN: SUSTAINABLE
SOCIETY
Under the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Railway
Corridor project is moving forward in India. Adopting Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train technology, the project aims tobe as successful a model as the Delhi Metro, which brought multiple changes to society and industry.
Japan’s railways are renowned
for their high level of safety andprecise technological capabilities,
as well as their punctual
operations. A prominent example
is the Shinkansen bullet train.
Countries around the world have
likewise introduced high-speed
rail systems in recent years, aiming
to upgrade the convenience of
their transportation networks.
One of them, India, is adopting
Japan’s bullet train system forthe first time for its MumbaiAhmedabad High Speed Railway
Corridor (MAHSR), a 508-km-

20

long, high-speed rail line that willlink the western metropolises of
Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
Using rolling stock based on
the Shinkansen’s E5 series, whichboasts speeds of up to 320 km/h,
the new train will sharply reduce
travel time between the two cities,
from the current six hours to just
two hours. Air travel, which is
now the preferred method forcompleting the route, is projected
to see more than 60% of its
customers shift to the new bullet
train, with the flexibility to get on
and off en route and easy access toother transportation.
MAHSR is one of the projects
promoted under the Partnershipfor Global Infrastructure andInvestment (PGII), a shared
G7 commitment launched in
2022 to advance public andprivate investments in sustainable,
inclusive, resilient and quality
infrastructure. Through partnershipwith governments, the private
sector, and financial institutions,
the G7 aims to mobilize up to
600 billion dollars by 2027, inorder to narrow the infrastructure
investment gap in partner

countries. Japan is also delivering
infrastructure investment aroundthe world to mobilize more than
65 billion dollars in infrastructureassistance and private capital overthe same period.
The process of building ahuge piece of infrastructure ina country that differs in culture
and mindsets is a herculeantask. However, Japan’s forte in
the MAHSR project is its richexperience promoting subway
construction projects acrossIndia for more than two decades.
Notably, the track recordand expertise gained throughconstruction of the Delhi Metro,
Japan’s first project in India, forma strong foundation.
A good example is safety
awareness at construction sites,
which was low in India at
the time. Japanese construction
contractors, consultants, and Japan
International Cooperation Agency( JICA) staff worked together

Left: ABE Reiko, Corporate Officer of Oriental Consultants Global and Chairperson of Oriental
Consultants India, worked in tunnel construction in places such as Norway and Taiwan. Since 2007, she has
worked as a consultant on subway construction projects in New Delhi, the capital of India, among other cities.
Right: Abe (left) making the rounds of the Delhi Metro with a local staff member at the time of its
construction. The project focused on local human resource development in anticipation of post-opening
operation. “Our mission is to see the local staff become self-sufficient. Our work will only be done when
they tell us they no longer need a consultant,” said Abe. ORIENTAL CONSULTANTS GLOBAL

to distribute helmets and otherpersonal protective equipment(PPE) to around 40,000 Delhi
Metro construction workers, butthese went unworn at first. To
combat this, with the cooperationof the Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation, a special regulation
was enacted to prevent entry toconstruction sites without PPE.
That resulted in a big, positive
impact, and also led to thepractice being adopted by othersubway projects. “It is crucial totake measures that consider acountry’s unique environmentand culture,” said ABE Reiko,Corporate Officer of Oriental
Consultants Global Co., Ltd.,
who was involved in the Delhi
Metro project and whose
company is also one of the firms
consulting on the MAHSR.
Over 20 years since launchingin 2002, the Delhi Metro is now
one of the largest subway systems
in the world, with a daily averageof more than 5 million passengers.
And, with some of the local staff

who were involved in its launch
now transferring their knowhow
to other subway projects, themetro has led to a boost in theoverall level of civil engineeringin the country. For the MAHSR
project, domestic firms mainly
handle the phase of civil
construction work, rather thanrelying on foreign companies.
“One day,” recounted Abe,“when I was traveling in an auto
rickshaw, we got stuck in traffic
due to subway construction. The
driver then told me with pride,‘Madam, this is our Metro! Great,
isn’t it?’ I have never been so happy.
His words inspire and motivate
me even now.” Just like the Delhi
Metro, the MAHSR bullet train
project has the potential to bringgreat change and growth to thecountry as a whole. “Eventually,
our aspiration is to spur thedevelopment of a domestically
self-supporting system. We will
try our best so that one day, Indianpeople will say, ‘Madam, this is
our bullet train!’”

Due to serious security problems within India’s public transportation system, baggage
screening similar to that at an airport is conducted at the entrance to each station of
the Delhi Metro (top), and security guards are positioned on the platforms. What ismore, the introduction of women-only carriages (bottom) has led to an increase in
the number of women working at companies located near to subway stations, having
a significant impact on the overall employment rate. GETTY IMAGES

21

The Bortnychi Sewage Treatment Plant(bottom), which Nippon Koei had
been helping to modernize (the work
has been suspended due to the conflict),
and the signing of the contract with theprivatejoint
stock
company
Kyivvodokanal to renovate the facility(left). MIURA Yoshitomo, General
Manager of the Ukraine Recovery
Office and in charge of this project, issecond from the right in the left photo.
NIPPON KOEI CO., LTD.

LEVERAGING JAPAN’S DISASTER EXPERIENCE FORUKRAINE’S
RECONSTRUCTION

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine wages on. One company technologically capable of assisting Ukraine in therebuilding of its infrastructure is Nippon Koei Co., Ltd., a comprehensive engineering consultancy firm from Japan.
People from the firm spoke about its involvement in Ukraine and the country’s reconstruction.
Ukraine is suffering badly as
Russia persists with its aggression.
Reaffirming Japan’s support for
Ukraine, Prime Minister Kishidastated that Japan will help Ukraine
rebuild through public-private
partnership. By utilizing its expertisein earthquake reconstruction andits extensive industrial andtechnological base, Japan intends
to assist with the clearing ofland mines and the rebuildingof Ukraine’s infrastructure.
One Japanese company witha long history of cooperating
on engineering projects in
the infrastructure field isthe comprehensive engineering

22

consultancy firm Nippon Koei
Co., Ltd., which has expanded
its business overseas to assist
developing nations and wartorn countries. Through official
development assistance (ODA)
andprivate-sector
projects,
Nippon Koei has been involved ininfrastructure development projects
in 160 countries and regions.
Even before Russia’s aggression
against Ukraine began, Nippon
Koei was working with the country
on various aid projects, which
included modernizing airports
and building bridges. The mostrecent of those projects were theBortnychi Sewage Treatment Plant

modernization project in Kyiv andthe Capacity Development for
Municipal Waste Management
project in the three cities ofKyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro, bothcommissioned by the Japan
International Cooperation Agency(JICA). Though the sewage plant
project had to be temporarily halted
due to Russia’s aggression, the waste
management project continued
until the end of the last fiscal yearwith a new objective of disposingof the debris called “destructionwaste” in Ukraine that has resulted
from the conflict. The proficiency
Nippon Koei gained from its
experience in dealing with therecovery from the Great HanshinAwaji Earthquake in 1995 andthe Great East Japan Earthquake
in 2011 can also be applied tothe disposal of the large volume
of waste resulting from Russia’s
aggression. A series of online
seminars was held in both 2022 and2023 in collaboration with Japan’s
Ministry of the Environment,
local government agencies, andprivate organizations that haveknowledge of Japan’s disaster waste
management to share information
with people in Ukraine on how
to separate and recycle concrete,
reinforcing bars, and other material
from waste, as well as ways to makethe process of waste treatment more
efficient by estimating the amountof said waste.
Since Russia began its aggression
against Ukraine, Nippon Koei
has participated in several
reconstruction projects in the wartorn country under contract eitherwith JICA or the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry. The
company established its Ukraine
Recovery Office in April this year
and opened a new representative

office in Warsaw, the capital of
Poland, to be better placed topromote future projects andsupport ongoing projects.
General Manager of the
UkraineRecovery
OfficeMIURA Yoshitomo said, “Thewar and the aging of equipment
have necessitated a review of
Ukraine’s entire infrastructure.
In creating a master plan forthe country’s reconstruction,
we have received many requests
from local people wanting tobenefit from Japan’s experienceand knowledge. In addition, thenumber of engineers in Ukraine
has declined as they have either
been killed in the conflict or havefled the country. That is why weplan to help train new engineers.”
General Manager of the Warsaw
Office, NAKAMURA Masahiro,
added, “We want to contributeto the country’s recovery andreconstruction by leveraging
our strengths in a wide range ofbusiness
fieldsandourfar-reaching network.”
But Nippon Koei’s goal is notjust reconstruction of war zones.

JICA invited Ukrainian officials to Japan in
May 2023 to learn about the appropriate
treatment and recycling of debris resulting fromthe conflict and visit a waste incineration plant.
Left: DAIEI KANKYO CO., LTD. / Bottom: NIPPON KOEI CO., LTD.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
during the G7 Hiroshima Summit in May
2023. In addition to attending a summit
meeting with Prime Minister Kishida, he laid afloral tribute at the Cenotaph for the Atomic
Bomb Victims and offered a moment ofsilence. Zelenskyy said that he dreams of
rebuilding all of Ukraine’s cities just as
Hiroshima was rebuilt.

“We will continue to support
Ukraine so that it can develop its
legal system and strengthen its
national resilience towards its goalof joining the EU,” declares Senior
Specialist SOEDA Shungo, whooversees the waste management
project. He goes on to say, “Thepeople of Ukraine are truly kindand polite. Even in the early daysof the aggression, they expressed
their concern for the disasters
Japan has suffered. I would love tocollaborate with them to rebuild
their country.”
Going forward, Japan will
work to further involve theprivate sector. As the Minister for
Foreign Affairs of Japan, HAYASHI
Yoshimasa, said on June 21, 2023 at
the Ukraine Recovery Conference,co-hosted by the governments of
the United Kingdom and Ukraine,“Japan intends to make use of
its experience and knowledge it
has accumulated in the field ofrecovery and reconstruction, andto vigorously implement a uniquely
Japanese form of reconstruction
assistance in close contact with the
Ukrainian people.” 23This year’s G7 Summit was held in Hiroshima,
where the world’s first nuclear weapon was used. The
leaders visited the Peace Memorial Museum and left
their names and messages in the visitors’ book, thenvisited Peace Memorial Park to lay wreaths at the
Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims.

JAPAN’S LONGEFFORTS TO REALIZE
A WORLD WITHOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONSAs the only country to have suffered from atomic bombings during war, Japan has played a leading role in theinternational community’s efforts towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. At this time, when
the world security environment is unstable, Japan has the responsibility to lead the international efforts fornuclear disarmament and continue to take concrete measures to realize a world without nuclear weapons.
For 78 years since the first nuclear weapon was used, theworld has sustained the record of the non-use of nuclear
weapons. Now, however, that history is more precarious
than ever. Surrounded by China, a nuclear-weapon State,
North Korea, persisting in its nuclear development, andRussia, threatening to use nuclear weapons in the invasionof Ukraine, East Asia’s security environment is becoming
particularly severe.
As the only country to have ever suffered atomic
bombing during wartime, Japan has actively beenleading international efforts for nuclear disarmamentand non-proliferation. It has leveraged both multilateralframeworks and bilateral diplomatic opportunities basedon the two-pronged recognition of the need for national
security and the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons.
In August last year, Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio
became the first prime minister to attend the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)24

Review Conference held in New York. The NPT is aninternational framework on nuclear non-proliferation
with 191 countries and territories including both nuclearand non-nuclear-weapon States. In his general debate
speech, Prime Minister Kishida said that, as the guardianof the NPT, Japan would firmly defend it and that hewould work on the “Hiroshima Action Plan” as the firststep of a realistic road map to link the “reality” of a harsh
security environment to the ideal of a world without
nuclear weapons. As part of the plan, he also pointed outthat Japan would promote the sharing of the accurate
understanding of the realities of nuclear weapon use in theworld by encouraging visits to the atomic-bombed cities,
namely Hiroshima and Nagasaki, by leaders and othersfrom various countries.
True to his words, in May, the prime minister hosted theG7 Summit in Hiroshima, where the world’s first atomic
bomb was dropped. The leaders of the G7 and invited

Right: Prime Minister Kishida delivered a speech at the Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Ceremony on August 6, stating that “The starting point for making
firm progress towards the realization of a ‘world without nuclear weapons’ isaccurately understanding the tragic realities of the atomic bombings.”

POLICY & DIPLOMACY

Top: The First Preparatory Committee for the 2026 NPT Review Conference opened in July 2023 in Vienna. “There has
not been a time since the depths of the Cold War that the risk of a nuclear weapon being used has been so high…The NPT
has earned its status as the so-called ‘cornerstone of the disarmament and non-proliferation regime’ because it is key tomaintaining the hard-won norms against nuclear weapons,” said NAKAMITSU Izumi, UN Under-Secretary-General andHigh Representative for Disarmament Affairs. JIJI
Left: Professor AKIYAMA Nobumasa also attended the First Preparatory Committee for the 2026 NPT Review
Conference held in Vienna. “It is imperative to reduce the risk of using nuclear weapons and to build mutual trust between
nations. In the coming years, when emerging technologies such as AI in nuclear deterrence and arms control will become
major issues, Japan should be firmly involved in the rulemaking exercises in those fields,” he said. THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS

countries and heads of international organizations visitedthe Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which shows
the devastation caused by the bombing, and listened to
the voice of an atomic bombing survivor. The G7 leaders
issued the “G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear
Disarmament,” the first-ever G7 Leaders’ document witha particular focus on nuclear disarmament.
“The fact that the Japanese government hosted theG7 meeting in Hiroshima and put forward a vision for
nuclear disarmament even amidst a difficult strategic
environment, demonstrates to the world Japan’s consistentcommitment through actions, not just words,” said
Professor AKIYAMA Nobumasa, Dean of Hitotsubashi
University’s School of International and Public
Policy. “Never before have so many heads of state andgovernment, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of
Ukraine, and leaders of invited countries, come together
to be exposed to the realities of the atomic bombings. By
visiting Hiroshima and learning the (catastrophic andinhumane) impact, they reaffirmed the norm of standing
against the use of nuclear weapons. Japan’s role as a bridge
between nuclear- and non-nuclear-weapon States, andthe continuation of the history of non-use, will serve as
an important foundation for rendering nuclear weapons
unnecessary.”
Another effort by Japan was the International Group of
Eminent Persons for a World Without Nuclear Weapons(IGEP) launched in 2022 under the initiative of Prime
Minister Kishida. The purpose of the IGEP is to serveas an opportunity for 15 experts from nuclear- and non-nuclear-weapon States to engage in candid discussions
beyond their respective national positions.
Following the second meeting of the IGEP in April thisyear, with the sense of urgency that the current crisis mustbe turned into an opportunity to strengthen the nuclear
non-proliferation regime, particularly by maintaining
and strengthening the NPT, the IGEP issued a message
to the Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT.
Professor Akiyama is also a member of the IGEP and
said, “The challenges for the future involve how to createa mechanism to reduce nuclear risks, including avoidanceof inadvertent escalation and how to improve the NPT
Review Process to enable substantive discussions on issues
related to nuclear disarmament, such as transparency.”
The widening division within the international
community over approaches to nuclear disarmament,
Russia’s nuclear threat, and other concerns now makethe road to a world without nuclear weapons all themore difficult. In his address at the 78th Hiroshima
Peace Memorial Ceremony, Prime Minister Kishidaemphasized, “it is precisely because of these circumstancesthat it is imperative for us to reinvigorate international
momentum once more towards the realization of a world
without nuclear weapons.”
Japan will continue to lead candid dialogue between
nuclear- and non-nuclear-weapon States at various fora,
including those of the United Nations (UN) and the
NPT, and will continue its tireless efforts towards nuclear
disarmament in cooperation with the international
community.

25

PORTRAITS OF JAPANSENSING
JAPANESE AUTUMNAMID THE COLORED LEAVESWith its plethora of red, yellow, and orange trees, Japan becomes vibrantly dyed in the autumn. To feel the glow of colors
that seem to warm the chilly air, visit Japan in this beautiful season.

AUTUMN IN
THE WATERMIRROR
Chuson-ji temple in Hiraizumi
Town, Iwate Prefecture, was inscribedin 2011 on the UNESCO World
Heritage List. After the temple wasfounded in the mid-9th century,
large-scale construction was carriedout with a prayer for a peaceful world
free of strife. Although the gorgeously
decorated golden hall is particularly
famous, the small structure situatedin the middle of the pond stands out
in the fall as a treat for the eyes. Its
silhouette framed by the red maples
reflected on the mirror-like water
surface can only be viewed at thistime of year. AFLO
26

Hiraizumi,
Iwate

Shirakawa,
Gifu

SHIKOKU
Ehime, Kagawa,
Kochi, Tokushima

ON THEPILGRIMAGE
ROUTE
Shikoku Island contains a pilgrimage route of about 1,400 km that follows the footsteps of a Buddhist
monk active some 12 centuries ago, linking 88 temples where he practiced spiritual austerities. Today,
many international visitors can be seen among the pilgrims wearing white garments and conical hats asthey make the tour. The act of setting off on a journey of self-encounter, rambling through four prefectureson the island rich in regional distinctiveness and blessed with autumn colors, is instinctively appealing. AFLOQUINTESSENTIAL
JAPANESELANDSCAPE
The beauty of autumn foliage inJapan is attributed to the country’s
wealth of deciduous broad-leaf tree
species. Seasonal color changes in
the mountains and trees render
the Japanese landscape predictably
fascinating. A small hamlet in
Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture,
is famous for its rows of thatchroofed houses, most of whose
residents still conduct their daily
lives there. This is Shirakawa-go,
another World Heritage Site.
When planning a visit to thevalley—a veritable living landscapeshowing Japan as it used to be—
make sure to go there in the radiantfall season. AFLO
27

Autumn 2023

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Edited by

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