Japan
News
17 Mar 2025
Osaka Metropolitan University
Using AI image recognition, deep learning model efficiently and accurately finds structures related to star formation
17 Mar 2025
Osaka Metropolitan University
A self-assessment questionnaire has been developed to evaluate on-the-job training progress
14 Mar 2025
The University of Osaka
What’s Your Body Really Worth? New AI Model Reveals Your True Biological Age from 5 Drops of Blood
12 Mar 2025
The University of Osaka
Scientists have achieved the first real-time visualization of how “excited-state aromaticity” emerges within just hundreds of femtoseconds and then triggers a molecule to change from bent to planar structure in a few picoseconds. By combining ultrafast electronic and vibrational spectroscopies, the team captured these fleeting structural changes at the molecular level and showed that aromaticity appears before—and then drives—the structural planarization. Their findings lay the groundwork for designing more efficient photoactive materials, such as sensors and light-driven molecular switches, by leveraging the power of aromaticity in excited states.

12 Mar 2025
Kanazawa University
Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, observe the configuration of different dipeptides on graphite electrodes and the subsequent arrangement of catalytic hemin on them to get an idea of the factors affecting its catalytic activity.
12 Mar 2025
Osaka Metropolitan University
Analysis of historical evolution of bureaucracy suggests that quality nation-building holds more importance
11 Mar 2025
Osaka Metropolitan University
Scientists develop simplified formulas to quantify quantum entanglement in strongly correlated electron systems
11 Mar 2025
Tohoku University
By incorporating gadolinium into a catalyst, its efficiency in a reaction that produces hydrogen fuel increases. This could be the boost we need to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
10 Mar 2025
The University of Osaka
Researchers from Osaka University found that plasma cells expressing high levels of the protein integrin β7 and the transcription factor KLF2 tend to leave immune tissues and migrate to the bone marrow. There, they become long-lived plasma cells that help create durable antibody responses, which are key to vaccine effectiveness.
10 Mar 2025
Tohoku University
To be able to make the switch to environmentally friendly hydrogen fuels, there needs to be a catalyst…or a precatalyst, to be specific!
10 Mar 2025
The University of Osaka
Researchers from Osaka University analyzed the clinical dental records of a large group of patients with hypophosphatasia (a skeletal disease) to identify its common oral symptoms. Their findings, including early tooth loss, poor oral habits, and disordered swallowing, may help early diagnosis of hypophosphatasia, thereby improving patient treatment and quality of life.
07 Mar 2025
Tohoku University
Soaking up pollutants like a sponge, porous organic polymers (POPs) may be the key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to researchers at Tohoku University.
07 Mar 2025
Osaka Metropolitan University
Hyperspectral imaging and AI can identify individuals using blood vessels in palms
06 Mar 2025
YOKOHAMA National University
Scientists have found a way to control electrons in molecules using tailor-made terahertz light pulses, offering new possibilities for advanced technologies.
06 Mar 2025
YOKOHAMA National University
Until now, when looking for a robot, the choice was between one that was autonomous and cordless, one that enabled high-precision manipulation, and one that could be used in extreme real-world environments. The HB-3 robot is the first that ticks all boxes.
06 Mar 2025
Osaka Metropolitan University
Life-course perspective of households with children
05 Mar 2025
Tohoku University
Researchers at Tohoku University have found one more reason to quit smoking: the inhalation of first-hand and/or second-hand smoke may lead to placental abruption in pregnant mothers.
05 Mar 2025
The University of Osaka
Researchers at Osaka University show that Cartan's First Structure Equation, which relates to edge and screw dislocations in crystal lattices, can be recast in the same form as a basic mathematical formula that governs the behavior of electric currents and magnetic fields. This work can help make new concepts more understandable by employing more familiar frameworks.
04 Mar 2025
Osaka Metropolitan University
Cryo-electron microscopy reveals molecular structure of twin motors that power mycoplasma’s ability to glide
04 Mar 2025
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (UTokyo-IIS)
Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have found a surprisingly simple way of understanding social-distancing behavior during an epidemic.
03 Mar 2025
The University of Osaka
Researchers from Osaka University found that TEX38 and ZDHHC19 co-localize on the plasma membrane of spermatids and mediate S-palmitoylation of ARRDC5, a crucial protein for spermatogenesis. Disrupting either TEX38 or ZDHHC19 inhibited cytoplasm removal from the sperm head, resulting in deformed sperm and infertility in a male mouse model.
03 Mar 2025
Ehime University
Comprehensive screening analysis of organohalogen compounds in blubber samples of 11 toothed whale species stranded on Japanese coasts revealed species-specific accumulation profiles, with a total of over 300 organohalogen compounds detected. For the first time, the composition profiles of marine natural products were found to be useful indicators of the feeding habitats and migration history of individual whale species.
03 Mar 2025
Tohoku University
Glaucoma is called the “silent thief of sight” as many don’t notice until significant, irreversible vision loss has already occurred. A revolutionary early screening tool using AI may stop this thief dead in its tracks.
03 Mar 2025
YOKOHAMA National University
YOKOHAMA National University signed a joint research agreement with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Quantinuum K.K., Keio University, SoftBank Corp., Mitsui & Co., Ltd., and LQUOM, Inc. Their collaboration aims to enable deployable and scalable quantum information processing by achieving and demonstrating the connection of multiple quantum devices in a practical environment.
28 Feb 2025
Tohoku University
Researchers used motion capture technology to create a database of body language – ranging from happiness to contempt – targeted towards an Asian population for the first time.
28 Feb 2025
Osaka Metropolitan University
Popular milk and dairy products in Egypt show over 25% prevalence of E. coli
27 Feb 2025
The University of Osaka
A multi-institutional research team led by Osaka University clarified the energy levels of color centers at the SiO2/SiC interface, paving the way toward the development of scalable quantum technologies that use them as single-photon emitters.
27 Feb 2025
Tohoku University
A twist you’ll never see coming: a breakthrough in understanding the relationship between chirality and electric flow at a microscopic level may help us develop chiral information technology.
27 Feb 2025
Tohoku University
Strong, lightweight, superelastic, and able to function across a range of temperatures, this newly developed alloy could be a game-changer for space exploration and medical technology.
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Giants in history
Japanese biochemist Akira Endo (1933 – 2024) discovered the first statin, called mevastatin, which lowered cholesterol levels in the blood by inhibiting a key enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. His work laid the foundation for the development of statins to help patients lower their blood cholesterol levels and reduce their risk of heart disease or stroke.
Ruby Sakae Hirose (1904 – 1960) was a Japanese-American scientist whose research contributed significantly to our understanding of blood clotting, allergies and cancer.
Haisako Koyama (1916 – 1997) was a Japanese solar observer whose dedication to recording sunspots – cooler parts of the sun’s surface that appear dark – produced a sunspot record of historic importance.
Michiaki Takahashi (17 February 1928 – 16 December 2013) was a Japanese virologist who developed the first chickenpox vaccine.
Toshiko Yuasa (11 December 1909 – 1 February 1980) was the first Japanese female physicist whose research on radioactivity shed light on beta decay – the process in which an atom emits a beta particle (electron) and turns into a different element.
Baron Kitasato Shibasaburo (29 January 1856 – 13 June 1931) was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist whose work led to a new understanding of preventing and treating tetanus, diphtheria and anthrax.
By isolating soil microorganisms and studying the compounds they produce, Satoshi Omura (born 1935) discovered almost 500 organic compounds with unique properties that were produced by these microorganisms, including many new antibiotics.
Husband and wife team, Kimishige (3 December 1925 – 6 July 2018) and Teruko Ishizaka (28 September 1926 – 4 June 2019) discovered the antibody class Immunoglobulin E (IgE) that triggers allergic reactions. They also discovered that IgE antibodies attach to white blood cells, known as mast cells, releasing histamine, which causes allergic reactions.
Husband and wife team, Kimishige (3 December 1925 – 6 July 2018) and Teruko Ishizaka (28 September 1926 – 4 June 2019) discovered the antibody class Immunoglobulin E (IgE) that triggers allergic reactions. They also discovered that IgE antibodies attach to white blood cells, known as mast cells, releasing histamine, which causes allergic reactions.
Reiji Okazaki (8 October 1930 – 1 August 1975) and Tsuneko (7 June 1933) were a Japanese couple who discovered Okazaki fragments – short sequences of DNA that are synthesized during DNA replication and linked together to form a continuous strand.
In 1915, Koichi Ichikawa along with pathologist Katsusaburo Yamagiwa became the first to prove that chronic exposure to chemicals can cause cancer.
In 1915, pathologist Katsusaburo Yamagiwa and his research assistant Koichi Ichikawa became the first to prove that chronic exposure to chemicals can cause cancer.
Ogino Ginko (3 March 1851 – 23 June 1913) was the first registered female doctor to practise modern medicine in Japan.
Michiyo Tsujimura (17 September 1888 – 1 June 1969) was a Japanese agricultural scientist and biochemist recognized for her research of green tea components.
Hitoshi Kihara (1893 – 1986) was one of the most famous Japanese geneticists of the 20th century. One of his most significant contributions was identifying sex chromosomes (X and Y) in flowering plants.
Kono Yasui (16 February 1880 – 24 March 1971) was a Japanese botanist who researched the genetics of poppies, corn and spiderworts and surveyed the plants that had been affected by the nuclear fallout after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Umetaro Suzuki (7 April 1874 – 20 September 1943) was a Japanese scientist best remembered for his research on beriberi, a disease caused by vitamin B1 deficiency, characterized by limb stiffness, paralysis and pain.
Kikunae Ikeda (8 October 1864 – 3 May 1936) was a Japanese chemist who discovered the fifth basic taste, umami.
Osamu Shimomura (27 August 1928 – 19 October 2018) was a Japanese organic chemist and marine biologist who dedicated his career to understanding how organisms emitted light.
Motoo Kimura (13 November 1924 – 13 November 1994) was a Japanese theoretical population geneticist who is best remembered for developing the neutral theory of molecular evolution.
Chika Kuroda (24 March 1884 – 8 November 1968) was a Japanese chemist whose research focussed on the structures of natural pigments.
The field of solid-state ionics originated in Europe, but Takehiko Takahashi of Nagoya University in Japan was the first to coin the term ‘solid ionics’ in 1967. ‘Solid-state ionics’ first appeared in 1971 in another of his papers, and was likely a play on ‘solid-state electronics’, another rapidly growing field at the time.
The techniques that make industrial pearl culturing possible were developed over a century ago at the Misaki Marine Biological Station in Japan. The station’s first director, Professor Kakichi Mitsukuri, emphasized to Kokichi Mikimoto in 1890 that stimulating pearl sac formation was important for pearl growth, and they went on to successfully develop methods for culturing pearls.
Japanese physicist Ukichiro Nakaya (1900-1962) made the world’s first artificial snowflakes. He started his research on snow crystals in the early 1930s at Hokkaido University, where there is an unlimited supply of natural snow in winter. By taking over 3,000 photographs, he established a classification of natural snow crystals and described their relationship with weather conditions.
Minoru Shirota (April 23, 1899 – March 10, 1982) was a Japanese microbiologist who invented the popular fermented drink Yakult.
Japanese chemist Kenichi Fukui (4 October 1918 – 9 January 1998) was the first Asian scientist to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Together with Roald Hoffman, he received this honour in 1981 for his independent research into the mechanisms of chemical reactions.
Shinichiro Tomonaga (31 March 1906 – 8 July 1979), together with Richard Feynman and Julian Schwinger, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965, for their contributions to advance the field of quantum electrodynamics. Tomonaga was also a strong proponent of peace, who actively campaigned against the proliferation of nuclear weapons and promoted the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Hideki Yukawa (23 January 1907 – 8 September 1981) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1949 for predicting the existence of the pi meson subatomic particle. Japan’s first Nobel laureate, Yakawa also expressed his support for nuclear disarmament by signing the Russell–Einstein Manifesto in 1955.
Japanese chemist Takamine Jokichi (3 November 1854 – 22 July 1922) founded the Tokyo Artificial Fertilizer Company, where he isolated a starch-digesting enzyme (named takadiastase) from the fungus Aspergillus oryzae.
Tsuneko (7 June 1933) and Reiji Okazaki (8 October 1930 – 1 August 1975) were a Japanese couple who discovered Okazaki fragments – short sequences of DNA that are synthesized during DNA replication and linked together to form a continuous strand.
A Japanese surgeon, Tetsuzo Akutsu (20 August 1922 – 9 August 2007) built the first artificial heart capable of keeping an animal alive.
Japanese geochemist Katsuko Saruhashi developed the first method and tools for measuring carbon dioxide in seawater



























































