Japan

News

Research team explores virtual romantic relationships
30 Oct 2022
New research identifies a unique way that people find connection in the modern world and provides novel insight into the fields of anthropomorphism, virtual interactions, and relationship science.
28 Oct 2022
Osaka Metropolitan University scientists conducted a 7-year study on seedling recruitment and mortality in a national park in Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand. During the study period, an extremely strong El Niño event occurred, leading to a stronger and longer drought than normal. Seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs), which experience an annual dry season, are considered drought-tolerant. Nevertheless, the study found that seedling mortality increased in SDTFs when severe and prolonged drought occurred. The mortality rate was greater in evergreen forests at higher elevations that usually experience less severe drought than in deciduous forests at lower elevations where severe drought is more common. The study results advance the understanding of the effects of El Niño on seedling dynamics in SDTFs.
27 Oct 2022
Giants in History: 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.
26 Oct 2022
Researchers from Osaka University have demonstrated a proof-of-concept for a novel molecular hydrogen production method that bypasses the need for expensive purification steps. They developed a system where hydrogen is separated and stored in liquid organic hydrogen carriers by catalysis of triaryl boranes in one seamless process. The results of this work will help facilitate the transition to a hydrogen-based economy that is necessary for a more sustainable future.
26 Oct 2022
Plastic sheets coated with an Eu3+ film that converts UV light to red light were able to accelerate growth of vegetal plants and trees.
fluorescence microscope developed for on-site asbestos detection
26 Oct 2022
Asbestos is a toxic substance that is found in older buildings, as well as in cosmetics and products for children. As testing for its presence can be problematic, Hiroshima University Professor Akio Kuroda has been working on a novel solution.
25 Oct 2022
Researchers from The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN) at Osaka University and collaborating partners prepared hierarchical hydrogels and moldings that consisted of anisotropic, ecofriendly cellulose nanofibers. By simply tailoring the applied voltage during fabrication, complex architectures—such as microneedles and multilayer hydrogels—were easy to prepare. The results of this work will reduce the need for petroleum-based plastics, and in so doing minimize a long-standing source of environmentally persistent waste.
25 Oct 2022
Making complex polymers with precisely controlled structures becomes much simpler thanks to a new ‘one-pot-and-one-step’ synthesis procedure.
24 Oct 2022
Investigations in Japan have uncovered some molecular mechanisms behind mitochondrial dysfunction in chronic heart failure.
20 Oct 2022
Osaka University researchers showed that the predictions of Einstein’s theory of special relativity in electromagnetism could be detected in the contraction of the electric field created by ultrafast electrons. By achieving femtosecond resolution, they were able to visualize the contracted electric field for the first time. This work can be applicable to particle accelerators and high-energy physics.
20 Oct 2022
An Osaka Metropolitan University researcher has provided a review article regarding INSL3, a circulating hormone secreted from the gonads, in domestic animals, in comparison to rodents and humans. In this review article, the author describes his research group’s work that (1) developed immunoassays, for the first time, that can measure circulating INSL3 in multiple domestic mammals, including cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, horses, and dogs, (2) provided evidence in studies with bulls and bucks that INSL3 offers more reliable and stable values by a single blood collection than testosterone, a conventional and well-known testicular hormone, and (3) suggested that blood INSL3 concentrations would be a good biomarker for testicular and reproductive functions in normal and abnormal male domestic animals. These findings suggest that the INSL3 assay might simplify the evaluation of reproductive functions in various male domestic animals. In particular, the assay method may facilitate earlier selection of valuable male animals such as beef sire bulls (Image) with higher reproductive performance, contributing to reductions in the labor and costs required for sire production.
Dietary considerations for nutritionists supporting para-athletes
20 Oct 2022
Osaka Metropolitan University researchers interviewed active para-athletes with lower-limb disabilities who compete at an international level, about diet and nutrition. The research team found that what para-athletes considered an ideal diet was not necessarily optimized for improving athletic performance, and even when para-athletes understood diets geared towards athletic performance, characteristics of their disabilities impose barriers to implementing dietary changes. Understanding these concerns and struggles is important for nutritionists who support para-athletes in sports nutrition.
Frazil ice formed below the ocean surface drives the generation of cold dense water
19 Oct 2022
Scientists have uncovered new details of how ice forming below the ocean surface in Antarctica provides cold dense water that sinks to the seabed in an important aspect of global water circulation.
Human mobility and COVID-19 in suburban cities
19 Oct 2022
Osaka Metropolitan University researchers conducted a study of human mobility to find effective lifestyle changes that enable people to exist with the novel coronavirus COVID-19, while maintaining social and economic activities. They found that restricting the human mobility in specific areas according to the state of the pandemic, rather than uniformly controlling human mobility, could be effective in reducing the number of new COVID-19 infections.
19 Oct 2022
Pyroxenes are a major group of rock-forming minerals. Osaka Metropolitan University scientists investigated the iron ion status of a calcium-rich pyroxene, using Mössbauer spectroscopy on thin sections of single crystals. The study revealed that in pyroxene crystals consisting of roughly 50% calcium, the tensor that determines the ratios of iron ions at the Mössbauer spectral peaks in the M1 sites—one of two types of cation positions in the pyroxene crystal structure—is independent of the iron content but dependent on the calcium content. The research findings have clarified one of the physical properties of pyroxenes, facilitating detailed future analysis of iron using Mössbauer spectroscopy on mineral flakes.
18 Oct 2022
Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have created intermetallic alloy nanoparticles of palladium and zinc with an alternating arrangement of zinc and palladium atoms. The intermetallic alloy is more corrosion-resistant than substitutional alloys while retaining the electrocatalytic properties of both metals, which could be useful for developing new non-precious metal electrocatalysts.
Japanese Wild Boar (KENPEI, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia Commons)
18 Oct 2022
Researchers develop a ground-breaking model to estimate bait vaccination effectiveness in wild animals based on the proportion of immunized animals in a population and the number of vaccine applications.
17 Oct 2022
A long-term experiment aboard the International Space Station has tested the effect of space radiation on mouse embryonic stem cells. Their findings will contribute to helping scientists better assess the safety and risks related to space radiation for future human space flights. The findings are published in the journal Heliyon.
17 Oct 2022
Researchers from Osaka University have developed a way of printing edible QR codes—a kind of barcode—within cookies, meaning that the tag is embedded within the food itself. Crucially, the tag doesn’t change the flavor or outer appearance of the cookie, and can be read using a backlight while the cookie remains intact. This new method has great commercial potential for improving food safety and traceability in an environmentally friendly way.
17 Oct 2022
Researchers from Osaka University have developed a skin-like device to measure brain activity via electroencephalography, which uses electrodes to measure electrical activity on the scalp (reflecting underlying brain activity). The device has other useful applications, such as measuring heart rate and blood oxygen levels. Wearable devices that can remotely assess brain health in everyday settings are likely to improve healthcare for millions of people worldwide.
17 Oct 2022
Chemists in Japan, Canada and Europe have uncovered flaws in the surface structure of cellulose nanocrystals—an important step toward deconstructing cellulose to produce renewable nano-materials relevant to biochemical products, energy solutions, and biofuels.
17 Oct 2022
Researchers from Osaka University have shown that deficiency of the protein Favine can lead to accelerated development of atherosclerosis. Loss of Favine in a mouse atherosclerosis model also led to calcification and thrombus development in the blood vessels of the mice. Prior to this, no mouse models for calcification or thrombus formation existed, hindering atherosclerosis research. This work also identifies Favine and its downstream signaling pathway, known as MEF2C-KLF2, as potential therapeutic targets for atherosclerosis.
14 Oct 2022
Researchers from Osaka University have found that the Vibrio cholerae colonization factor TcpF forms a flower-shaped trimer to specifically bind to the minor pilus protein TcpB resulting in secretion by the type 4 pilus secretion system into the extracellular space. This finding could help lead to the development of a novel anti-adhesive drug that selectively interrupts the TcpF-TcpB interaction, which may replace antibiotics in the treatment of cholera.
14 Oct 2022
A new material is set to provide us with faster and higher resolution displays. Hokkaido University researchers could explain what makes this material so special, opening the door to its application and further development.
14 Oct 2022
Researchers from Osaka University have developed a computational analysis tool called CAPITAL for comparative analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data with complicated branching trajectories. As cells undergo a dynamic process, they can be placed on a “pseudotime trajectory” to analyze the gene expression changes throughout the process. While previously only straightforward linear trajectories could be compared, CAPITAL is proven to be able to accurately compare branching trajectories, significantly advancing the field of high-throughput single-cell sequencing.
14 Oct 2022
Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have created a novel thermoresponsive polymer by adding divalent cations to polymers and water solvents. They also succeeded in controlling thermoresponsive properties by changing the type and mixing ratio of ionic species. This new polymer type is expected to be applied as an analytical reagent for ion-sensing devices and as a material for drug delivery systems.
13 Oct 2022
Giants in History: 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.
12 Oct 2022
—For acceleration of social implementation of wastewater-based epidemiology—
12 Oct 2022
A study in Japan finds antibody response to the Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccine does not vary depending on the time of day when the dose was received.
12 Oct 2022
Osaka University researchers developed a power generation system based on osmotic flow of ions through a membrane riddled with tiny nanopores. By optimizing the size and distribution of the pores, the team demonstrated a way to obtain clean energy from the oceans.

Events

06 Jun 2008
Topics include Latest Trend in Standardization of IPTV, Trend in Standardization of Content Creation and Digital Rights Permission Code, International Standardization of 4th Generation Mobile Communication and Strategy in Japan and more
12 Jun 2008
A collaboration between Keio University and the Dutch Embassy in Japan, this seminar on international peace cooperation will focus on the relationship between security and development in the provision of international assistance to conflict and post-conflict areas.
20 May 2008
Postsocialist economies in Asia as well as in Europe pose many problems for economic policy makers and the international community since the fall of the Iron Curtain. This lecture will provide a broad review of the experience of dealing with postsocialist economies that has been accumulated at the Halle Institute for Economic Research.
29 May 2008
Tokyo, Japan - Special Lecture in English on US-China Relations by Professor Harry Harding, from George Washington University. This programme is sponsored by Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies and Waseda University Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies.
09 May 2008
Keio University and the British Embassy in Tokyo present KEIO 15O/ UK-JAPAN 2008 British Nobel Laureate Lecture Series
30 May 2008
KEIO University and the Embassy of Greece to Japan are organising a symposium dedicated to the most translated Greek writer of the 20th century, Νikos KAZANTZAKIS.
12 Apr 2008
Where Is Japan Headed? :Views and Expectations from Overseas
10 Mar 2008
The Tokyo University of Science will be holding the first International Collaboration Workshop in March 2008 with the University of California at Davis, University of California at Santa Cruz and Ohio State University. Another nine world leading research universities are invited. The topics of the workshop is focusing on "Materials Research" f
10 Mar 2008
Tokyo University of Science will hold the 3rd International Symposium on "Promotional Bases for Leading Architectural Fire Safety Engineering Research" at Tokyo, March 10 and 11
11 Mar 2008
The Model G8 Youth Summit 2008 will be held in Yokohama and Tokyo from 11 to 15 March, 2008. Participants will act as government representatives, secretaries, and sherpas to discuss a topic. A panel discussion will also be held in regards with environmental issues. Panelists include leading figures from various fields such as Prof. Heizo Takenaka.
26 Feb 2008
This conference will serve to launch JCOR (the Japanese Centre for Ontological Research), which has recently been funded by the Japanese Government's Ministry of Education and Science (MEXT) under the framework of the Open Research Centre on Logic and Formal Ontology.
20 Dec 2007
New Delhi, India - Author, poet, foreign policy expert, columnist, and Rhodes scholar, former Ambassador Aftab Seth will speak on "Japan Today: A Deflated Giant?'
18 Sep 2007
SOI Asia and Platform Design Laboratory,Keio Research Institute at SFC will hold an online international symposium on Entrepreneur on Tuesday, September 18th, 2007, from 16:00 to 19:00(Japan Time).
18 Sep 2007
Skill Science is a new multidisciplinary research area with approaches including artificial intelligence, cognitive science, sports science, bio-mechanism, ecological psychology and so on. In the future, it is expected to bring insight into researches on robotics, aiming to bring human-like flexible and skillful movement into realization.
03 Sep 2007
The Quantum Group of the Quantum Bio-Informatics Center’s (QBIC) Research Center will host an event entitled the “Mini-Workshop on Recent Experimental Results of Cuprates.” Researchers from differing fields (STM, ARPES, Neutron, NMR, etc.) will be invited to the mini-workshop to explore its topic over the course of two days.
07 Jun 2007
The Research Center for the Holistic Computational Science of the TUS Research Institute for Science and Technology is to hold an international symposium on the theme "Frontiers in Computational Science of Nanoscale Transport" in conjunction with the Atomistix Workshop 2007.
27 Apr 2007
London - World renowned academics from Keio University and University College London will be presenting the latest advances in neuroscience research in this afternoon symposium. Attendance is free of charge.
26 Mar 2007
Tokyo Japan - In celebration of its 150-year anniversary next year, Keio University will organize a two-day workshop for graduate students entitled "Changing Faces of Nationalism in Asia" on 26-27 March 2007.
14 Mar 2007
The International Conference in Quantum Bio-Informatics Center (QBIC) will be held at Noda Campus of Tokyo University of Science from March 14 to March 17, 2007
02 Dec 2005
Theme: Advanced technologies for building sustainable society
14 Jan 2006
This event is Free of charge and will be conducted in English
29 Jun 2005
Health social security in Japan is at a cross-road: whether to gradually reduce the coverage to a basic minimum as in the United States, or to maintain the current level following the European example.

Researchers

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Giants in history

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.
In 1915, pathologist Katsusaburo Yamagiwa and his research assistant Koichi Ichikawa became the first to prove that chronic exposure to chemicals can cause cancer.
In 1915, Koichi Ichikawa along with pathologist Katsusaburo Yamagiwa became the first to prove that chronic exposure to chemicals can cause cancer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Minoru Shirota (April 23, 1899 – March 10, 1982) was a Japanese microbiologist who invented the popular fermented drink Yakult.
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.
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.
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.
Chika Kuroda (24 March 1884 – 8 November 1968) was a Japanese chemist whose research focussed on the structures of natural pigments.
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.
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.
Kikunae Ikeda (8 October 1864 – 3 May 1936) was a Japanese chemist who discovered the fifth basic taste, umami.
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.
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.
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.
Michiyo Tsujimura (17 September 1888 – 1 June 1969) was a Japanese agricultural scientist and biochemist recognized for her research of green tea components.
A Japanese surgeon, Tetsuzo Akutsu (20 August 1922 – 9 August 2007) built the first artificial heart capable of keeping an animal alive.
Ogino Ginko (3 March 1851 – 23 June 1913) was the first registered female doctor to practise modern medicine in Japan.
Japanese geochemist Katsuko Saruhashi developed the first method and tools for measuring carbon dioxide in seawater