FRIDAY LEADFriday Lead / Cross-border commerce
Mercari’s new U.S. app turns Japanese closets, hobby shelves, cards, figures and vintage cameras into a cross-Pacific marketplace.
Ten long-form stories on commerce, space, AI, electrification, tourism and culture.
02
Private space / Industrial policy
With a Series C final close above ¥3.5 billion, Space BD is linking small satellites, ISS experiments, H3 rideshare services and talent.
03
AI / Legacy systems / DX
Fujitsu and IBM Japan are using AI-assisted modernization to tackle COBOL, mainframes and the hidden core of Japanese enterprise systems.
04
Work equipment / Construction / Electrification
Honda’s high-output eGX units bring the GX legacy into quieter, zero-exhaust work equipment for urban jobsites.
05
Cyber defense / Critical infrastructure
Active cyber defense, critical infrastructure and UK-Japan cooperation show how Japan’s security line now runs through invisible networks.
06
Tourism / Hotels / Robots
AI, robots, extreme heat, pet tourism and regional food meet in Kansai’s service-industry future.
07
Smartphone cameras / Tourism / Memory
Telephoto, Hasselblad imaging and 8K video turn a camera phone into a story about tourism, food, concerts and edited memory.
08
Family tourism / Encyclopedia culture
Saikyo-Oh Zukan Festival turns Tokyo Tower into a family playground of dinosaurs, digital paper sumo and learning-as-spectacle.
09
Whisky / Regional distilleries
Kagoshima’s Kanosuke and Toyama’s Saburomaru blend sea light, mountain smoke, shochu heritage and sake-brewery memory.
10
Startups / AI / Regional industry
Plug and Play Japan’s Summer 2026 Batch maps what corporations want from AI, energy, health, insurance and real-world automation.
Quick paths through today’s edition.