Can Green Value Become a Reason to Buy? Japan Tests a GX Market for Household Products
NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Unicharm and Deloitte are examining how the environmental value of everyday products can be measured, communicated and converted into consumer demand.
Read the full report →September 7, 2026 edition
Four Stories to Start With
The essential arguments in today’s edition
Today’s 16 Stories
15 news reports and Today’s Art Choice
Business, Economy & Policy
September 7, 2026Can Green Value Become a Reason to Buy? Japan Tests a GX Market for Household Products
NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Unicharm and Deloitte are examining how the environmental value of everyday products can be measured, communicated and converted into consumer demand.
MUFG Explores Open Private-Credit Platforms With BlackRock and Morgan Stanley IM
MUFG is considering separate collaborations with BlackRock and Morgan Stanley Investment Management as private credit becomes more important in Japanese corporate finance.
NTT Mobility and Aioi Nissay Dowa Test a New Measure of Autonomous-Driving Safety
A public-road demonstration in Musashino links driving data with risk assessment to improve how autonomous vehicles are evaluated for safety.
Science & Research
September 7, 2026JINS–Osaka University Study Finds Myopia May Progress Until Around Age 30
A large-scale analysis of eyeglass-sales data identifies continuing myopia progression into early adulthood and age-related patterns in astigmatism.
Researchers Reconstruct Terahertz Phase From Shadows, Simplifying Advanced Imaging
An international team led from Tohoku and Chiba universities recovered phase information from shadow effects, with potential uses in nondestructive inspection and biological imaging.
Japan’s VERTECS Microsatellite Begins Observing the Universe’s Faint Visible Background
After completing initial orbital operations, VERTECS has begun measuring cosmic visible-light background radiation to investigate the history of star and galaxy formation.
Communities & Society
September 7, 2026
What Does Japan Expect From Its Fisheries? A New Cabinet Office Survey Takes Stock
The survey examines public expectations for fisheries amid falling catches, aging coastal communities, food-security concerns and environmental change.
NEC Selects Three Organizations for the 25th Class of Its Social Entrepreneur Academy
The program, launched in 2002, will support three organizations led by young people addressing social problems through community-based ventures.
JR East and NTT Test Whether a Short Rural Visit Can Build a Lasting Relationship
Online outreach and small-group tours will test whether brief visits can create continuing ties between urban residents and rural communities.
Sports
September 7, 2026
Special Olympics Japan’s 2026 Summer National Games Conclude in Tokyo
Athletes from across Japan competed in basketball, swimming and bowling during the concluding Tokyo stage of the national games.
Japan’s 95th National Intercollegiate Athletics Championships Open at Nissan Stadium
Japan’s leading university athletes contest national titles at Nissan Stadium, with emerging stars and potential Asian Games contenders in focus.
Japan Beats Canada 57–12 Before 18,045 in Niigata
Japan scored 31 first-half points and controlled the match, building momentum for the Pacific Nations Cup with a commanding Niigata victory.
Culture & Arts
September 7, 2026
Agency for Cultural Affairs Selects 39 Next-Generation Media-Arts Projects
Thirty-nine projects spanning animation, games, digital installations and experimental media will receive support for creation and public presentation.
Geisai 2026 Brings Student Mikoshi, Exhibitions and Music to Ueno
Tokyo University of the Arts students filled the campus and surrounding Ueno community with handmade mikoshi, exhibitions, performances and an art market.
Leonardo’s La Belle Ferronnière to Come to Japan for the First Time
The National Art Center, Tokyo is preparing a major Louvre exhibition of more than 50 Renaissance works, led by Leonardo’s celebrated portrait.
Today’s Art Choice
Story 16 · Ko-Kutani porcelain
A Persimmon Branch Announces Autumn in a Brilliant Ko-Kutani Dish
Against a vivid yellow ground, a dark branch, green leaves and ripening fruit turn one of Japan’s clearest signs of autumn into a feast of color and pattern.
The image is a Japan.co.jp AI-assisted editorial illustration inspired by Large Dish with Persimmon Branch, mid- to late 1600s, Hizen ware, Ko-Kutani style. Object record: Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1964.245, Open Access.
Read the artwork and essay →Six More From the September 6 Edition
Major stories worth carrying forward
U.S. Sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane Test Japan’s Rule-of-Law Diplomacy
The sanctions place Japan’s alliance politics, dollar-based finance and commitment to international criminal justice in direct tension.
Bombardier Moves to Acquire MHI’s Canadian Aircraft-Structures Business
Manufacturing sites with three decades of experience in wings and fuselage structures would move into Bombardier’s own production network.
Japan Certifies New Smart-Agriculture Plans Built Around Crop-Level Control
The plans target temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and airflow around the crop canopy rather than controlling an entire greenhouse uniformly.
AKT5 Solves a 30-Year Puzzle About How Plants Stretch Toward Light
Researchers connected phosphorylation of a potassium channel to petiole growth and a plant’s ability to compete for light in dense stands.
Japan Sends Expert Teams to Help Cities Prepare for Urban Bear Encounters
The teams will identify routes and attractants, test response plans and help municipalities build capacity that remains after the experts leave.
A Temple Beneath a Tower: Osaka’s Mitsutera Carries 1,280 Years Into the Future
Osaka preserved an 1808 wooden main hall by moving it intact and integrating it beneath a modern high-rise.
