From the fingertip of a robot to the rhythms of everyday Japan.
Our 15 new stories cross business, technology, communities, sport and culture. Explore the nine-item News Briefs, the art of Inoue Yasuji, and six important reports carried over from November 10.
Robots That Can Feel: Panasonic’s AI Gives Robotic Hands the Power of Touch
A Japanese-led robotics collaboration adds fingertip sensing to vision-language planning. In 12 laboratory tasks, T-Rex averaged 65% success, versus 35% for its strongest comparison method. Its potential—and limits—deserve a closer look.
Conceptual AI-generated illustration inspired by public-domain Meiji printmaker Inoue Yasuji; not an image of an actual experiment.
Read the lead report →Wednesday, November 11, 2026 · JST · JAPAN.co.jp
Four Stories to Explore
Business · Sport · Communities · Culture
Nine More Developments Worth Reading
Nine carefully selected short reports with supporting sources, separate from today’s 15 in-depth features.
Read the News Briefs →Business & Economy
November 11 · 3 storiesJapan’s Cybersecurity Emergency: What a ¥10 Billion Response Can—and Cannot—Fix
A ¥10 billion emergency response highlights ransomware, supply-chain exposure and critical infrastructure. What can victims actually expect—and which services remain proposals?
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Profit Surge Reveals Japan’s New Industrial Priorities
A 45.3% rise in first-half business profit reflects energy and defense demand, even as a ¥67.5 billion warranty provision exposes the risks behind a vast order backlog.
Japan’s Industrial AI Revolution Begins with a Machine That Straightens Cardboard
AI-assisted warp control addresses a costly, unglamorous packaging problem—and illustrates why real industrial automation depends on moisture, heat and experienced operators.
Science & Technology
November 11 · 3 storiesRobots That Can Feel: Panasonic’s AI Gives Robotic Hands the Power of Touch
The T-Rex research combines vision-language planning with rapid tactile correction. Its laboratory success-rate gains point toward dexterous robotics, not yet proven factory deployment.
Japan’s X-Shaped Semiconductor Opens a New Path for Perovskite Solar Cells
A laboratory X-shaped chiral molecule serves as an electron-transport material in perovskite cells and shows separate spin-selective behavior. This is analysis of August research, not a new November result.
Japan’s AI Industry Faces the Real-World Test at NexTech Week 2026
As the Makuhari exhibition opens November 11, the key question is whether AI, quantum technologies and robotics can move beyond show-floor demonstrations into measurable productivity.
Communities
November 11 · 3 stories
Can Every Shelter Open at Once? A Japanese City Tests Its Disaster Readiness
Fujimino planned a simultaneous exercise across 20 shelters. The report examines local coordination, supplies, sanitation and the still-unpublished results of the test.
When Disaster Strikes in Japan, Foreign Students May Become the People Who Help
A training initiative expected about 170 overseas students. Its promise lies in translation, peer communication and turning newcomers into partners—without substituting volunteers for official services.
Can Children Escape a Tsunami? Japanese Students Put Their Evacuation Plans to the Test
Pupils and residents walked nearly five kilometres toward higher ground and spotted hazards such as block walls—testing whether a route on paper is safe on foot.
Sports
November 11 · 3 storiesHonda’s Prelude-GT Wins at Motegi and Captures the 2026 Super GT Championship
Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino converted a Motegi victory into the GT500 crown. The story reconstructs the title fight, race strategy and rival misfortune.
Yoshinofuji Shocks Yokozuna Onosato as the Kyushu Sumo Tournament Begins
Komusubi Yoshinofuji defeated yokozuna Onosato by tsukiotoshi on opening day. A judges’ conference and sumo’s rank rules make the upset worth a closer look.
Samurai Japan Prepares for Asia’s Rising Baseball Stars at Tokyo Dome
Ahead of the November 12 opener, Japan’s new manager Tadahito Iguchi leads an emerging roster into a competition with South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Australia.
Culture
November 11 · 3 storiesKyoto’s Eikandō Opens Its Autumn Treasures as 3,000 Maples Transform the Temple
Behind Eikandō’s famous maples lies a rich history of Pure Land art. The November 11 exhibition invites a closer look at its backward-looking Amida and Buddhist treasures.
Japanese and Vietnamese Sculptors Meet in a Cross-Cultural Exhibition
More than 30 small sculptures by 18 Japanese and Vietnamese artists turn a historic Yokohama government building into a place for cross-cultural conversation.
Tokyo’s Winter Lights Begin with a Farewell to the Beloved Suica Penguin
Shinjuku’s winter illumination begins November 11 with roughly 275,000 lights and a special tribute to the Suica Penguin ahead of its scheduled 2027 retirement.
Art Choice · Inoue Yasuji
1864–1889 · Meiji Tokyo
Inoue Yasuji: The Young Woodblock Artist Who Captured Tokyo’s Transformation
A short-lived Meiji master turns bridges, gaslights and rain-darkened streets into intimate records of Tokyo’s transformation. Three curated historic prints reveal the city he observed.
Explore the Art Choice →Historical print associated with Inoue Yasuji; digital print state and provenance are not independently authenticated. Separate from the day’s AI-generated editorial illustrations.
From November 10 · Six Worth Revisiting
Published November 10, 2026
Six reports from the preceding edition, clearly distinguished from today’s new stories.
Can Thermodynamics Explain How Generative AI Handles Time?
University of Tokyo research links the order of AI-generated text with ideas from thermodynamics.
Predicting Superconductors from First Principles
Researchers propose calculating two key superconducting length scales without empirical input.
Remote Construction Opens New Work Possibilities in Rural Japan
A planned remote-equipment demonstration in Totsukawa examines safer construction and more accessible employment.
Japan Rethinks Housing for a Century-Long Life
Eight government-selected projects examine how housing can adapt to an aging society.
Japan’s Youth Olympic Swimmers Make History in Dakar
Mana Ishikawa and Iori Miyazaki delivered outstanding medal performances at the Dakar Youth Olympics.
Andrzej Wajda’s Japanese Art Connections Return to Tokyo
A Waseda exhibition revisits the Polish filmmaker’s long relationship with Japanese art.
Weather & Horoscope
November 11–13
November 11 editorial illustrations are original AI-generated interpretations inspired by Inoue Yasuji’s public-domain printmaking tradition; they are neither documentary photographs nor original works by the artist. The Art Choice print is historical artwork.
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