Future events are described according to announcements available September 22.
Business & Economy
Osaka Gas agrees to buy Browse stake
Osaka Gas announced a deal to acquire BP’s 5% interest in Australia’s Browse gas project. The acquisition vehicle is to be jointly owned with JOGMEC. The deal could broaden future LNG supply options, but still requires regulatory and joint-venture approvals.
MicroBiopharm Japan takeover completed
Gujarat Themis Biosyn completed its ¥21.5 billion acquisition of MicroBiopharm Japan, Express Pharma reported. Three Japanese plants expand the group’s fermentation and contract-manufacturing capacity. Existing management will remain, according to the report.
Manufacturing AI company CADDi secures $114 million
CADDi secured $114 million in growth financing at a $1.2 billion valuation, The Wall Street Journal reported. Salesforce Ventures and Toyota’s Woven Capital participated. The funding supports software that helps manufacturers use engineering and production information.
Science & Technology
Synspective adds its 12th radar satellite
Synspective’s 12th SAR satellite launched on Rocket Lab’s Electron on September 19 at 12:22 p.m. JST. The company confirmed orbital deployment. The addition advances a radar-observation network used for infrastructure and disaster monitoring, but several months of testing are planned before service.
Ultrasound turns iron and water into magnetic particles
Tohoku University reports producing magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles from iron powder and water using ultrasound, without soluble iron salts or precipitation agents. The laboratory method offers a possible production route for materials used in catalysts and magnetic separation. Recovery rates, energy use and scale-up remain to be evaluated.
Communities
Shiojiri mayor targets on-demand bus problems
Shiojiri’s reelected mayor has made public transport an early priority, Shimin Times reports. Proposed work includes improving the Noruto Shiojiri booking service and addressing driver shortages. The issue is whether residents can reliably access transport for everyday journeys; these are priorities, not completed fixes.
Matsumoto garden gives vacant land a community role
Residents have turned roughly 50 square metres near Matsumoto’s performing arts centre into a shared growing and gathering space, Shimin Times reports. Vegetables, flowers and events give an unused city-centre plot a community role, illustrating a small-scale approach to bringing vacant land back into use.
Sports
Kashiwa beats Machida; Kobe takes top spot
Kashiwa beat Machida 4–2 on September 20, while Kobe defeated Gamba Osaka 1–0. J.League’s matchday report put Kobe top after a fifth straight win and Kashiwa second. Machida’s first league defeat changed the early standings; those positions refer to the September 20 results.
Japan women miss U23 3×3 knockout stage
Japan finished third in its pool with one win and three losses at the U23 3×3 World Cup in Wuhan. Defeats included 14–16 against the United States and 16–17 against Slovenia. The Japan Basketball Association’s report identifies two-point shooting as a priority for improvement.
Culture
Museum receives 1,025-print collection
Tokyo National Museum has received 1,025 ukiyo-e prints formerly owned by Susumu Uchiyama. A Hiroshige exhibition is scheduled to open September 29, with complete changeovers across three display periods. It widens access to the collection; the full gift is not being advertised as a single simultaneous display.
Camera Japan brings Japanese cinema to Rotterdam
Camera Japan is scheduled for September 23–27 in Rotterdam, followed by October 1–4 screenings in Amsterdam. The organiser’s programme combines contemporary films, animation and a Kadokawa retrospective, providing an overseas showcase across generations of Japanese cinema. These remain scheduled events in this September 22 reporting snapshot.
