Japan

China has just launched three giant carbon fiber lines: bad news for the US and Japan

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China has taken a new step in its race to dominate the advanced materials sector. And the state giant CNBM (China National Building Material Group) has launched three new high-performance carbon fiber production lines at its Lianyungang plant in Jiangsu province, operated by its subsidiary Zhongfu Shenying Carbon Fiber. The new facilities cover the three main categories of the material (general use, high resistance and high modulus) and add to the advances that the country has been announcing in recent months in this field. Why is it important. High-performance carbon fiber has been around for decades being a strategic material controlled by very few actors. Japan and the United States have historically dominated its production, and for years China has had restricted access to the most advanced variants through international export control agreements. With these three lines, Beijing reinforces its capacity to produce at home a material that is key for sectors such as aeronautics, energy, robotics or consumer electronics. In detail. The three lines put into operation are, according to has reported the Chinese state agency Xinhua, the largest in the world in their respective categories. The first is a high-capacity line for 5,000 tons per year, which uses the subsidiary’s own spinning technology and whose material is mainly used for wind energy and electric vehicles. The second, with a capacity for 1,000 tons per year, produces T1100 grade fiber, designed for aerospace applications that require very light structures with high load capacity. And the third, of 600 tons per year, manufactures SYM40 grade high modulus fiber, aimed at precision applications in the seabed, deep mining, space or competitive sports equipment, according to they collect from Global Times. A relevant fact about this announcement is that, depending on the mediumthe new lines have achieved a localization rate of more than 95% in their main equipment. That is, almost all of the machinery used to manufacture the fiber is domestically manufactured, which confirms that China not only produces the material, but also much of the technology necessary to do so on a large scale. The context. This announcement comes in the midst of a technological pulse with the United States and Japan. According to South China Morning PostWashington and Tokyo have recently tightened controls on the export of equipment and technology to manufacture high-strength carbon fiber, precisely to make it difficult for Chinese companies to produce it. Ma Jie, an analyst at Guoyuan Securities, explained in a report that these restrictions have pushed the Chinese industry to pursue technological self-sufficiency and control its entire supply chain, and recalled that the sector has gone from basic T300 fiber to today reaching standards that are among the most advanced in the world. Furthermore, just as we counted A few months ago, CNBM had presented at the JEC World fair in Paris the world’s first mass production of T1200 fiber, the strongest variant of the scale, with more than 8 gigapascals of tensile strength. Added to this news, at the beginning of June, was the announcement by Shanghai Petrochemical, a subsidiary of Sinopec, about the large-scale production of T1000 fiber using its own process. Supply. Zhou Yuxian, president of CNBM, pointed out Xinhua that these new lines help solve two structural problems in the sector: the shortage of high-end carbon fiber products and the lack of a complete offer that covers all categories of the material. The manager added that the production “will reinforce the security and resilience of the Chinese supply of strategic materials.” It is worth remembering that, until now, the world market has been dominated by a handful of manufacturers. Three Japanese companies (Toray Industries, Teijin and Mitsubishi Chemical) together controlled just over half of the global market in 2025, according to a report from Nikkei Asia. The American Hexcel is another of the major players in the sector, especially in the aerospace and military fields. morenda. China’s push for carbon fiber responds to a demand that continues to grow. And according tothe report According to Guoyuan Securities, global demand for carbon fiber exceeded 220,000 tons in 2025, with a growth of 43.8% compared to the previous year, while in China this growth was even higher, 57%, driven by the manufacturing of the C919 commercial aircraft, humanoid robots and low-altitude vehicles. Cover image | CGTN In Xataka | “It’s not cheating, it’s engineering”: this is how China avoids 2,000 ASML patents with a laser trick

Japan did not need another aircraft carrier to make a move. His next military step begins with Vietnam

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Japan has spent decades measuring every military gesture with almost surgical caution. Not due to lack of industry, technology or capacity, but due to the weight of its recent history and the political limits that have marked its defense since the post-war period. Therefore, when Tokyo moves a piece in this area, it is advisable to look beyond the apparent size of the gesture. What we have before us shows where the Asian country is moving. The specific news. The movement appears in a statement from the Japanese Ministry of Defense after the meeting that the Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi He held two days earlier with General Phan Van Giang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Vietnam. According to Tokyo, both agreed to start talks to establish new forms of cooperation in defense equipment and technology. The most striking part is the possibility of jointly developing and producing fast landing craft. Vietnam, partner without alliance. The choice of Vietnam is not coincidental. We are talking about a country whose recent history was marked by the war with the United Stateswhich since diplomatic normalization in 1995 has elevated its relationship with Washington to the rank of comprehensive strategic partnership and that, at the same time, avoids presenting itself as part of a military bloc. That combination is precisely what makes its role interesting for Japan: Hanoi needs to strengthen its capabilities, diversify partners and protect its maritime interests, but without becoming trapped in a formal alliance. In this balance, Tokyo appears as a useful, advanced and politically less strident partner than other actors. The policy of balance. This position has a very specific translation in Vietnamese defense doctrine: the so-called “four noes”. Hanoi maintains that it does not participate in military alliances, does not align itself with one country against another, does not allow foreign military bases or other countries to use its territory against third parties, and does not resort to the use or threat of force in its international relations. It is an architecture designed to cooperate without being absorbed by anyone. The maritime map. The Japanese statement does not mention China as a direct recipient of the message, but it does place the conversation in two very specific spaces: the East China Sea and the South China Sea. For Tokyo,the first is part of its major security concerns; for Hanoi, The second is the stage where they concentrate some of its main maritime tensions. That is why the two ministers stressed the freedom of navigation and overflight, in addition to respect for international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Why they matter. The expression “fast landing craft” may sound minor compared to submarines, fighters or large warships, but their function is very specific: moving troops, vehicles, equipment or supplies to a coast, an island or an area that is difficult to access. In a fragmented maritime environment, with archipelagos, reefs and territories where distance is not always measured in kilometers but rather in the ability to arrive sooner, this mobility has strategic value. We are not talking about a spectacular weapon, but rather a practical tool for operating where the map narrows. Japan moves its industry. The possible cooperation with Vietnam fits into a broader transformation: Japan is trying that its defense industrial base weighs more inside and outside the country. We have seen this in the reform of its military equipment transfer rules, revised again in April 2026 to promote more defensive cooperation with allies and like-minded countries, and also in advanced projects that are still in the research phase, such as the electromagnetic railgun. The point is that Tokyo is moving away from viewing its military industry as a purely domestic matter. A very measured turn. The interesting thing is that neither country needs to present this as a breakup for it to have weight. Japan does not suddenly abandon its historical caution, and Vietnam does not sign a formal military alliance. What we see is a much more discreet formula: industrial cooperation, defensive technology and naval capabilities in an area where every small movement is read in a strategic key. That’s why landing craft may seem like a small thing on paper, but they say a lot about where the Indo-Pacific is moving. Images | Xataka with Nano Banana In Xataka | Germany wanted to armor its army with a volunteer military. He has encountered a boom of conscientious objectors

Japan has three red lines on nuclear weapons. One of them no longer seems so untouchable

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Japan has a relationship with nuclear weapons that no other country can tell firsthand. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not just two names in the history booksbut the origin of a political identity built for decades around the rejection of the bomb. And yet, Japanese security also rests on a reality that is difficult to accept: America’s nuclear umbrella. What begins to move now is not necessarily the decision to cross that threshold, but something earlier and perhaps more delicate: the possibility of discussing whether all its red lines are still absolute. The debate. The intervention that reopened that conversation was carried out by Shinjiro KoizumiJapanese Defense Minister, on a Genron TV program broadcast this weekend. His approach was not that Japan should manufacture nuclear weapons or have its own arsenal, but rather that the country should change the idea that certain security issues cannot even be debated. In his words, for Japan it is a difficult issue to debate, but one of the issues that it cannot avoid touching is, precisely, nuclear issues. Three red lines. This framework has its own name in Japanese politics: the three non-nuclear principles. Japan commits to not possess nuclear weapons, not to manufacture them and not to allow their introduction into Japanese territory. The formula comes from the post-war period and has remained a central reference of its security policy, although the country continues to be protected by the extended deterrence of the United States, which includes its nuclear umbrella. The key difference. The third red line functions as a hinge between two worlds that Japan has tried to keep apart: its non-nuclear identity and its dependence on American deterrence. While the first two bans close the door to a Japanese bomb, the third affects how that protection would operate in a real crisis. That is the ground that is beginning to become debatable. Koizumi’s words. The Defense Minister did not present the nuclear debate as a conclusion, but as a debate that Japan would have to allow itself. His central sentence was direct: “For Japan it is a difficult issue to debate, but one of the issues that it cannot avoid touching is, precisely, nuclear issues.” He also pointed out against a political culture that, in his opinion, turns some security issues into forbidden areas: “We must change this idea that certain things are not even allowed to be debated.” The weight of his words is there: in moving the limit of the debate rather than in setting a new policy yet. The European mirror. Koizumi did not talk about nuclear in the abstract. He did so by looking at Europe, where the Ukrainian war has pushed governments like France and Finland to review assumptions that for years seemed established. In this context, he mentioned Paris, for its commitment to strengthening nuclear deterrence, and Helsinki, which has removed legal barriers to the introduction, transport or possession of nuclear weapons within its integration into NATO, although it does not plan to deploy them in its territory. The strategic race. Koizumi connected that debate to a broader idea: Japan faces not only tougher threats, but a world that decides faster. In the interview he spoke about Europe moving with a speed that Tokyo does not always perceive and put on the table the competition between the United States and Chinain addition to the role of AI in military decision-making. His argument is that a crisis is no longer managed with the political times of before, and that Japanese defense needs to discuss all its margins before those margins narrow. Nuclear, in that reasoning, appears as part of a larger review of national security. The line that moves. Japan has not crossed the nuclear threshold, and with what we have it cannot be said that Koizumi ordered a Japanese bomb. What is relevant is more subtle: one of the three red lines that for decades helped to organize its post-war policy is beginning to appear as a debatable issue. There is the fundamental change: the taboo has not fallen, but it no longer seems to protect all the ground that it protected before. Images | Red Shuheart | Japan Ministry of Defense In Xataka | A Russian family lived isolated in Siberia for more than 40 years. He didn’t know about World War II or the space race.

30 years ago we laughed at China and Japan for their obsession with sun protection. Now we’re following your path

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If you travel to Qingdao or any other beach in China, you may come across bathers who, in addition to bikinis, sandals and glasses, look colorful ‘facekinis’. That’s how it was at least a few years ago (even in 2025), when this peculiar garment that covers the entire face to protect it from ultraviolet rays gained popularity in the middle of a heat wave. In Europe, the image of Chinese women with their heads in XL swim caps that only leave their eyes and mouth visible was interpreted as an eccentricityone more proof of the aversion of Asians to tan. On the beaches of Spain it may not be common see ‘facekinis’but an idea is beginning to sink in: cultural issues aside, Chinese, Japanese and Koreans may not have been wrong when they did everything possible to protect themselves from the sun. “It is very frowned upon”. The facekini It is its most obvious (and graphic) demonstration, but it connects with a much larger phenomenon: not everyone values ​​tanning in the same way. Vincent Coëffé, from the University of Angers, explained it a few years ago in an article published in The Conversation: The prospect of sporting a tan skin tone may sound great in California, but things are quite different if you talk to an Asian. “Light skin continues to be viewed favorably in Asian cultures (China, India, Japan, Korea…), to the point that exposing the body to the sun is perceived as a subversive act,” comment coffee, geographer and tourism expert. “In China, tanning is very frowned upon, especially if it alters the female body, particularly influenced by the ideal of ‘milky’ skin.” Tanning is becoming globalized and it is increasingly easier to find Asians sunbathing both abroad and on the beaches of their countries, but there is still an important cultural gap with respect to the West. Why the hell do they do it? These differences in sun exposure explain why for decades, in countries like Spain, we have seen with a mixture of fascination and incomprehension Asian tourists walking down the street in the middle of summer, fleeing the ultraviolet rays like the plague. It caught our attention that, in addition to caps and sunglasses, they wore gloveslong-sleeved t-shirts, arm warmers, sun-protective clothing and umbrellas. “Why does everyone use umbrellas on the streets of Japan? Is it very hot? Do they protect themselves from the sun or is it extremely hot?” I asked intrigued a traveler in August 2025 in the ‘Backpackers in Japan’ Facebook community. The person writing this had the opportunity to travel to Cairo a couple of years ago and one of the details that most caught his attention, in addition to the monuments of Ancient Egypt, was seeing Korean tourists with very white skin walking around with umbrellas and long dresses that covered their arms and legs. Nothing to do with us Spaniards who walked under the sun in shorts and t-shirts. Lesson in humility. In Benidorm, Malaga, Barcelona or any other beach destination in Spain it is still very difficult to meet someone with their face covered by a ‘facekini’, but it is just as undeniable that something is changing. It is less difficult to find people who opt for long sleeves and sun protection pants (even muffs) in the hottest moments and, above all, no one is surprised anymore when they come across people who cover themselves with umbrellas. We told you recently: it is increasingly common to see Spaniards walking at five or six in the afternoon in July umbrella in hand. Also parents who, before going to the beach or the river, dress their young children in sun protection shirts. Umbrellas, t-shirts and more. Umbrellas may be the clearest demonstration that we are changing our way of relating to the sun, but it is certainly not the only nor the most important one. A quick search in the newspaper library arrives to find interviews with experts determined to debunk hoaxes and who warn of the risks of sunbathing without protection, the threat of melanomas, burns… They speak because there is an underlying problem, but the fact that they do so also demonstrates a growing sensitivity. It’s not about changing our cultural perception of tanned bodies, but that the message of experts is getting through who warn that, when 20, 30 or 40 years ago we looked strangely at Asians who protected themselves from the sun at all costs, we were the eccentrics. What is ‘strange’ is not walking around with an umbrella and protective clothing on a July day at five in the afternoon. The ‘strange’ thing is deliberately punishing our body, with all the risks that entails. “The Sun is an electromagnetic radiation that, when it reaches our skin, will produce mutations in our nucleic acid, and these mutations can initially be canceled by our body,” already warned in 2016 Dr. Julián Conejo Mir, Honorary President of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. “Any person who goes to the beach every day develops skin cancer, but our defensive system, if it works, cancels it out.” Great, right? Half. We may no longer be surprised to see someone using an umbrella on a sunny August afternoon, but that does not mean that we have internalized what it means to sunbathe irresponsibly. What’s more, we even run the risk of trusting us and think that protective clothing or umbrellas are infallible tools to keep us safe from melanoma. It is clearly demonstrated by a recent study from Nivea Sun that leaves two percentages that invite reflection: 85% of Spaniards admit to being worried about the effects of the sun on their skin, but nevertheless a large majority (67%) also admit that they do not regularly use sunscreen. Another clear example is in the networks. Thanks to them, doctors can warn of the risks of lying for hours and hours in the sun without protection, but X, Instagram or TikTok also serve as a loudspeaker for people who … Read more

Japan has been charging a 0% tariff on foreign cars for half a century. It will be very difficult for you to find one on the street.

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Japan is a fascinating country, one of those that is difficult to understand from the point of view of a Westerner. Perhaps because we ourselves have turned our backs on Asian culture during our years of teaching or because, simply, they have historical and cultural particularities that are difficult for us to assimilate. What is certain is that the Japanese have deep roots in the consumption of local products. It must be taken into account that Japanese society is deeply nationalisticperhaps because it is surrounded by other countries where this feeling is also deeply rooted, such as China or the Koreas, which has caused continuous tensions in the area. After the Second World Warthe United States financed the recovery of Japan, with the clear objective of putting a geopolitical plug on the communism that threatened from China and Korea. A movement that could have diluted this nationalist sentiment. Little by little, the country grew and in the 70s it managed to diversify its industry and, at the same time, apply technical innovations that placed it at the global forefront in many sectors. Taking advantage of the weakness of the yen against the dollar, they decided to put all their efforts into export as much of your products as possible. Those exports flooded the world economy with products. One of the most significant were cars. In its technical innovations, the country prioritized the efficiency of its engines, key to flooding the market when the oil crisis. Compared to American and European cars, The Japanese were cheaper and consumed less. It was at that moment that the industry completely exploded and Japan decided to make a decision: it lifted tariffs on foreign cars. Come and see Japanese politicians must have thought something like this in 1978. In order to be more competitive in foreign markets, the country lifted all tariffs for those who wanted to import a car into their country. That is, any foreign brand could sell its cars in Japan without paying a single extra euro. In Japan they should not have any fear of what was going to happen. Its industry was so powerful and the cultural factors were so determining that foreign vehicles have not fully penetrated the market. For testing, In 2016 the European Union lifted the 10% tariff with which it taxed Japanese cars. The 3% that Japanese manufacturers paid for producing in Europe but using Japanese parts was also raised. In exchange, the European Union found the door open to sell other products, such as cheese or wine. So, the European Union came from buying 575,000 cars from Japan worth 9,000 million euros while we only sold them 279,000 vehicles worth 7,300 million euros, they collected in The World. From here we can get two readings. The European Union, a specialist in car exports, had only placed 279,000 cars in Japan in a market in which Almost five million units were sold in 2016. Of the 12 best-selling brands that year in the country, only one (Mercedes in tenth position) was foreign. And none of the 30 best-selling cars in the country were foreign. The cars that the European Union managed to place in Japan were high-priced vehicles. The average unit cost Japan more than 26,000 euros while those purchased by the European Union cost less than 16,000 euros. That is to say, it was difficult for Europe (and very difficult) to compete by volume. When Japan opened its doors to the world, it had to be aware of the country’s particularities. Tough emissions and space regulations have made cars disappear from the center of large cities. Since the 60s is applied in the country Shako Shomeishothe obligation to have a space where you can park your car to have the right to buy a car. In a country that is concentrated in cities, the limitation is decisive. Furthermore, the Japanese customer fully trusts their companies and finds it difficult to open up to new technologies. The reception of the hybrid car compared to any other technology (and the resistance of the Japanese firms themselves to the electric car) is a good example of this. To this we must add that, due to price, the large generalists cannot compete since local vehicles are much cheaper, taking advantage of the fact that production within the country is more competitive. The value of the yen, lower than the dollar, euro or pound, allows them to obtain large amounts of money for the development and manufacturing of a product that allows them to lower prices in their local market. On the contrary, foreign companies that have to sell there face a cut market due to emissions regulations, the barrier of space regulations and that they have the obligation to change the production of the car since when driving on the left they need to position the controls on the opposite side. An added cost that creates another obstacle. The result is that we Europeans and Americans end up offering Japan cars that are not interesting. In Japan, minivans and cars are a religion. kei carcontained on the outside and with a very large interior space. A type of car that has disappeared in Europe while in Japan the Toyota Sienta, the Nissan Note and the Honda Freed occupied the places of third, fourth and fifth best-selling car in the country. And you can continue down the list of 20 best-selling cars in Japan in 2025. You won’t find a single one that is foreign. And, by the way, 13 of them are from Toyota. Photo | toyota In Xataka | Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota, on the electric: “I cannot limit myself to seeking profitability or carbon neutrality. We love cars” A version of this article was published in April 2025

Jensen Huang returns to Japan to acknowledge his debt to Sega 30 years later

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With a market capitalization more than 5 billion dollarstoday Nvidia It is the most valuable company of the world, but it goes without saying that it was not always like this. In fact, and as happens in the best houses, the beginnings are difficult and if not tell Microsoft. Nvidia was also on the edge of the precipice just a couple of years after starting its journey, but it had a sort of “savior angel” who He gave them oxygen for six months: Sega. They say that being born well means being grateful and Jensen Huang traveled to Japan this week and there, in a meeting with fans to celebrate 30 years of collaboration between both companies,, He dedicated some kind words of thanks to Irimajiri Shōichirō, the former president of Sega and his savior. In addition, Huang thanked Yu Suzukicreator of Virtua Fighter, for his pioneering work in 3D as a fundamental basis for the later development of PC graphics. What happened in 1995. “In 1995, Nvidia was on the brink of bankruptcy. We had chosen the wrong technology and here we are today, the largest company in the world” Huang said. at this week’s event. At that time Nvidia had launched its first chip, the NV1. This processor’s rendering was based on curved surfaces instead of triangles. Good idea, bad timing: the all-powerful Microsoft made the triangle-based method the industry standard for PC graphics with DirectX. The NV1 fell into irrelevance. In fact, Nvidia had another order from Sega to develop its next chip for its Dreamcast console, but finally the order was canceled and instead it opted for NEC’s PowerVR chip, as reported by TechSpot. Sega’s decision. Nvidia had money left to survive 30 days, according to Tom’s Hardware. So Jensen Huang traveled to Japan with a kamikaze idea: he asked Sega to convert the pending payment into an equity investment. And he was honest: he admitted that if they invested that money in Nvidia, they would probably lose it, but if they didn’t, they would go bankrupt and have no chance. Irimajiri, who I had appreciation for that young foundersupported him and convinced the board of directors to contribute those 5 million dollars of the time And so Huang has recognized it 30 years later: “If it weren’t for what Sega did for NVIDIA, NVIDIA wouldn’t be here.” What happened next. With that money, Nvidia had half a year of margin to redirect its future and boy did it get it right: it built the RIVA 128, a triangular chip that was launched in 1997 and sold a million units in four months. Shortly after, another success would arrive, the GeForce 256 GPU. Nvidia went public in 1999 and Sega sold its shares shortly after for 15 million dollars, tripling his investment. At the time it seemed like a reasonable decision, but with hindsight things change. According to VGCciting Huang’s previous statements from a few months ago: “If I had kept that $5 million investment, today it would probably be worth close to a billion dollars because the moment we went public, they sold it (at that time Nvidia was worth $300 million). In Xataka | Jensen Huang enters the Samsung salary controversy: “Workers should earn as much as possible” In Xataka | NVIDIA was founded by three engineers, but only Jensen Huang remains CEO: “I wish I had kept some shares” Cover | Retro Sega and NVIDIA

If the question is how to avoid heat stroke in summer, in Japan they have an increasingly popular answer: thermal bracelets

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It happened ago just over a year. Montserrat Aguilar had completed her day as a cleaning service worker in Barcelona when, already at home, collapsed and died. He had spent hours sweeping the streets of Raval in the sun on a day when temperatures in Barcelona exceeded 35ºC. Although at the beginning of 2026 the family I was still waiting based on the results of the final autopsy, his death unleashed a intense (and bitter) debate about the conditions faced by workers who, like her, walk the streets during heat waves. This year in Barcelona they wanted to cure their health with technology well known in Japan: bracelets capable of anticipating heat strokes. What has happened? that in full extreme heat wavewith the thermometer exceeding 40ºC In Barcelona, ​​the Barcelona City Council has decided to reinforce the security of the operators who provide public services on the street using technology. A few weeks ago he distributed 1,400 bracelets thermal among the staff responsible for keeping the city clean, providing public lighting and taking care of the garden areas. Is it the only measure? No. The Newspaper precise other measures with which Barcelona wants to prevent extreme temperatures from taking their toll on those who work on the street. For example, adapting the workday of gardeners in summer, advancing the start and end times to avoid the most dangerous periods, or adopting special protocols, designed for the dog days. Is it enough? No. Sensors and protocols are welcome, but unions insist they are not enough. “Non-exposure is the best prevention,” claims Carlos del Barrio, from CCOO, in The Newspaper. Workers’ representatives recall that “no measure is sufficient on its own” and demand greater investment to, among other things, add air conditioning to cars. Without going any further, the Commissions remember that a relevant part of the fleet is still not acclimatized and there are even vehicles (such as irrigation vehicles) that have the engine located right under the seat, something not very desirable in August. How do the bracelets work? They basically fit the operator’s wrist and control their temperature. When they detect that it rises too high and approaches dangerous levels, it emits a signal (vibrates and lights up) so you can take action. In Barcelona has it happened before. When this happens and the thermal bracelet issues its warning, the operator must stop, find a shady place, drink water and inform his supervisor. The bracelet itself will inform you with a light signal (green, in this case) when you are ready to continue. In the specific case of Barcelona, ​​Parks and Gardens has invested almost 60,000 euros in sensors from the company Metalco, devices designed to warn the user “two levels before” of heat stroke. “It is set to activate the alarm when the deep temperature reaches approximately 38ºC.” That is the general guideline. In practice, the sensor must take into account the conditions of each user. The Department of the Interior has also opted for a similar solution, with devices for the Mossos and firefighters. Is it something new? Thermal bracelets have been used for a long time. And they are certainly not exclusive to Catalonia or Spain. As I remembered a few days ago The Confidential There is a Japanese company that has been dedicated to them for a few years now: Biodata Bankcreated in 2018 and with headquarters in Tokyo. Its catalog includes Canaria+, a bracelet designed to detect “subtle changes in thermal stress” and that helps the wearer control their rest, hydration and food. When the sensor detects that the body is having difficulty dissipating heat, it issues a warning with light, sound and vibration. The moment it thinks the risk has disappeared, it reports again with a green light. “We felt it was necessary to have a system in place and take action before a person collapsed,” explains the company’s CEO, Takeshi Anzai. Regarding his bracelet, he clarifies that “the algorithm adapts” to whoever uses it, although it starts from four levels. The first is free of danger, with the temperature below 37ºC. The second rises to a maximum of 38.3ºC and reveals a “latent risk.” With the third (37.7-39ºC, depending on the person) the alerts go off. The last, the most critical, ranges from 38.7 to 40ºC. Is it only used in Spain? At all. In fact Japan is another good example. Last year the World Economic Forum actually dedicated an extensive report to the “lessons” that the country offers to overcome extreme heat waves and among its resources included wrist sensors designed to detect sudden increases in body temperature and, thus, prevent heat stroke. One of the organizations that has opted for them there is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which has distributed thermal bracelets among elderly people with reduced mobility, teachers and students who go to public schools and certain workers who have to work outdoors. “In Japan last year the number of people urgently transported due to heat stroke exceeded 100,000. In cities like Tokyo, the demand for ambulances became so high that authorities issued alerts asking the population to make appropriate use of emergencies,” remember Anzai. Images | Barcelona City Council 1 and 2 and Biodata Bank In Xataka | The French are so desperate about the heat wave that they have started painting the outside of their houses with chalk

Japan has had enough of tourists littering the streets. So he has started to control them with police and fines

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No matter which guide you use, surely if you are looking for the iconic places in Japan, Shibuya, one of the districts, will be among them. more dynamic from Tokyo. The neighborhood is known for its neon lights, its skyline and (above all) its famous intersection. Shibuya sukuranburu kōsatenthrough which thousands of tourists pass every day. If you search on TikTok for #sibuyacrossing you will find more than 70,000 videosthe majority of foreigners. Local authorities have grown tired of these crowds leaving their streets. full of garbage and has decided cut to the chase. As? With special patrols and sanctions. What has happened? That the government of the Shibuya district, in Tokyo, wants to get rid of people who throw garbage in its streets. And he has decided to do it the most effective way (and emphatically) possible: using the police and with sanctions that will be imposed on the spot and offenders must pay either in cash, with a credit card or by means of a QR code. It is not a more or less diffuse idea or a political proposal that still needs to be debated and processed. The measure has already been introduced as an amendment in the ordinance for the ‘Joint Creation of a Clean Shibuya’, a rule from 1997. Now, and after a grace period that began in April, the authorities have begun to issue fines. They have even promoted a campaign with a name that leaves little room for interpretation: “If you throw garbage, you lose money”. Proof of how seriously the police take it is that only on their first day did they process a dozen of sanctions. What fines and how are they applied? The fines amount to 2,000 yenabout 10.7 euros, and will be applied immediately so that offenders can pay them in cash or by pulling a card. As if the threat of sanctions were not enough, the district has decided to mobilize a patrol of several dozen agents (up to 50) who will be in charge of exploring the area in search of offenders. As the objective is to eliminate dirt, the focus has not only been placed on pedestrians. The same rule contemplates fines of 50,000 yen (270 euros) for positions takeaway or vending machines that do not install trash cans nearby. Is the problem so serious? No data has been released on the amount of garbage that is collected every day on the streets of Shibuya, but there are several characteristics in the area that explain why the government has decided to resort to fines. The first is that public containers are not plentiful. In 2013 the authorities they withdrew bins and encouraged people to manage their waste responsibly. The idea was not only to avoid collapsed bins, but, as remember the BBCimprove security. In general, in the country it is not strange to find areas in which containers are scarce for fear that they will be used in terrorist attacks. This lack of buckets has not gone unnoticed by the millions of tourists who visit the country each year. In 2025 the issue appeared in a government survey on the problems faced by foreign tourists. He was cited by 20% of the respondents. Is it the only explanation? No. Shibuya is an important (and above all busy) tourist hub. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), during peak hours between 1,000 and 2,500 People cross its famous intersection every two minutes. “It is one of the most emblematic places in Tokyo,” the agency points out before remembering that just with the number of people who accumulate there, including residents and visitors, a stadium could be filled in a short time. Although slightly less than 250,000 peoplethis avalanche of passers-by is much better understood if we take into account that Japan has been experiencing an authentic tourist boom. It is estimated that only last year they visited the country 42.7 million of foreigners, a relevant figure for three reasons: it represents a year-on-year increase of almost 16%, it is the first time that the figure exceeds 40 million and, above all, it marks a historical record. Fines only for tourists? No. Fines for littering the ground apply to both visitors and local people, although it is not unreasonable to think that the measure has been adopted largely with foreigners in mind. And not only because it is centered on a tourist hub. The sanctions are immediate, they can be paid with a card or a QR and the agents in charge of enforcing the rule will speak several languagesincluding English, Chinese and Korean. “Shibuya is an international area visited by many Japanese and people from all over the world. We ask all visitors, regardless of nationality, to respect the city’s rules,” underlines Ken Hasebe, district leader. The authorities conduct a survey, carried out last year, which shows that 52% of the people hunted for littering were foreigners. Does it only happen there? No. Shibuya is not the only point in Japan where the tourist avalanche has generated tensions with the local population. In fact, you don’t have to go back very far in time to find two other towns that also decided to adopt measures to avoid the overcrowding, dirt and traffic problems generated by tourism. One is Fujikawaguchiko, which in 2024 installed a barrier to cover your views of Mount Fuji. The reason? The hordes of tourists seeking selfie perfect. The other is Fujiyoshida, who recently canceled their festival of the cherry blossom to save the neighbors the inconvenience caused by the thousands of foreigners that the event attracts. The country even has decided to charge for the ascent of Fuji to prevent it from becoming a huge public landfill. Images |Timo Volz (Unsplash) and Jezael Melgoza (Unsplash) In Xataka | Antarctica was practically the last corner of the Earth immune to touristification. That’s ending

Japan is desperate to revive its birth rate, so an idea is spreading across the country: free daycare

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For a long time in Japan there has been a more delicate issue than unemployment, tourist overcrowdingthe relationship with China either the weakness of the yen: babies. Or rather, the lack of babies. Despite his multiple (and costly) attempts to revive the birth rate, the country has been seeing for years how its demographic chronicle is filled with catastrophic headlines. The last one arrived last Marchwhen the Government confirmed that in 2025 births fell in the country for the tenth consecutive year to mark a new low historical. Faced with such a panorama, an idea is gradually gaining strength in the country: daycare open bar in a desperate attempt to encourage the population to have children. One figure: $142,000. a few months ago Mainichi Shimbunone of Japan’s leading newspapers, echoed from a curious survey by the National Center for Child Health and Development: how much it costs to raise a child in the country. According to their calculations, taking care of a boy or girl (at least the first one) up to the age of 18 costs $141,700, a figure that is close to $170,000 if extra expenses are included. If we go down to detail, at least in 2024 the raising of preschool children was between 5,800 and 7,200 dollars annual. That figure, added to other factors, such as cultural changes, difficulties in reconciling professional and family life or one’s own aging dynamics the nation has been plunged into, leading more and more Japanese to choose not to become parents. In 2025 they signed up only 705,809 birthsalmost 15,200 less than in 2024. Lightening the load. In view of these data and with the country immersed in a “silent emergency”Japanese society has been looking for ways to make parenthood more bearable for some time. A change in the labor model has been put on the table (betting on the four-day weekly), the ban of overtime in the office or ‘pro-birth’ programs millionaireswith government support per child comparable to Sweden. Some initiatives come from companies, others from regional governments or the central Executive, but they all basically seek the same thing: to make parenting more bearable and activate birth rates once and for all. One of the measures that has sounded the loudest in recent years is free preschool education. That is, allowing families to leave their little ones in daycare. without any cost. Not all experts share that economic aid policies are going to get Japanese demographics out of the hole (they point to much more structural reasons, such as changes at a social level); but they certainly show the importance that the authorities give to the issue. October 2019. One of the most important steps in that direction was taken by in 2019 the Government of Japan. As details The Children and Family Agency (CFA), since October of that year, attendance at kindergartens, nurseries and children’s centers is free for children between three and five years old. The program also includes the same facility for children under three, but as long as their homes comply certain conditions. Since then, other institutions have moved to fully cover that group, that of children between zero and two years old. “No time to waste”. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has stood out in this effort. In 2023 It also began offering free childcare to children under two years of age. The only requirement, in a clear effort to encourage births, is that they have an older brother. In other words, the measure was limited to the second child onwards. In 2024, however, that coverage already knew little and the governor of the region, Yuriko Koike, advertisement that free birth would be extended to all children under two years of age (including first-born children) starting in September 2025. The idea, Koike stressed at the time, was to “continue promoting efforts to combat the low birth rate without sparing resources.” “There is no time to waste.” At the beginning of last fall BCNR echoed that the measure had already begun to be implemented in the Japanese capital. Setting an example. The most curious thing is that Tokyo has not been the only city that has decided to make it easier for families who want to expand. In early 2026, Urayasu, a town in Chiba Prefecture, advertisement also their plans to offer free daycare starting in April for children up to two years old. The idea was the same: to alleviate the financial burden of parents and, in the process, give a boost to the local birth rate. Your goal, according to Mainichiis to cover 55 schools in the city with an investment of almost four million dollars in 2026 and benefit 1,900 children. Is there more? Yes. With the birth rate indicators not rising and collapsing at a speed that even exceeds the worst forecasts of the experts, Japan has redoubled its bet. In April Kyodo revealed that the country has implemented a public system that allows children between six months and three years old to be left in daycare for ten hours a month. The initiative is important because several reasons. To begin with, it provides extra help to families with younger children, preschool age, regardless of whether or not they live in municipalities with similar programs. On this occasion, however, the Japanese authorities have wanted to go further: the measure does not take into account the employment situation of the parents, which also covers children of couples with an unemployed member, who until now faced certain limitations. Images | Design for Health by Ann Forsyth (Flickr) and Note Thanun (Unsplash) In Xataka | In a Japan in the midst of a birth crisis, an idea is gaining traction: late-night cafes for crying babies

China has more solid-state battery patents than anyone else and still fears being left behind for one reason: Japan

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What China is leading the energy and mobility transition What we are witnessing does not take anyone by surprise at this point. However, not all fish are sold, and in energy storage we are going to witness a significant evolution with the arrival of solid state batteriesa type of battery that we have been talking about for years. Just like they count From CarNewsChina, the country dominates the volume of research and records on solid-state batteries, but be careful because that leadership on paper does not guarantee winning the commercial race. And it is that a new analysis of the Xinhua agency recognizes that the United States, Europe, Japan and South Korea are moving forward with more industrial coordination and better international deployment of patents, just when the technology enters a decisive phase for its commercialization. Why it matters. Solid-state batteries are considered the next big leap from current lithium-ion batteries. These promise more energy density, faster charges, greater security and longer lifespan. They not only affect the electric car, but also humanoid robotseVTOL (vertical take-off aircraft), consumer electronics and stationary storage. Basically, whoever controls the technology and, above all, its manufacturing at scale, will set the pace of mobility and energy in the next decade. Patent war. China accounts for around 35% of the world market for solid-state patents and 39% of those related to electrolytes, the largest global share, according to share from CarNewsChina. Scientific publications have gone from 21 articles in 2015 to 562 in 2023, with institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences or Tsinghua University leading advances in the engineering of the solid-solid interface, which for years has been one of the great bottlenecks. On the other hand, Japan continues to be the leading technological source with about 37% of global requests, compared to 30% from China. Japan is ahead. The problem in China is not quantity, but the concentration and quality of your strategy. Among the 30 most relevant institutions in the world in solid state and electrolyte patents, 17 are Japanese7 Chinese, 5 South Korean and only 1 European. The top ten positions are entirely Japanese or Korean. Toyota, alone, accumulates around 40% of all intellectual property in the sector. Added to this is a structural weakness, since Chinese companies register many fewer international patents than their Japanese and South Korean rivals, who shield their technology in the United States, Europe, India and Southeast Asia. The companies that move the board. CATL, BYD and SVOLT are leading the latest phase of this technology. And only in 2023 will Chinese companies filed more than 500 patent applications. Gotion High-tech The design of a 2 GWh line for totally solid batteries has already been finalized and another 0.2 GWh pilot line is operating with tests on vehicles. Ganfeng Lithium, backed by Changan, claims to have reached 1,100 cycles in a 400 Wh/kg cell and aims for 500 Wh/kg in production. On the other hand, Chinese researchers have also shown a prototype of 451.5 Wh/kg capable of charging in three minutes. CATL, for its part, is patenting lithium compounds with fluorine and sulfur electrolytes to improve fast charging and thermal stability. Deadlines. own report Xinhua places the start of production in small series around 2027 and broader commercialization around 2030. The industry continues to work in parallel on three electrolyte routes (sulfide, oxide and polymer) without any having won yet. Furthermore, according to the media, there are still challenges to overcome, including the formation of lithium dendrites, ionic transport mechanisms, solid-solid interface engineering or cell failure modes. And now what. China is preparing to industrialize what it currently masters in the laboratory. And its first national standard on solid state batteries (“Terms and Classification”) is under public consultation and proposes to differentiate between liquid, solid-liquid hybrid and totally solid cells. For now, the country dominates in terms of volume of papers and research, but it is clear that real dominance will come from manufacturers who first resolve large-scale production, cost, durability and safety. And let’s be honest, China has an advantage, especially with CATL and BYD controlling much of the world’s battery sharebut in the field of solid-state batteries there is still play. Cover image | Michael Fousert In Xataka | The EU no longer knows what to do to stop its car manufacturers from buying parts from China. So he’s going to force them

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