Toyota City, Japan, June 7, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - TOYOTA GAZOO Racing takes on the immense challenge of the Le Mans 24 Hours on 15-16 June targeting its sixth victory in the legendary French race, round four of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season.As reigning World Champions, with five victories in the past six editions, the team has prepared exhaustively for the 92nd running of the Le Mans 24 Hours. Drivers, engineers and mechanics are ready to harness their strong team spirit and join an epic battle for honours at La Sarthe.TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will compete with two cars, joining a 23-strong Hypercar grid alongside Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Isotta Fraschini, Lamborghini, Peugeot and Porsche in the largest top-class field at Le Mans of the 21st century. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, winners already this season at Imola, will drive the #7 GR010 HYBRID while Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, the reigning World Champions, compete with the #8 GR010 HYBRID.Five of the team’s six drivers have already stood on top of the Le Mans podium. Sébastien has four victories while Brendon has three. Mike, Kamui and Ryo a...

TOKYO, June 7, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group company based in Yokohama, today held a christening and launch ceremony for the TRANS HARMONY GREEN, the first of two LNG-powered roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) ships* under construction for Toyofuji Shipping Co., Ltd. The ceremony took place at the Enoura Plant of MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The ship's handover is scheduled for late January 2025 following completion of outfitting work and sea trials. The TRANS HARMONY GREEN will serve as a RO/RO vessel on shipping routes in Asia.Christening and Launch Ceremony of TRANS HARMONY GREENThe TRANS HARMONY GREEN is approximately 195 meters in overall length, approximately 30.6 meters in breadth, and has gross tonnage of approximately 49,500. It can simultaneously transport about 3,000 passenger cars. The ship's main engine and main generator engine are high-performance dual-fuel engines each accommodating LNG or diesel fuel. Together these engines enable a greater than 25% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to ships with the same hull and powered by fuel oil, cuttin...

TOKYO, June 6, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (MHIEC), a Group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), has received an order from Yokohama City to rebuild the Hodogaya Plant (provisional name) waste-to-energy facility. The project involves the reconstruction of the currently-closed Hodogaya Plant (Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama City) to address future processing capacity shortages forecast due to the superannuation of general waste incineration plant in Yokohama City. The total tax excluded value of the contract, including dismantling and removal of the existing structure and construction of the new facility, is approximately 67.68 billion yen. Completion and handover are scheduled for March 2031.Conceptual drawing of the completed Hodogaya Plant (provisional name) The new plant will comprise three stoker incinerators(1), each with disposal capacity of 350 tonnes per day, providing a total capacity of 1,050 tons per day. The stokers to be used are V-type stoker waste incinerators with low loss on ignition(2), developed exclusively by MHIEC to further optimize the drying and combustion pro...

TOKYO, June 6, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd. (MHI Thermal Systems), a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has launched sales of the TEK series of compact electric-driven transport refrigeration units for small and mid-size trucks. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Transport Europe GmbH (MTTE), the Company's European sales arm based in Osnabruck, Germany, is in charge of sales. In addition to the compact size, the TEK series offers enhanced cooling/heating capacity which enables expansion from the TE20/30 series' mountable range to include small and mid-size trucks. The TE20/30 series has received two notable awards: the "Agency for Natural Resources and Energy Commissioner's Award (Transportation Field)"(1) in 2019, and the "Technology Award" from the Japan Society of Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (JSRAE)(2) in 2021.The TEK series adopts the plug-in hybrid system which has already been highly acclaimed in the TE20/30 series. The system combines a commercial plug-in power source and a power source dedicated to the refrigerator. It can automatically switch between plug-in charging and charging...

TOKYO, June 5, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) and Thailand's largest power producer Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct research on the introduction of hydrogen co-firing technologies for gas turbine power generation facilities in Thailand, at the 6th Japan-Thailand Energy Policy Dialogue (JTEPD) held in Tokyo on June 4. The research aims to facilitate the conversion of thermal power plants to fire clean fuels, supporting Thailand's goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and net zero emissions by 2065.This MoU will kickstart with a hydrogen co-firing pilot project at one of EGAT's power plants in Thailand. An initial feasibility study is scheduled to be conducted by March 2025. EGAT and MHI, with support from MHI's power solutions brand Mitsubishi Power, aim to achieve a hydrogen co-firing ratio of 20% by EGAT's request.Toshiyuki Hashi, Executive Vice President, President and CEO, Energy Systems of MHI, commented on the significance of the partnership: "We are excited to explore hydrogen co-firing in gas turbines together with EGAT. We are confident th...

TOKYO, June 5, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group company based in Yokohama, has received an order from Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. for 2 additional units of its Fuel Gas Supply System (FGSS)*, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel gas supply system for high-pressure dual-fuel marine engines. The FGSS units for 2 LNG-fueled bulk carriers to be built by Imabari Shipbuilding will be continuously delivered with LNG fuel tanks from summer 2025.The FGSS ordered by Imabari Shipbuilding feature an optimized cargo space layout utilizing a modular design for exceptional space-saving and maintenance access, shortened construction schedule at shipyards, and a proprietary control system that can be customized according to customer needs, contributing to both excellent operability and safety. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding previously received orders for a total of 18 high-pressure FGSS units, including units for "SWEET PEA LEADER" and "DAISY LEADER", both of which are LNG-fueled car carriers built by Imabari Shipbuilding Group and have already entered into service respectively in October 2023 and in March 2024. With th...

NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) today announced that Hidetoshi Uriu joined NEC as Chief Investment Officer on June 1, 2024. Hidetoshi Uriu was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, where he spent nearly 20 years advising numerous domestic and international technology companies on M&A and raising capital. He has also led M&A activities at VisasQ Inc. as a senior executive. NEC is promoting aggressive investment in growth areas to enhance corporate value under its “Mid-term Management Plan 2025." Hidetoshi Uriu will be responsible for formulating investment strategies for the entire NEC Group and leading the execution of M&A projects.About NEC CorporationNEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com. Copyright 202...

TOKYO & SINGAPORE, June 5, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., Japan’s only international payment brand, announced a collaboration with Singapore’s Mandai Wildlife Group to promote wildlife park visitorship.JCB cardmembers now have more reasons to celebrate as JCB International launches a new special package with Singapore’s Mandai Wildlife Group. This collaboration is designed to promote the city-state’s wildlife parks and boost the number of visitors to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, home to the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Bird Paradise and River Wonders. It is also a part of JCB’s efforts to work with like-minded partners who share aligned sustainability values and promote destinations that prioritise sustainable tourism.Over 158 million cardmembers from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, as well as JCB’s fastest growing region of ASEAN and Taiwan, are already enjoying a myriad of offers from well-known local Singaporean businesses. With the launch of the YOKOSO JCB! website, it provides cardmembers with a greater access to view all its merchant partners in Singapore.“The addition of worl...

Redmond / Tokyo, June 4, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501) and Microsoft Corporation announced a projected multi-billion dollar collaboration over the next three years, that will accelerate social innovation with generative AI. Through this strategic alliance, Hitachi will propel growth of the Lumada business, with a planned revenue of 2.65 trillion yen (18.9 billion USD)(1) in FY2024, and will promote operational efficiency and productivity improvements for Hitachi Group’s 270 thousand employees.Specifically, Hitachi will embed the Microsoft cloud, Azure Open AI Service, Dynamics 365, Copilot for Microsoft 365, and GitHub Copilot into Lumada solutions to provide innovative solutions for the energy, mobility and other industries to deliver better outcomes for businesses and society. In addition, the two companies will promote joint projects to address pressing business needs such as bolstering cloud services, enhancing security, and mitigating the environmental footprint of data centers, which have become an increasing area of focus with the growing use of generative AI.“Hitachi has been driving transformation by applying AI across the Hitachi Group...

TOKYO, June 4, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - The Japan Energy Summit & Exhibition 2024 opened today at Tokyo Big Sight, marking the beginning of a pivotal three-day event (3-5 June) focused on driving energy transition and decarbonisation efforts in Japan and the broader Asia-Pacific region. Hosted by Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd., the summit gathered global energy leaders, policymakers, and industry experts, to delve into innovative solutions shaping the future of energy and seeks to foster international collaboration pivotal to accelerating energy transformation and advancing climate action.Opening Ceremony of Japan Energy Summit & Exhibition 2024Day one opened with inspiring remarks from Nobuo Tanaka, former Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who emphasised the urgent need for international collaboration to achieve sustainable energy goals.Keynote Address by Shinichi Kihara from METIThis was followed by a compelling keynote address from Shinichi Kihara, Director General for International Policy on Carbon Neutrality at METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), who highlighted the critical role of the Asia Zero Emissions Community (AZEC), ...

TOKYO, June 4, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - PT JCB International Indonesia, a subsidiary of JCB International Co., Ltd. (JCB), and PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk have launched the Japan Festival Program Campaign, targeting the mass premium segment and focusing on Japan-related needs. Mandiri JCB Japan Festival is designed to meet the demand of Indonesian families for Japan-related activities with the lucky draw (raffle) program and combine it with dining, shopping, and travel benefits throughout the year.The Mandiri JCB Japan Festival kicks off from 1 April until 31 December 2024 with the lucky draw (raffle) program that offers round-trip air tickets between Jakarta and Japan as a prize for 12 (twelve) winning cardholders and their companions. By using the Mandiri JCB Precious Card, customers will earn double points for transactions at Japan Dining Festival, Shopping Festival, and Travel Festival tenants. Customers should first register and make transactions with a minimum cumulative amount of IDR 10 million per month to earn 1 lottery point. Lottery points increase for every IDR 5 million of cumulative transactions made in the same month. They are only valid for retail...

In support of the development of large-scale superconducting quantum computers, researchers with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), one of the largest public research organizations in Japan, in collaboration with Yokohama National University, Tohoku University, and NEC Corporation, proposed and successfully demonstrated a superconducting circuit that can control many qubits at low temperature.To realize a practical quantum computer, it is necessary to control the state of a huge number of qubits (as many as one million) operating at low temperature. In conventional quantum computers, microwave signals for controlling qubits are generated at room temperature and are individually transmitted to qubits at low temperature via different cables. This results in numerous cables between room and low temperature and limits the number of controllable qubits to approximately 1,000.In this study, a superconducting circuit that can control multiple qubits via a single cable using microwave multiplexing was successfully demonstrated in proof-of-concept experiments at 4.2 K in liquid helium. This circuit has the potential of increasing the density of micr...

TOKYO / FARNBOROUGH, June 3, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - A consortium of Japanese businesses ("the Japanese Consortium") led by NTT DOCOMO, Inc. ("NTT DOCOMO") and Space Compass Corporation ("Space Compass"), together with Mizuho Bank Limited and the Development Bank of Japan Inc., has committed to invest USD$100m in AALTO HAPS Limited ("AALTO"), which manufactures and operates the stratospheric, solar-powered Zephyr High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS). The investment will be made through the Japanese Consortium's investment vehicle, HAPS JAPAN Corporation.This investment marks the beginning of a strategic alliance to commercialise connectivity and earth observation services using HAPS in Japan and across Asia. It will also support the industrial and commercial roadmap for AALTO's services, targeting launch in Japan and a global entry-into-service in 2026.Flying for months at a time in the stratosphere, Zephyr offers game-changing capabilities that will be transformative for mobile connectivity and earth observation. As a payload agnostic platform, Zephyr can transform into a multi-functional tower in the sky to provide low latency 5G direct-to-device mobile connect...

TOKYO, June 3, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - TIME reveals the TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, highlighting companies making an extraordinary impact around the world. To assemble the list, TIME solicited nominations across sectors, and polled its global network of contributors and correspondents, as well as outside experts. Then TIME editors evaluated each company based on key factors, including impact, innovation, ambition, and success. Eisai is recognized in the “Pioneers” category for its human health care (hhc) concept of prioritizing patient needs and the development of our Alzheimer’s disease treatment LEQEMBI (lecanemab). For more information, please visit time.com/time100-companies-2024.LEQEMBI is the first and only treatment approved in Japan, the United States, China, and South Korea shown to reduce the rate of disease progression and to slow cognitive and functional decline, that acts on the underlying pathology of AD.AD is a progressive, fatal disease, and a global healthcare issue that greatly impacts not only the people living with the disease, but also their loved ones, care partners and society. Based on our corporate concept of "human health car...

TOKYO, June 3, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Eisai Co., Ltd. announced today that the company decided to strengthen and continue its venture investment business, which launched in 2019, with the aim of discovering innovative technologies and services, supporting venture businesses with such technologies and partnering with those businesses in the future, so as to accelerate drug discovery innovation and the establishment of the ecosystem platform.This investment business supports venture businesses that are in line with Eisai’s goal of contributing to patients, and have cutting-edge drug discovery platforms likely to create synergies with Eisai’s research and development initiatives in its strategic focus areas of neurology, oncology, and global health, or innovative digital technologies and services which help facilitate the creation/operation of ecosystems based on Eisai’s collaboration with other industries. Over the five years since its inception in May 2019, the venture investment business has invested in more than 30 companies in a variety of fields, including new modalities and leading-edge biotechnologies, such as biologics, nucleic acids therapeutics, and gene ...

Toyota City, Japan, June 3, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team and Sébastien Ogier looked set to secure a third consecutive victory together at Rally Italia Sardegna before late drama in the final few kilometres of the event meant they missed out by the narrowest of margins.Car 17 (Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais)Ogier was involved in a close battle for the lead for most of the event, and while a strong Saturday afternoon enabled him to lead into the final day, competition remained intense on Sunday and just 6.2 seconds separated him and rival Ott Tänak going into the deciding Power Stage. Still, Ogier looked to be doing enough to secure victory until he began losing air from a tyre over the rough final section of stage.It meant that he and co-driver Vincent Landais ultimately missed out by just 0.2s in a finish that equals the closest ever in FIA World Rally Championship history – coincidentally set by Ogier when he beat his now-Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala by the same margin in Jordan in 2011. Ogier still climbs to fourth place in the drivers’ championship, only 30 points from the lead despite contesting only four of the six round...

Kawasaki and Tokyo, June 3, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Fujitsu Japan and Juntendo University today announced the launch of a “Medical Digital Resilience Research Course,” which focuses on the realization a resilient, disaster-ready medical system (1) that allows for continuous provision of medical services even in the event of a large-scale natural disaster or pandemic. This course will be implemented for 3 years starting in June 2024.The course will combine the knowledge of critical care and disaster medicine at Juntendo University with Fujitsu Japan’s digital technology with the aim of building a framework for disaster-affected medical institutions to quickly collect and share information to aid recovery.Fujitsu Japan and Juntendo University will specifically promote the development of technologies that support the collection of information to offer insights into conditions on disaster-afflicted areas, including data on traffic congestion and fires. This will allow medical personnel and local authorities to coordinate planning and make data-driven decisions, as well as make predictions of patient volume and material transport route optimization using tools like Fuj...

LAKE MARY, Fla., May 31, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - The consortium formed by Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc. (Mitsubishi Power) and CONSAG Engenharia – an Andrade Gutierrez company (CONSAG) recently signed an agreement with Portocem Geração de Energia S.A. and New Fortress Energy, Inc. (NFE) for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the Portocem Thermoelectric Power Plant (UTE Portocem) in Brazil. The signing ceremony was held on May 10, 2024, in Tokyo at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (parent company of Mitsubishi Power) headquarters and included representatives from all parties of the consortium. The event celebrated this milestone achievement in Brazil’s largest simple cycle gas thermal power plant through a traditional Japanese Daruma doll ceremony. The Daruma doll is a custom used when setting a wish or a goal, and this symbolizes the communal goal for Portocem to be a successful project. In the EPC agreement Mitsubishi Power will supply four M501JAC enhanced air-cooled gas turbines to operate in simple cycle at UTE Portocem. CONSAG will be responsible for providing the balance of plant , utilities, civil works, assembly, and commissioning o...

TOKYO, May 31, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Honda announced the details of its factory team(1), Team HRC, to compete in 2024 FIM(2) Endurance World Championship “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race 45th Tournament (Suzuka 8 Hours), to be held at the Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday, July 21, 2024.Team HRC, which last year won its second consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours, will compete again this year as Honda’s factory team with a factory bike based on the CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE SP. This year, MotoGP class CASTROL Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco (age 33, France) will join the team to compete in his first Suzuka 8 Hours.Zarco will be joined by 2023/2024 champion Takumi Takahashi (age 34, Saitama) and a newcomer to Team HRC, Teppei Nagoe (age 26, Tokyo). This season, Takahashi is competing in the JSB1000 class of the MFJ*3 All Japan Road Race Championship (JSB1000) with Japan Post Honda Dream TP, while Nagoe is also competing in JSB1000 with SDG Honda Racing. If Takahashi wins this upcoming Suzuka 8 Hours, six overall will set an all-time record for the race.(1) Factory team: Racing team managed by the bike manufacturer.(2) FIM: Fédération Internationale ...

TOKYO, May 30, 2024 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that it launched Japan's first demonstration experiment(1) of a self-powered hydropower cellular base station on May 30. The experiment, which involves DOCOMO's hydroelectric power-generation system and a jet turbine developed by Professor Yukihiro Shimatani of the Prefectural University of Kumamoto, aims to prove the feasibility of a self-powered base station using water flowing in an irrigation canal, etc., as a sustainable, low-cost solution for mobile communication networks in rural areas.Based on the results of this experiment, DOCOMO hopes to introduce a hydropower system for the sustainable operation of self-powered base stations in mobile communications networks by March 2025.The jet turbine incorporates a nozzle that emits a stream of water, or "jet," to drive the turbine's rotation in the opposite direction and thereby generate electricity. While conventional hydroelectric systems use a separate nozzle and turbine, this device combines both components in a design so simple it can be manufactured with a 3D printer.The newly developed hydropower system converts electricity into a form ...