Japan Archives

Trifluoromethylpyridine: Its chemistry and applications

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Tsukamoto and Nakamura study the chemistry of TFMP derivatives, which are used in the pharmaceutical industry and as chemical feedstock for pest control, fungicidal, and herbicidal agents.

Trifluoromethylpyridine (TFMP) and its intermediates are important ingredients for the development of agrochemical and pharmaceutical compounds. The presence of a fluorine atom and a carbon-containing pyridine are thought to bestow many of the distinctive physical–chemical properties observed with this class of compounds. Dr Masamitsu Tsukamoto and Mr Tadashi Nakamura, of Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha, Ltd, Japan, take a closer look at this […]

Fieldlogy Science: A new transdisciplinary science for Earth’s regeneration

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Fieldlogy, a new transdisciplinary science for the biosphere and geosphere, draws on ecological, environmental, and economic fields. The approach incorporates mutual interactions, cause-and-effect sequences, feedback systems, self-organising, fusion systems, and multiplicity. It aims to enhance natural capital through the application of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) rather than Industrial Technology-based Solutions (ITbS). ITbS cannot regenerate Earth’s systems due their huge cost and […]

Transdisciplinary field science based on Land-Surface Management (LSM)

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Through transdisciplinary field science, and land-surface management, saki, Kawakiat, Kato, Tsuji, and Sisva are developing methods to restore terrestrial land systems, applying three key technologies such as AeroHydro culture in peat/wetland, Z-tillage culture in arable land, and HydroCycle culture in dry/semi-arid land

Land-Surface Management (LSM) technology, which is based on transdisciplinary field science, offers a solution for ‘Earth Regeneration’. The general principle behind LSM technology aims to control and manage three basic elements of our land surface – water, oxygen, and nutrients – even in different eco-types such wetland or dryland. On a global scale, there are large areas of inferior soil […]

The evolution of IP, competition, and healthcare law in line with lightning-speed innovation

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Abe examines current intellectual property challenges in the healthcare and automotive industries.

In a series of recently published articles, Takanori Abe, attorney and guest professor at Osaka University in Japan, considers some of the complex intellectual property challenges arising in line with fast-paced technological innovation. These include rights relating to the manufacture and sale of medical products as well as questions of ownership of technological features that have become integrated into products […]

Imaging the dynamical hydration sphere of alkali metal ions

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Professor Hayamizu and colleagues study the dynamic behaviour of alkali metal ions in aqueous solutions.

Alkali metal ions – lithium ion (Li+), sodium ion (Na+), potassium ion (K+), rubidium ion (Rb+), and caesium ion (Cs+) – play crucial roles in a variety of solution processes, but so far tracking their diffusive motion in water has been problematic. Professor Kikuko Hayamizu and her collaborators at Tsukuba University, Japan, have applied a technique based on nuclear magnetic […]

COVID toe: A dermatological manifestation of COVID-19

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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, different strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have resulted in a variety of clinical symptoms. As well as the more common respiratory symptoms, doctors also began to notice possible skin manifestations of the disease, which appeared similar to chilblain-type lesions. Dr Kazuhiro Komura of the Department of Dermatology, Kanazawa Red Cross Hospital, Japan, has explored the link […]

New delivery technology may improve dietary supplement efficacy

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Dr Junichiro Wakamatsu researches controlled-delivery technology for dietary supplements that support immune health

More now perhaps than ever before, the world is focusing on immune health and sourcing ways to support health, including through dietary supplements. However, supplements are not held up to the same rigorous standards of efficacy as pharmaceutical products, nor are they permitted to use most of the additives currently used for controlled release in drug-delivery systems. Therefore, Dr Junichiro […]

Biofield therapy: Evidence for the health benefits of Johrei

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Professor Kenji Yamamoto researches the effect of Johrei, a form of biofield therapy, on patients with hypothermia, to see if it has health benefits

Johrei is an important form of biofield therapy developed by Mokichi Okada in Japan in 1935. It is said to provide health benefits when a practitioner absorbs life-force energy from the universe and channels it toward the recipient. While it is practised in some countries such as Japan, the US, the UK, Brazil, and Thailand, the mechanisms are not well […]

Post-pandemic suicide trends in Japan

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Professor Masahito Fushimi researches the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in Japan, warning other medical health professionals that suicide rates among women may rise in the future

While health authorities have measured the impact of COVID-19 in terms of infections and deaths, less attention has been given to the mental illness the pandemic has left in its wake. One leading researcher in suicide prevention, Professor Masahito Fushimi, a psychiatrist at the Akita University Health Centre in Akita, Japan, has uncovered a worrying trend in suicidal behaviour sparked […]

Nature as an asset: Natural capital in ‘FutureCity’ Shimokawa

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Professor Mitsuru Osaki and Mr Takashi Kasuga have developed a way to quantify natural capital, measuring the town of Shimokawa in Japan.

Natural capital provides the goods and services that sustain humankind, but accurately quantifying it remains problematic. Professor Mitsuru Osaki (Hokkaido University) and Mr Takashi Kasuga (NPO FutureForest Institute) have addressed this issue by focusing on Shimokawa, a town in northern Hokkaido, Japan. Shimokawa aims to achieve economic stability by using its forest resources. Quantifying 19 variables related to agriculture and […]