VOL   4
JUL 2010

Growing Business Between Fukuoka & North America

MILSTONE NEWS

Facebook has exceeded 500 million users just six years after its establishment, gaining roughly 100 million users every five months since reaching 300 million. Seventy percent of users live outside the U.S. Basing advertising on the segmentation of this massive number of users also means a significant business opportunity for the company. According to a customer satisfaction survey, however, Facebook falls in the bottom 5% of American corporations.

GAME CHANGERS

Revisions to Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
The DMCA regulates digital copyrights and limits reproduction for private use. Six exclusions have been added covering fair reproduction for educational purposes or critical review and the alteration of mobile phone functionality by, for example, jailbreaking an iPhone to enable it to run legally obtained software.

The Kindle E-Reader
»Amazon: Andrew Wylie, literary agent for high-profile authors, signed an exclusive contract for Kindle publication rights on a portion of books for clients he represents. Sales of e-books for the Kindle over the past three months surpassed hardcover sales.

Aviation
»Terrafugia: Flying car planned for sale in 2011.
»Zephyr: Completed two-week continuous flight in a solar-powered aircraft.

FUKUOKA HIGHLIGHTS

Kyushu University Discovers Hydrogen Strengthens Metal

A new discovery runs contrary to the common idea that when hydrogen diffuses into a material it weakens it (hydrogen embrittlement). The results of this research will contribute to the realization of a society that uses clean, hydrogen-powered technology that does not emit CO2, such as fuel-cell automobiles that refuel at hydrogen stations. » More

Kyushu Electric Develops Clothes Iron that Doesn’t Burn

A research laboratory of Kyushu Electric Power has developed a clothing iron that uses induction heating technology similar to that used in cooking devices. The iron will be sold by Logical Product. The product uses only one-third of the electricity of standard irons. Within seconds of being removed from the special ironing board, the iron cools to a temperature that will not burn. » More

Fukuoka Prefecture Attracts Aircraft Industry

Fukuoka Prefecture has established a new council for promoting the aircraft industry, hoping to attract companies in the industry to the region. Fukuoka aims to use its experience in the automobile and semiconductor industries, as well as Kitakyushu Airport, to become the production base for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), the first passenger plane to be produced in Japan in 40 years. » More

Kyushu University Gains World Premier Research Center

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has chosen Kyushu University’s Carbon-Neutral Energy Research Institute to be Japan’s sixth selection in the World Premier International Research Center Initiative. While foreign directors are rare in Japan, the center is headed by Professor Petros Sofronis from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. » More

Kitakyushu City to Recycle Photovoltaic Systems

Japan’s first research and development project toward establishing a recycling system for photovoltaic systems has launched in Fukuoka Prefecture. Goals include establishing versatile recycling technology (lowering costs and developing common treatment methods), as well as constructing accompanying social systems. » More

" I don't design clothes, I design dreams." - Ralph Lauren

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