VOL   2
MAY 2010

Growing Business Between Fukuoka & North America

MILSTONE NEWS

Silicon Valley-based Tesla Motors, a designer and manufacturer of electric sports cars, has partnered with Toyota to jointly-develop electric vehicles and related technologies. Tesla has announced plans to manufacture vehicles at the former NUMMI plant, the joint venture of GM and Toyota, in Fremont, California. The facility became available following GM’s withdrawal and the closure of the facility.

GAME CHANGERS

Socialization and Privacy
»Blippy: allows you to share your purchases and see what your friends are buying. The site lets users link credit card accounts or ecommerce site accounts. When you make a purchase, it streams the location of the purchase and the amount. The site lets you learn what your friends are buying and where and whether they found a good deal. Blippy adds a new dimension to social shopping.
»Facebook: Social networking site Facebook is receiving criticism for changes to privacy settings it made earlier this year in an attempt to expand the social connections of its users. The site is now opting for a simplified, one-step privacy setting for its over 400 million users.

Electronic Signature Software Gains Popularity
Santa Clara County in Silicon Valley has become the first location in the nation to allow voters to register via electronic signature on mobile touchscreen devices. For examples of digital signature software providers, see: RightSignature, Echosign, and DocuSign.

FUKUOKA HIGHLIGHTS

Fukuoka is First for Those in their Twenties

From 1995 to 2005, the population of people in their twenties living in central Fukuoka City increased 21% according to The Development Bank of Japan. The growth rate for this demographic exceeds rates for Tokyo and represents the highest rate of growth among all of Japan’s major cities. Fukuoka City has an abundance of trendy shops and restaurants as well as plentiful, reasonably-priced housing that appeals to the younger generation.

Mitsubishi Electric at the Forefront of the Low Carbon Society

By 2011, Mitsubishi Electric corporation will invest nearly $135 million in the development of silicon carbide (SiC) inverters. The company has established a mass production test line at its facility in Fukuoka City with monthly production at 3,000 wafers.» Read More

New Membrane Absorbs CO2

A research team from Kyushu University and Kyoto University has successfully developed a membrane for absorbing gaseous molecules, such as CO2 and hydrogen. The membrane is made up of metal and organic materials integrated in a grid pattern and can be used for synthesizing chemicals from CO2 emissions. The research team anticipates commercialization within 5 years.

Fukuoka Prefecture Successfully Recovering Waste Zinc

The Fukuoka Research Center for Recycling Systems has, for the first time in Japan, developed technology for recovering zinc from the waste water of metal plating factories. Up to two-thirds of the previously disposed zinc can now be recovered, leading to the development of a process for commercializing zinc-laden sludge.

Tough but Inexpensive Cutting Instruments Developed

Japan Finetech, together with the Kyushu Institute of Technology, has developed new cutting tools made from corundum. Corundum is nearly as hard as diamond but is available for only one third the cost. Japan Finetech intends to first utilize the tools in its own factory before exploring external sales channels. » Read More

"Another age must be the judge." - Charles Babbage, 1837

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