EmergingTech from Japan

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Senior executives of major companies in Japan, Korea and China expect the economy to recover from the first half of 2010 onward, according to a survey by Nikkei Shimbun. [... more]

Taiwan intends to propose tie-ups among struggling Taiwan-Japan-US DRAM manufacturers, a Taiwanese government official said, according to a Nikkei report. [... more]

The incandescent light bulb has been illuminating the world since Thomas Edison invented it in 1879. While fluorescent lighting and various power-saving light bulbs have appeared over the years, the fundamental technology of the incandescent light bulb has remained essentially the same. Now, thanks to the progress of semiconductor technology, the white LED is poised to revolutionize the cozy, slow-paced world of lighting. [... more]

Toshiba Corp. will build a production plant for its proprietary rechargeable battery named the Super Charge ion Battery (SCiB) (Press release) Plans call for construction to start next autumn and for the plant to begin operation in 2010. [... more]

Panasonic Corp.'s acquisition of Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. will create the world's largest electronics company. Add the two companies together and you get a giant with sales exceeding 11 trillion yen (US$110 billion*), making it a bigger player than Hitachi, Ltd. [... more]

Global electronics production in 2009 will increase slightly from this year's estimation, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) forecast. [... more]

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) awarded the Grand Prize to a humanoid robot named Omnibot 17μi-SOBOT that Tomy Co., Ltd. has been selling since October 2007 in Japan and also in the United States and in Europe at a retail price of about $300. The company has shipped around 20,000 units in Japan and 27,000 units overseas. [... more]

The negotiations on Panasonic Corp.'s purchase of Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. have reached an agreement, Nikkei Shimbun reported. [... more]

A team at Kyushu University has developed a printable distributed feedback (DFB) laser using organic dye materials and a printing fabrication method. This combination lowers the cost of a laser to the point that issuitable for disposable use and enables fabrication of lasers on various substrates such as plastics and glass with various layouts. [... more]

Toshiba will cut semiconductor production to trim inventories by suspending manufacturing operations at its major fabs for almost one month over the year-end holiday season, Nikkei Shimbun reported. [... more]