Japan’s first new luxury cruise ship in 34 years, the Asuka III, operated by the NYK Group, is 230 meters long and can accommodate up to 744 passengers, and made its inaugural port call at Hakata Port on Monday morning. (News On Japan)

A pod of sperm whales was observed sleeping in an upright position near Amami Oshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, with their heads pointing toward the surface in what appeared to be vertical rest. The sighting was made on June 23rd by Amami Marine Life Research Group chairman Katsuki Okoshi, who captured the rare moment about 15 kilometers west of the island. (News On Japan)

Aiming to revive Japan's status as a semiconductor powerhouse, Hoshikawa Naohisa, CEO of Okuma Diamond Devices, is leading the development of what is being called the "ultimate semiconductor"—a diamond-based device capable of withstanding extreme heat and radiation. (News On Japan)

A flying car demonstration at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, which had been suspended due to a mid-flight incident, is expected to resume soon. (News On Japan)

A next-generation neutrino observation facility, the Hyper-Kamiokande, was unveiled to the media on June 28th in Hida City, Gifu Prefecture. Located 600 meters underground in the Kamioka area, it is a new experimental facility of the University of Tokyo's Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, designed to detect neutrinos emitted from a research center 295 kilometers away in Ibaraki Prefecture. (News On Japan)

H2A Rocket No. 50, the final unit of Japan’s long-running flagship launch vehicle series, was successfully launched in the early hours of June 29th from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. (News On Japan)

SoftBank announced on June 26th that it will begin pre-commercial services next year for its airborne mobile base station known as HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station), with plans to expand the service nationwide by 2026. (News On Japan)

A fossil on permanent display at a museum in Shinonsen, Hyogo Prefecture, has been identified as a new species and confirmed to be the world’s largest butterfly fossil. (News On Japan)

A state-of-the-art IBM quantum computer, one of the world’s most advanced models and the first of its kind installed outside the United States, has begun operation at RIKEN in Kobe, where it will be integrated with Japan's Fugaku supercomputer to advance hybrid computing research. (News On Japan)

In Fukushima Town, located in southern Hokkaido, a massive surge in rodent populations is causing widespread damage to rice and other crops. The situation has become so severe that home centers are struggling to keep up with demand for rodent traps, with shelves completely emptied and supply chains unable to restock in time. (News On Japan)

In Osaka’s Nakanoshima district, full-scale production has begun at a new facility offering customized iPS cells made from an individual’s own blood. (News On Japan)

A startup based in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, is working to create a future where space becomes easily accessible to all. AstroX, a private space startup headquartered in Minamisoma, Fukushima, is participating in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's themed exhibit 'Toward a Better Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake.' (News On Japan)

The launch of the H2A rocket's final unit, originally scheduled for June 24th, has been postponed due to a malfunction in the rocket’s electrical system. (News On Japan)

Honda has announced that it successfully completed a landing and takeoff experiment with a small rocket in Taiki Town, located in Hokkaido’s Tokachi region. This achievement marks the first time a Japanese private company has accomplished this feat. (News On Japan)

A new ranking of 'technologies that are attracting investment' has just been published, with an analysis of some of the most promising innovations. (News On Japan)

Masahiko Inami, professor and deputy director at the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, is leading groundbreaking research into human augmentation—technology that expands human capabilities beyond natural limitations. Inspired by science fiction and driven by a vision of a more inclusive and creative future, Inami’s work aims not only to assist those with physical challenges but to elevate all individuals through the integration of new skills and sensory functions. (News On Japan)

Japan’s bid for a successful private-sector moon landing has ended in failure for the second time, after startup ispace announced that it lost communication with its lunar lander Resilience during the final descent. (News On Japan)

Kyoto University's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) and pharmaceutical company Towa announced they began the final phase of clinical trials in May, aiming to treat Alzheimer’s disease using an existing medication. (News On Japan)

A Shizuoka Prefecture expert panel overseeing environmental issues linked to the Linear Chuo Shinkansen project met on June 2nd and concluded all discussions related to water resources, ending over a decade of debate. Deputy Governor Hiraki described the outcome as "a major step forward." (News On Japan)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on June 2nd unveiled its new unmanned cargo spacecraft, the HTV-X, at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. Designed to transport supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), the HTV-X is undergoing final preparations for launch within fiscal 2025. (News On Japan)