Chappie (@Chapmano_TV) joins the podcast to discuss his boots on the ground analysis of the Osaka Expo 2025, and how it may be a training ground for our technocratic future. Do you want to live in a cashless society where the advanced technology is sequestered by the elites, the plebs are forced to eat soymeat okonomiyaki burgers, and everything is tracked by Blackrock-funded blockchain companies real time?

Why are Japan’s automakers doing so poorly? Is it wise for Japan to use seized Russian assets to fund Ukraine? How will facial recognition be used to personalize your cancer medication?

SHOW NOTES

JAPAN

Nissan to post biggest ever loss in fiscal 2024 amid restructuring

Toyota truck arm Hino posts record net loss for FY 2024 on data fraud

Quality scandal sends Toyota global output down for 1st time in 4 years

Mazda to seek early retirement volunteers as industry shifts

China's fast-growing EV makers pursuing varied routes to global expansion

BYD to introduce mini EV model designed for Japan in 2026

SUPPLY CHAIN WAR

Moscow slams 'treacherous' Japanese loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets

U.S. Deploys Anti-Ship Missiles Near Taiwan in the Luzon Strait

Japanese warships dock at Cambodia's Chinese-renovated naval base

China Tests Novel Non-Nuclear Hydrogen Bomb - Generates Intense Fireball

China's Huawei to mass-produce new AI chips - sources

SOCIETY 5.0　

US unicorn venture ElevenLabs establishes Japanese subsidiary to strengthen Japanese language support for voice generation AI and as base for expansion into Asia

With Al removing accents

Artificial Intelligence in Telemedicine Market Projected to Grow from $18.7B to $157.3B by 2033, with CAGR of 26.7% Over Next 10 Years to Power Telemedicine and Diagnostic Solutions

NEC establishes secure cancer vaccine manufacturing process using facial recognition technology that does not store facial information

Japan's NTT Data partners with OpenAI to offer AI business tools

AI experiment to ease traffic congestion: Cameras detect vehicles and encourage detours　

New bill to promote AI development and utilization passed by House of Representatives plenary session, heads to House of Councillors

British self-driving AI company Wave opens development center in Yokohama, exploring collaboration with Japanese manufacturers

Turing, an autonomous driving tech company, borrows 1.3 billion yen from Mizuho Bank

Is the Osaka Expo being used as a technocratic training ground? How can supply chains can be weaponized asymmetrically? Would you talk to an AI-resurrected family member at their funeral?

SHOW NOTES

JAPAN DEPOPULATION / MIGRATION

Japan’s Population Declines for Fourteenth Straight Year: Over-75 Cohort Continues to Grow

Japan faces severe shortage of carpenters as home prices soar

Teacher helps Myanmar people learn Japanese, escape hardships

SUPPLY CHAIN WAR

Japan 'deeply concerned' about global economic fallout from Trump's trade tariffs: Kato

Japan protests to Russia over ship restrictions near disputed islands

China says it detected salmonella in imported American poultry meats and bone meal

SOCIETY 5.0 / AI MARKETS

Osaka-Kansai Expo to be a springboard for widespread adoption of cashless payments and facial recognition

AI revives the deceased: new services emerge, even for funerals

Seven Bank's ATM facial recognition service strengthens measures against deep fakes and launches a year late

Waymo, which has begun to slowly roll out in Japan as a self-driving taxi

Shocking facts revealed in an experiment where an AI agent books a hotel room: How does an AI view online ads?

"That's what an AI agent will do": The background to hosting an AI agent hackathon at AWS Summit Japan 2025

DXYZ Introduces Facial Recognition Platform "FreeiD" to Chuetsu Pulp Industry's Tokyo Headquarters

AI semiconductors evolve surveillance cameras: NTT develops new camera that can detect up to 150 meters ahead

4 arrested in Japan for selling explicit AI-created posters

Where are the treacherous A.I. dogs coming from? How do N. Korean IT scams affect Japan? Are Japan’s business leaders asleep at the wheel?

ECONOMY

Japan bankruptcies in FY2024 top 10,000

SUCKERS & TRAITORS

2 Japanese men suspected of aiding N. Korean IT impersonator

Taiwan jails four soldiers, including three who worked in presidential office, for spying for China

Intel and Microsoft staff allegedly lured to work for fake Chinese company in Taiwan

SUPPLY CHAIN WAR

Japan MoD and MHI sign contract for the development of new standoff missile

U.S. forces to deploy large reconnaissance drones in southern Japan

SOCIETY 5.0　

'Firms asleep at the wheel won't survive': Biz leaders sound alarm on Japan's global decline

Fukui Prefecture uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify cracks and holes in roads to reduce the burden of maintenance

Bird Buddy, a smart home company, has launched the "Smart Feeder Pro," a smart bird watching camera equipped with high-performance AI.

Airports begin testing self-driving buses and facial recognition boarding systems

J21: Launch of retrofit side collision warning system combining radar and AI camera

TOPPAN Edge, Sinumy, and Mitsubishi HC Capital

begin demonstration experiments of smart authentication that combines face recognition and proprietary Bluetooth® technology

Salary payments via cashless apps struggle to gain traction in Japan

Japan Airlines’ new AI app will make it easier for cabin attendants to report inflight events with Microsoft’s Phi‑4 small language model

Manefo to introduce AI agent to improve business efficiency for small and medium-sized businesses

Microsoft shutters AI lab in Shanghai, signalling a broader pullback from China

Remote Access Backdoor Discovered in Chinese Robot Dog Unitree Go1

Can Japan escape its boomer trappings? How does control of the Panama Canal affect Japan’s long-term interests? Why are Japanese Farmers protesting in favor of rice-price hikes?

SHOW NOTES

JAPAN ECONOMY

Bank of Japan survey says big manufacturers gloomier

Japan enforces food supply emergency law amid soaring costs

Farmers march in downtown Tokyo, demand income security

20-40% of new apartments in the city center are purchased by foreigners.

XRP For Real Estate? Leading Japanese Company Says Yes!

SUPPLY CHAIN WAR/SOCIETY 5.0

Toyota facing supply chain snarls

Japan-Australia flagship hydrogen project stumbles

White House weighs executive order to fast-track deep-sea mining, sources say

OpenAI says it raised $40 bil in new funding round

Chinese brain chip project speeds up human trials after first success

Japan's Rapidus gears up for test production of next-generation chips

Test operations under way for autonomously navigated vessels

China, Japan, S Korea will jointly respond to U.S. tariffs, Chinese state media says

How did China surpass Japan as the world’s leading auto exporter? Is Japan poised for victory in the AI Chip War? Why are Data Centers being built near Nuclear Power Plants?

SHOW NOTES

Poland's adjusted income to overtake Japan's by 2026

Rapidus teams up with Singapore's Quest Global to produce AI chips

Battery materials plant in Finland starts construction; jv with China’s Easpring

U.S. blacklists over 50 Chinese companies in bid to curb Beijing’s AI, chip capabilities

SoftBank strengthens AI strategy by acquiring data center semiconductor company Ampere Computing for approximately 970 billion yen in cash

OpenAI close to finalizing $40 billion SoftBank-led funding

Microsoft cancels up to 2GW of data center projects, says TD Cowen

DeepSeek-V3 now runs at 20 tokens per second on Mac Studio, and that’s a nightmare for OpenAI

China's SiCarrier emerges as challenger to ASML, other chip tool titans

ASML will open Beijing facility despite US sanctions on China

Toyota delays electric vehicle battery plant due to weak demand

China EV giant BYD soars after 5-minute charging platform unveiled

Honda and Subaru team up with semiconductor companies to develop proprietary SoCs for AI autonomous driving

Can Japan help financialize the Supply Chain War? Are missiles enough to deter grumpy neighbors? What are we supposed to pass down, if it’s all being extracted by someone else?

SHOW NOTES

SUPPLY CHAIN WAR

Japan eyes deploying long-range missiles in Kyushu

Japan commissions fourth Awaji-class minesweeper

Ship Wars: Confronting China’s Dual-Use Shipbuilding Empire
Marco Rubio Face the Nation on CBS 00:36-2:30

JAPAN SOCIETY 5.0
Sensory training robot helps pianists break skill limits

Kirin's "Harekaze" social contribution activities promote tree conservation with "Sakura AI Camera"

Tohoku University and others unveil a prototype of an AI robot for the lunar surface. It is versatile and can carry out missions autonomously

Multi-function utility poles to support autonomous driving at the Osaka-Kansai Expo--supplying information that is difficult to obtain with sensors

Launch of "Forest Survey Digital Transformation Service" using drones and AI analysis software

Japan's first "facial recognition" smart unmanned bookstore: a new challenge in a struggling industry

Cabinet approves AI bill with no penalties, exploring "Japanese model" to promote development and minimize risk

DXYZ introduces facial recognition platform "FreeiD" to Mitsubishi Jisho Residences' "The Park Habio Nagoya Matsubara"

Can Japan solve climate change with $3 million? Why are Japanese companies creating AI Customers? Why aren’t any of Japan’s Universities in the Global Top 100 for AI?

SHOW NOTES

JAPAN

IAEA Upbeat, but Niigata Governor Delays Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Restart

SUPPLY CHAIN WAR

Japan to give $3 mil to help Pacific islands fight climate change

China's EUV breakthrough: Huawei, SMIC reportedly advancing LDP lithography, eye 3Q25 trial, 2026 rollout

U.S. to levy fees on ships linked to China, push allies to do similar – draft executive order

SOCIETY 5.0　

Hitachi uses generative AI to create "AI customers" and generate catchy slogans

Nissan tests driverless vehicles in city streets filled with cars and people

Japanese university unveils AI program for medical student training

Japan research team develops technology to visualize acne-causing bacteria using AI

Once-reluctant builders now using unmanned machinery, AI

Ibaraki's Tsukuba and Tsuchiura cities to introduce AI into childcare facility admission selection process

Release of Japanese voice platform models "Izanami" and "Kushinada"

Trinity, the AI camera company, launches "unlimited SIM plan for security cameras" that does not require an internet connection

AI: The Future of Ibaraki - Part 1: Efficiency (3) Automatic detection of fires and floods, 24-hour non-stop safety monitoring

Osaka Metro to start offering "face recognition ticket gate" service from March 25th

NEC unveils completely contactless "face recognition payment" to be introduced at the World Expo

Wave, an autonomous driving startup backed by SoftBank Group, moves closer to launching commercial services

49 Chinese universities in the top 100 for AI, zero in Japan; half of top US researchers are from China

'Another DeepSeek moment'? Chinese start-up launches new AI agent, sparking widespread attention