- Takaichi Cabinet Approval Rating at 66% Highest Since Koizumi and Hatoyama Cabinets
According to NHK’s latest public opinion poll, 66% of respondents said they “support” the Takaichi Cabinet, which was launched in October, while 15% said they “do not support” it.
Although the survey methods differ and the figures cannot be directly compared, the cabinet’s approval rating at the time of its inauguration is the highest since the Koizumi Cabinet and the Hatoyama Cabinet.
Prime Minister Takaichi held her first summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, during which she conveyed Japan’s intention to proactively strengthen its defense capabilities, and the two leaders confirmed that they would deepen bilateral cooperation.
When asked how they evaluated the meeting, 25% said they “highly evaluate it,” 44% said they “somewhat evaluate it,” 18% said they “do not really evaluate it,” and 7% said they “do not evaluate it at all.”
On the provisional gasoline tax rate, six ruling and opposition parties agreed to abolish it by the end of the year, while also deciding to reach a conclusion by year-end on how to secure the revenue shortfall that will arise from its abolition.
As for this agreement, 24% said they “highly evaluate it,” 45% said they “somewhat evaluate it,” 18% said they “do not really evaluate it,” and 5% said they “do not evaluate it at all.”
The Takaichi Cabinet has stated that, amid illegal acts by some foreign nationals that have caused public anxiety and a sense of unfairness, it will consider tightening and adjusting relevant systems and finalize its stance around January next year.
When asked about the review of foreign resident policies, 42% said the government “should respond proactively,” 47% said it “should respond cautiously,” and 3% said “no response is necessary.”
2. China To Escalate A Hardline Stance Against Takaichi’s Statement About Taiwan Contingency Cases
During a session of the House of Representatives Budget Committee on the 7th, Prime Minister Takaichi stated that if China were to impose a naval blockade on Taiwan, “it could constitute a situation threatening Japan’s survival if it involved the use of force.”
She later clarified that the remark was made “based on a worst-case scenario.”
Following the Prime Minister’s statement, Xue Jian, the Chinese Consul General in Osaka, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “we would have no choice but to cut off that filthy head without the slightest hesitation.” At a press conference on the 13th, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “If Japan intervenes militarily in the Taiwan Strait situation, it would constitute an act of aggression.
China will deliver a resolute and devastating counterattack,” calling on Prime Minister Takaichi to retract her statement.
On the 14th, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a travel advisory urging Chinese nationals to refrain from traveling to Japan for the time being.
Citing the Prime Minister’s Diet remarks on a potential Taiwan contingency, the ministry claimed there were “serious risks to the safety of Chinese citizens.”
It was also learned on the 19th that the Chinese government has effectively suspended imports of Japanese marine products.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Chinese government notified Japan that there were deficiencies in radiation inspections.
The administration of President Xi Jinping has taken a hardline stance, and the move is widely viewed as a de facto retaliatory measure.
3. Continued Vigilance Required In Hokkaido And Tohoku Area Where Wild Bears Appear And Attack Humans
The Ministry of the Environment announced on the 17th that the number of bear-related personal injury incidents from April to the end of October this year reached 176 cases, with 196 victims (preliminary figures).
Both numbers are the highest on record for the same period since data became available in fiscal 2006.
Previously, the highest numbers were recorded in fiscal 2023, with 165 incidents and 182 victims.
However, this fiscal year has already surpassed those figures by 11 incidents and 14 victims, respectively.
Even looking only at the month of October, the situation was severe: 77 incidents and 88 victims—exceeding the previous worst record from fiscal 2023 by more than 15 incidents and 15 victims each.
To address bear attacks occurring within human residential areas, amendments to the Wildlife Protection and Hunting Management Law went into effect in September.
The revised law introduced an “emergency hunting” system, which allows the use of firearms in urban areas under certain conditions.
In just over two months through the 14th of this month, 24 such emergency responses were carried out across nine prefectures.
The number of people killed by bear attacks nationwide this fiscal year has also risen sharply, reaching 13 as of the 5th—more than double the six deaths recorded in fiscal 2023.
Even in November, bear sightings and attacks in urban areas have continued without pause.
The Ministry of the Environment warns that the risk of further incidents remains high and is urging continued vigilance.
On the 12th, the U.S. Embassy issued a notice on its website urging Americans residing in Japan to exercise caution, following an increase in bear-related incidents in Hokkaido and Akita Prefecture.
- Sakana AI, Japan’s Largest Unicorn Sees Defense Applications As Its Next Major Pillar
Sakana AI, a Tokyo-based artificial intelligence developer, announced on the 17th that it has raised approximately ¥20 billion (US$135 million) through a third-party allotment of shares, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group among the investors.
Following the capital increase, the company’s valuation has risen to about ¥400 billion (US$2.635 billion), roughly double its valuation at the time of its previous funding round in September 2024, making it the largest unicorn in Japan.
The company was founded in 2023 by CEO David Ha, formerly of Google.
Sakana AI specializes in technology that combines multiple large language models to create highly efficient AI systems.
It develops models tailored to Japanese cultural and linguistic characteristics as well as the needs of various industries.
Until now, its business focus had primarily been the financial sector, but the company is positioning defense-related applications as its next major pillar.
In March 2025, Sakana AI participated in a pitch contest jointly organized in Tokyo by Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) of the Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit.
The company proposed technologies such as instant detection of AI-generated deepfake images depicting war or disasters, and was the only Japanese company to receive an award.
Recognizing its technical strength, In-Q-Tel—the venture capital arm associated with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency—has also invested in Sakana AI.
As geopolitical risks increase, including U.S.–China tensions, the concept of “sovereign AI,” which enables countries to make independent decisions and operate AI systems autonomously, has been gaining attention.
Sakana AI aims to differentiate itself from U.S. companies developing general-purpose AI models by focusing on region-specific and domain-specific models where it sees a clear path to competitive advantage.
- Toshiba Energy Systems To Synthesize SAF Out Of CO2
Toshiba Energy Systems, a subsidiary of Toshiba, has developed a technology that efficiently synthesizes aircraft fuel from carbon dioxide (CO₂), a gas responsible for global warming.
The company has created a system that uses electricity to break down CO₂ and generate carbon monoxide (CO), an intermediate raw material for synthetic fuels.
A prototype demonstration unit was recently completed.
If CO can be produced using electricity generated from renewable sources such as solar or wind power, the resulting aviation fuel can reduce CO₂ emissions by about 80% compared to conventional jet fuel.
The company aims to commercialize a compact device in fiscal 2027, contributing to the decarbonization of the aviation sector, which is difficult to electrify.
As part of global efforts to address climate change, initiatives are advancing to capture CO₂ contained in exhaust gases from factories and thermal power plants.
Converting the collected CO₂ into synthetic aviation fuel (SAF) can significantly support decarbonization.
The fuel synthesis process first converts CO₂ into CO, and then reacts the CO with hydrogen to produce hydrocarbons, the main component of aviation fuel.
The newly developed demonstration unit can produce 150 grams of CO per hour.
It is compact—approximately 60 centimeters in height and 20 centimeters in depth—and can be installed easily on factory premises.
The system uses renewable electricity to electrolyze water to generate “green hydrogen” and employs a method called “CO₂ electrolysis,” which decomposes CO₂ under mild conditions—relatively low temperature (below 100°C) and low pressure—making the reaction more energy-efficient.
This method also consumes less water and hydrogen compared to conventional processes.
Because aircraft require significantly greater power than automobiles and batteries such as lithium-ion are too heavy, full electrification of aircraft is difficult.
Traditional CO₂ conversion methods dissolved CO₂ in water before processing, slowing the reaction.
Toshiba’s technology, however, processes gaseous CO₂ directly, greatly increasing throughput—up to 100 times that of earlier methods, according to the company’s estimates.
Research on other methods of producing CO from CO₂ is also progressing in Japan and abroad.
Prominent approaches include artificial photosynthesis, which uses solar energy.
NTT is developing a system using gallium nitride catalysts that can process CO₂ at rates comparable to natural photosynthesis.
In 2023, the technology achieved more than 300 hours of continuous operation at world-leading performance levels.
Another method, known as the reverse water-gas shift reaction, synthesizes CO by reacting CO₂ with hydrogen at high temperature and pressure.
Researchers at Northwestern Polytechnical University in China improved catalyst structures using cerium oxide and reported continuous production of CO with a purity of more than 99.9% for over 1,000 hours. Their results were published in Nature Communications in August.
According to forecasts published in 2023 by Fuji Keizai, the market is projected to reach approximately 200 trillion yen by 2050—17 times larger than in 2023.
- Japan’s Top iPS Research Center To Collaborate With Google’s AI To Generate iPS Cells More Efficiently
The Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University will begin research to more efficiently generate iPS cells using artificial intelligence (AI) for scientific research developed by Google in the United States.
By leveraging Google’s AI, which can formulate hypotheses and interpret experimental data like a scientist, the center aims to accelerate the medical application of iPS cells.
The use of AI is expected to speed up scientific research.
On the 17th, Kyoto University explained at an event held in Tokyo that it plans to collaborate with Google DeepMind, Google’s AI development division.
Professor Hirohide Saito, who conducts research on iPS cells, said, “I would like to work with members of the institute to develop technologies for producing iPS cells safely.”
Professor Shinya Yamanaka, the discoverer of iPS cells and a Nobel laureate, commented in a video message: “The rapid progress of AI is fundamentally changing the way science is carried out and is creating opportunities that would have been impossible just a few years ago.”
Researchers at Kyoto University will make use of tools such as “AI Scientist” (an AI system to support scientists) that Google announced in February.
These tools are being rolled out to universities and research institutions around the world, and their use is expanding.
Kyoto University will be the first university or research institution in Japan to use them.
Overseas examples include Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, which has used the technology to elucidate mechanisms of drug-resistant bacteria, and Stanford University in the United States, which has applied it to research related to liver cancer, among other topics.
Kyoto University plans to use the AI mainly for research on producing iPS cells more efficiently.
iPS cells are created by manipulating genes discovered by Dr. Yamanaka in cells taken from the body.
Because they can transform into cells of virtually any tissue or organ, they are expected to enable treatments for diseases such as diabetes when applied in medicine.
However, there is still room for improvement in aspects such as production efficiency and cell quality.
By using AI, it may be possible to generate production methods that human researchers would not think of on their own, increasing the likelihood of developing better techniques.