Japan News

Japan launched world's first humanoid robot astronaut, Kirobo on Sunday from the International Space Station, Tanegashima. The 34-cm long robot will serve as a companion for astronaut Koichi Wakata and will communicate with its ground-based counterpart robot Mirata on the Earth. The robots have been designed to give emotional support to the astronauts who feel lonely in the space.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on Saturday launched their new solid-fuel rocket- Epsilon carrying "SPRINT-A" telescope built for remote observation of planets, in a launch coordinated by just two laptops and eight persons. The 79-feet long and 91-tonnes heavy Epsilon is the first rocket in the world to be equipped with artificial intelligence for autonomous launch checks by itself.

34.2% single-women in Japan want to be a full-time housewife, despite growing demand for their participation in the country's male-dominated workforce, according to an official survey-which quizzed over 3,000-people aged 15-39. Among single-men, 19.3% wanted their spouse to be a housewife while 30.2% didn't. The International Monetary Fund estimates that Japan's working-age population will fall by almost 40% by 2050.

According to a report by Engadget, Google has announced three dedicated Google Play machines in Tokyo offering 18 gaming titles including both free and paid-for titles. Japanese Android smartphone owners would be able to load games to their devices through these vending machine simply by inserting coins. Users will even get goodies as rewards for trying out other apps.

A volcanic eruption has raised an island in the seas to the far south of Tokyo, off the coast of a small uninhabited island called Nishinoshima, the Japanese coast guard said. Advisories from the Japan Meteorological Agency said the island was about 200 meters in diameter. However, a volcanologist said that the new island might be soon eroded away.