Kawasaki Heavy Industries, hope its new robot named Nyokkey will help compensate for labor shortages in the face of Japan's declining population. Japanese marine biologists managed to reach a record depth of 9,801 metres while studying the ocean floor. And in Iwate, the independent sake brewery Kiku-zakari, founded in 1894 and rebuilt following the 2011 earthquake, was named with a renewed sense of purpose in mind, determined to press ahead no matter what happens. Its two best brands of Junmai-shu sake, “Taxi Driver” and “Ya-kyoku”, look to Scorsese and folk songs for further inspiration.

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