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Welcome to the SDGs in the News Podcast. This is Susan Yoshimura, Managing Editor of Japan 2 Earth,
coming to you from Tokyo. Today, we bring you another English article on Japan and the SDGs.
You can find the full text on our website. Just click the link in the episode notes. Have a listen.
Decarbonization is the message from leading Japanese manufacturers at CES.
Promoting decarbonization and enhanced car safety was the focus of exhibits by
Japanese manufacturers like Panasonic and Sharp at the recent CES trade show.
CES, one of the world's largest consumer electronics and IT trade fairs,
was held from January 5 to 8 in Las Vegas. Panasonic, Sharp and other Japanese manufacturers
focused their exhibits on the latest solar cells and products for electric vehicles,
EVs. These Japanese technologies were promoted as part of the ongoing global decarbonization effort.
Panasonic Holdings created and exhibited a tree-like monument using perovskite solar cells
PSCs, a type of next-generation solar cell that is increasingly attracting attention.
The company is touting the thin, lightweight, and bendable nature of these cells that make
them an ideal technology for popularizing renewable energy. Panasonic also introduced
its efforts to achieve 100% renewable energy consumption at its plant in Kusatsu, Shiga
Prefecture, as well as batteries for EVs that are currently under development. A company spokesperson
commented, We want to communicate our efforts to develop technologies that contribute to the
environment, such as solar power and green hydrogen. Sharp's exhibit also highlighted
technologies that contribute to carbon neutrality. One is its indoor photovoltaic device that can be
used in retail stores for electronic price tags and remote controls. By combining specialized
solar cells and LCD display technology, the company has achieved twice the power generation
efficiency of its existing products. Devices that previously required disposable batteries
can now operate using indoor lighting alone. Meanwhile, in the past few years, CES has also
become a place for automakers from various countries to present their new EV models.
Japanese manufacturers of EVs and their electronic components put their focus this
year on in-vehicle devices. Sharp exhibited its driver monitoring system, a safety feature,
for the first time. The device uses a camera to capture the driver's facial orientation,
gaze, and blink rate to detect when a driver is in poor physical condition or has dozed off.
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A US-based subsidiary of the Cucera Group exhibited products related to its new night
vision system. Announced last October, the system is designed to support safe driving
at night and in the rain. Products that enhance driving safety in various ways were on display.
These include the world's first headlights that simultaneously emit white light and near-infrared
light, which is invisible to the human eye, and a spotlight that illuminates the road more than
one kilometer ahead. Murata Manufacturing displayed a device that uses a millimeter
wave sensor designed to prevent children from being left unattended in cars. The system detects
people based on reflection of electromagnetic waves. Unlike a camera, the device can detect
children even in blind spots. That brings us to the end of today's article. If you enjoyed this
story, do let us know. And check out our website by clicking on the link in the episode notes.
You can follow us on Twitter for our latest news. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss
an episode. Until next time, this is Susan Yoshimura of Japan to Earth, signing off.
