Japanese astronaut Noguchi Soichi says he will do his best to ensure the success of his next mission on a new spacecraft developed by a private US company, SpaceX.
Noguchi spoke to NHK in an online interview from the United States.
The Japanese government will start mailing reusable cloth masks to all households in the country next week in a bid to address the continuing shortage.
Households in Tokyo and other urban areas will be the first to receive the masks as they have the largest number of coronavirus cases.
Images have leaked online reportedly showing an all-new generation Toyota Harrier sold primarily in Japan but also some other Asian markets.
Honda's electric car range has been pretty paltry in the United States so far. Its only full electric is the short-range Honda Clarity EV, which is on its way out, and the adorable Honda E doesn't look like it's coming here anytime soon (no matter how much we want it to). But the company is planning on changing that. In a joint press release, it announced with General Motors that it has two new EVs coming that will be based on GM's electric car technology.
The two cars will use the new global EV platform from General Motors and the company's new Ultium batteries. The platform will be used in a wide array of GM vehicles from Chevy to Cadillac. The Ultium batteries are unique pouch-style batteries that allow for lots of packaging flexibility, rapid charging, and will be offered in packs from 50 to 200 kWh. All of this technology will underpin the new Hondas. In fact, these new Hondas will even have OnStar and the hands-free SuperCruise advanced driver assist system. They'll be built in GM factories in North America, too.
The head of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee says he hopes to set new dates for the postponed events by the end of next week.
The committee has been working to finalize schedules and secure venues for the Games since they were postponed from this summer in the face of the coronavirus. It wants to hold them by the summer of 2021 at the latest.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach have agreed to hold the Tokyo Games by next summer at the latest.
Abe and Bach talked over the phone on Tuesday to discuss what to do about the Games. That comes in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan's top government spokesperson says the supply of face masks will increase to more than 600 million per month from March amid a severe shortage across the country.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Thursday that the government is working to resolve the shortage as soon as possible while closely monitoring mask production and distribution.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has suggested that major sporting, cultural and other events should be canceled, delayed or scaled down for about two weeks amid the new coronavirus outbreak.
Abe was speaking at a government task force meeting at the prime minister's office on Wednesday.
The Subaru WRX STI is getting pretty long-in-tooth, but an all-new model is on the horizon and it could have 90 hp (67 kW / 91 PS) and 71 lb-ft (96 Nm) more than its predecessor.
The next-generation Subaru WRX STI may boast as much as 400 horsepower from a re-tuned, 2.4L turbocharged boxer engine, making it the most powerful factory STI ever to be offered in America.
Forbes reports that an upgraded version of the engine currently offered in the three-row Subaru Ascent crossover will power the new model, rather than the 2.0-liter unit that powers the current WRX or the 2.5L found in the current STI.
Japan's Foreign Ministry says the new head of the International Atomic Energy Agency will visit the country next week.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi will visit Japan from Monday to Friday. This will be his first visit to Japan since he took office in December following the death of his predecessor Yukiya Amano from Japan.
Here in the States, the only engine available in the reborn Toyota Supra is an inline-six that produces 335 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque. In other markets, however, Toyota's swoopy sportscar is offered with a couple of four-cylinder options. According to a report from Motor Trend, an announcement for a 2.0-liter turbocharged four for the U.S. could be imminent. Motor Trend asked Ed Laukes, Toyota's group vice president of marketing, directly about the possibility of a downsized engine in the U.S. Supra, and he responded that they should "stay tuned for next week." Taking that a little further, MT postulates that an announcement could be made at the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 16. BMW offers a 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the mechanically similar Z4 with 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. It's not clear what power level Toyota would target for a base-level Supra, but a 225-hp version is offered in Japan. What's more, a four-cylinder Supra has already been certified for sale by the California Air Resources Board, which means at least some hurdles have already been passed. So, will it come? Perhaps we'll find out in a week.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has suggested that next year will be the last time the government hosts an annual memorial ceremony for the 2011 disaster.
The government decided at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday to hold a ceremony in Tokyo on March 11 to mark the ninth anniversary of the massive quake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan, triggering a nuclear accident in Fukushima.
Nissan is reportedly hard at work on the next-generation of its legendary Z car (although the company won't explicitly confirm), and we're hearing it will have a familiar look. Sources who have seen the upcoming sports car at dealer meetings told us it will feature heritage-inspired design. "They're going back to the roots of the car," one source told us. The silhouette and general shape is similar to the current Z, but the design is all new. The front end mimics that of a 240Z with a square mouth and near-round headlights. Its rear taillights are meant to follow that of the 300ZX from the 1990s. On the inside, Nissan is finally going to move the Z into the new age. The 370Z doesn't even have a modern infotainment system today — where one might expect a screen, Nissan instead has a storage cubby. The next-gen Z will get an interior design similar to other new Nissans like the redesigned Altima and Sentra. Finally, it will get a real infotainment system. From a powertrain perspective, we're told that a version of the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 from the Infiniti Q50/Q60 400 Red Sport will be pulled for duty. That engine is paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission only right now, but we're told a manual transmission will be offered alongside the automatic. As a reminder, Nissan did pair the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 with a manual in a 370Z SEMA show car previously, but it still hasn't seen a production application. As for a possible Nismo variant in the future, one of our sources also tells us it's likely that we'll see this version join the next-generation Z car eventually. Close to 500 horsepower is rumored for this specific flavor of Z. The 370Z, which is still a wonderfully fun car to drive, is fairly long in the tooth at this point. It's been on sale since 2009, and it's hard to tell the difference between one of those first models and a brand-new 2020 370Z. That's when you know it's time for a change. Stephanie Brinley, IHS Markit principal automotive analyst thinks Nissan needs to move along, too. "It's getting old. I think that some direction in the next couple years would be good. I think it'll get to the point that safety compliance issues will need to be addressed," Brinley told us. Nissan seems to want a change, too. We've seen spy shots of what could be a mule on the Nurburgring, and a previous Motor Trend report has essentially confirmed that the car is in the works and on the way. There's no hard date for a reveal at this point, but it's rumored to be a year and a half to two years out still. Nissan has given us a steadfast no comment on everything, but that's the usual for matters like this. We were told that Nissan has plans to introduce 12 new products in the next 20 months. There's a chance this is one of them, but we wouldn't doubt it if a low-profit sports car were delayed. As it gets closer to a final reveal, we'll be on the hunt for spy photos and every scrap of detail we can find on the next-gen Z. It'll be an exciting road, as this sports car is essential to the automaker's lineup. "It's part of Nissan's reputation. It's part of what makes Nissan, Nissan," Brinley says. We agree.