Cool Japan: Rice

■Cool Japan: Rice

NHK Cool Japan: The "Rice" episode.

Rice consumption in Japan is steadily declining, while conversely, Japanese rice ball specialty shops that have expanded overseas have seen their sales double or even quadruple, even during the COVID-19 pandemic .

is genuine Japanese rice, grown by Japanese farmers and air-shipped from Japan .

I get the feeling that people overseas are now more appreciating the excellence of Japanese rice.

"Packaged rice"

We call rice "gohan," and we also call cooking and meals "gohan." Food equals rice .

food equals bread, or food equals pasta.

Rice is an object of worship and is connected to the very foundation of this country.

At the same time, it was also the center of the economic system, encompassing land value (kokudaka), wages, land tax, and other related matters.

A country whose culture and economy are built on rice.

However, until about 100 years ago, there were disputes over rice, such as the Rice Riots, and it's only recently that everyone has been able to eat rice.

Since the 1970s, when there was talk of a rice surplus and a decline in rice consumption, rice has rapidly become tastier.

The rice we eat now is so much tastier than the rice we ate when we were kids.

Brands and specific varieties have become more prominent, and delicious rice is now being exported.

This is a huge change.

"smart"

IT, robots, drones, AI.

Surprisingly, cutting-edge technology is quite compatible with agriculture, and smart farming is progressing rapidly.

The goal is to increase efficiency and improve crop quality, thereby raising food self-sufficiency. However, from the perspective of those on the ground, it's about making farming more enjoyable and profitable.

This has sparked interest among younger generations, and more people are considering trying their hand at agriculture.

Smart technology is a beacon of hope.

"Rinse-free rice"

It saves you time and effort at home.

Using rice bran as fertilizer helps protect the environment.

Because it can be cooked with little water, it is used as relief rice for disaster-stricken areas.

And it's delicious.

It's all good, and it looks like it's going to become the standard for rice in the future.

While domestic demand for rice is declining, the production of pre-washed rice continues to increase, exceeding 450,000 tons per year.

However, it would be a shame if the wonderful phrase "to wash rice" were to fall out of use.

Japan is a country of the United States, therefore the United States is Japan.

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NTT R&D FORUM2023

■NTT R&D FORUM2023

NTT R&D FORUM 2023

Technology Showcase @ Musashino Telecommunications Research Institute, again this year.

IOWN is a technology-driven vision unveiled by the leadership of Chairman Sawada and Vice President Kawazoe.

This is a grand vision following in the footsteps of INS (New Media) in the 1980s, VIP (Multimedia) in the 1990s, and NGN (Natural Network Network) in the 2000s.

IOWN.

Network modernization through "all-optical" technology that transcends IP, and "digital twins" that create a model identical to the real world in cyberspace.

Technologies such as AI, VR/AR, quantum computing, and biomedical fields are intertwined within this, like nested layers.

This is a comprehensive technological approach, distinct from Web3, aiming to surpass GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon).

"IOWN concept"

http://ichiyanakamura.blogspot.com/2020/11/iown.html

wrote about this last year too, you know.

"NTT R&D FORUM2022"

https://ichiyanakamura.blogspot.com/2023/02/ntt-r-forum2022.html

always absolutely blown away every year .

Last year, the digital twin metaverse on a gigantic display really blew me away .

But this year was the biggest surprise yet .

We've unveiled the large-scale language model Tsuzumi , which fully demonstrates our AI x IOWN strategy.

Tsuzumi, whose president, Shimada, and head of research and planning department, Shingo Kinoshita, just held a press conference on November 1st .

An LLM (Learning Language Master) that incorporates over 40 years of expertise in natural language processing technology.

It is said to have three key features: being ultra-lightweight, proficient in Japanese, and flexible.

The parameter size is significantly smaller, at 600-700 million compared to GPT-3's 175 billion, resulting in lower training and tuning costs.

It boasts world-class performance in Japanese language processing, supports modal information such as visual and auditory input, and allows for tuning specifically tailored to particular organizations and job roles.

They plan to launch their commercial service in March 2024.

 

Based on LLM, each organization customizes and implements its specialized AI.

This will be the main battleground for the AI business.

The fact that they implemented and fully showcased ChatGPT within a year demonstrates the strong commitment of a heavyweight organization.

(And I was impressed by how well-rehearsed the researchers' presentations were!)

This research involves extracting specific words from noise.

It seems possible to create a system that retrieves clips from a video archive based on specific keywords.

It looks like it could be sold to film and television companies around the world.

If applied, it could be used to create a system that extracts high-purity data from rough data and uses it to train AI.

It looks like it will sell to AI-using companies all over the world.

It's surprisingly big .

IOWN seems poised to realize low-latency, low-cost AI services, and I imagine they'll integrate them into spaces like stores and cars .

They're developing an all-light car. The car's interior becomes a single, integrated computer. It becomes a terminal directly connected to other cars, roads, and the cloud via light. It's going to be interesting.

Speaking of light, they proposed a system that changes the color of clothing using lighting.

Interesting research. And apparently, they even showcased it at Paris Fashion Week .

We take basic research and bring it to practical use, presenting it to the world through collaborations with fashion.

This is a good example of research outreach.

Artificial photosynthesis. I didn't know NTT was working on something like this .

I heard that while it's still some time away from being put into practical use, this will allow NTT to reduce the CO2 emissions necessary for communications and become "carbon negative . "

NTT is supposed to reduce the Earth's CO2 emissions.

Anyway, I like those kinds of stories.

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iU President-kun Gachon. Kenji Sudo

■iU President-kun Gachon:Mr.Kenji Sudo

From being the youngest executive officer at Recruit to starting a Silicon Valley company, he listed his UI improvement platform "Kaizen Platform" on the Mothers market. This is Sudoken.

https://bit.ly/3VLt66k

◆Why I quit my job

If I were the CEO, I would pursue M&A of overseas companies.

Indeed was the most formidable, and I couldn't think of any way to beat it, so I thought I would lose if it came along. Then Recruit, the company I used to work for, acquired it. It's amazing that they bought a company that I thought I couldn't beat. It's also amazing that they decided to acquire a company that possesses technology. If it were me, I would manage it that way. Cash flow comes from domestic companies, so I would buy overseas companies and do business in areas where the population is growing more rapidly.

I like creating businesses and doing hands-on work. I felt that what Recruit was trying to do didn't fit with my interests. I quit in order to work in a way that made me happy.

◆Why start a business in America?

There was no market for it within Japan. At Recruit, I was in charge of M&A and investments in overseas companies, and while observing how market capitalization grew, I realized how much of a discount you get when doing business within Japan. That's when I thought I had to go abroad. I wanted to become someone who could do business globally.

◆Difficulties after starting a business

Things went smoothly for about three years, but most startups struggle in their fourth to sixth year. There was a period of stagnation. When the growth of our initial business stalled, we had difficulty generating growth for our next business. Our video production business didn't grow until 2019, but it grew thanks to our partnership with Facebook and a 20% increase in wholesale paper prices in Japan.

This level of difficulty was beyond anything I had anticipated.

◆Did you start a business even though you knew it would be difficult?

If I had a time machine, I would do everything in my power to stop myself from starting a business. Global competition is incredibly tough.

However, my ignorance was actually a good thing. Because I started, I felt I had to do something about it, and that motivated me to keep going.

◆The existence of schools

There are so many things I wish I had studied. I only realize this when I understand how that knowledge is useful. To start a business in America, you need English. School was a place that taught me that in advance.

I lacked the social experience to know how to apply what I learned in school, so I slacked off a lot back then. I understand the meaning of school much better now that I've graduated.

I study more now that I'm an adult.

◆Areas where school education should change and areas where it has been useful

Those relationships continue to this day and are still useful. KNOW WHO. Who do you know? The friends you've shared meals with are irreplaceable.

It would be good to understand how the studying you're doing is actually useful. I think rote memorization is quite important, but it would be good to understand why you're rote memorization and what benefits it brings.

To thrive abroad, you need to be well-educated. Not just be able to speak English, but have a language to speak in. You need to be able to answer questions like, "What's Japan like?"

I didn't have many opportunities to interact with adults or members of society during my school life, so it would be great to have such opportunities.

◆A message for you

What we learn in school is about the past. We learn about things that have happened up to now. People who will live in the future might wonder if knowing the past is useful.

History repeats itself. Humans won't change much in the future. For example, cryptocurrencies and the tulip bubble have some similarities. Thanks to COVID-19, I researched the plague, and there are some commonalities. Knowing and learning from the past is never a waste of time when it comes to knowing the future.

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STEAM? Leave it to me.

 ■STEAM? Leave it to me.

Nikkei Children's Future Economy Forum: "What kind of learning fosters creativity in the DX era?"

Four women and one middle-aged man. I was completely out of place.

The theme is STEAM. First, let's introduce ourselves.

I've been involved in STEAM activities as a pioneer in Japan for the past 20 years, but the education sector has been hesitant about digitalization. From 2010, I worked with Hiroshi Komiyama, former president of the University of Tokyo, and Masayoshi Son to promote the digitalization of schools, but we faced opposition from the education sector and were even blacklisted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which was very difficult.

It took 10 years to enact legislation promoting digital education and to make programming a mandatory subject. Then COVID-19 hit, and the GIGA School initiative made it possible to have one PC per student all at once. There was hope that Japan could quickly transform from a digitally developing country to a developed one. However, AI is changing the landscape again. Now we are working on "super education" for the AI era.

iU, a university dedicated to cultivating digitally-driven innovators . While some predict that AI will eliminate half the world's universities, we aim to create a creative environment that will still be in demand. Digital technology and AI present a significant opportunity to shift from traditional, knowledge-cramming-based education to a more creative one, from early childhood to higher education.

Two questions.

1. How's GIGA ?

According to a survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, teachers say there have been positive changes and are hopeful for future results.

The important thing is that they are being evaluated as having improved motivation to learn.

The biggest challenge in Japanese education is that, compared to other countries, children don't find lessons interesting or useful.

The primary role of digital technology is to make things interesting and useful, and the results are showing.

There are regional disparities, but they will eventually be resolved. Above all, Japan was a developing country with a large information and digital gap with the rest of the world, so we should be happy that this gap has been closed in a leap of 25 years.

Japan has built a world-class education system using analog methods, and its teachers are excellent.

From here, we'll use digital technology to raise the overall level nationwide.

The cost of replacing the terminals was a problem, but with the recent supplementary budget, after receiving opinions from mayors and education superintendents nationwide, and with the support of members of parliament, 260 billion yen has been allocated, and funds will be established in each prefecture. I'm relieved.

The next challenge is how to integrate information technology into the home and how to approach AI.

GIGA devices haven't been brought home. This is a problem of internet inequality within households.

From how to connect 40,000 schools to how to connect 10 million households with children.

Digital education universal service.

In that context, it is necessary to learn digital literacy.

This is more of a Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications job than a Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology job.

And then there's the question of how to use AI. Universities are taking a wide range of approaches.

AI will become integrated into the digital world, and its use will become unavoidable. AI literacy will become crucial.

The Super Education Association proposed using AI in all classes.

iU also kept its AI policy to just seven characters: "We recommend using it."

Having suffered a digital defeat, Japan will have no chance if it also suffers a defeat in AI.

Q2. What should adults do?

The government should focus on infrastructure.

The money will be invested in public education. - Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

(Subsidies to companies are not needed.)

Home digitalization and internet connectivity. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The Digital Agency will promote the use of AI and data.

Coordination among these relevant ministries is crucial. In other words, it's a political issue.

I want this to be the government's top priority.

The younger generation will naturally become DX (Digital Transformation) professionals. The problem lies with the adults.

Recurrent education is important, but companies no longer have the resources to cultivate it internally as they once did.

We will nurture them in collaboration with universities and other institutions.

iU 's partnerships with 1,000 companies also stem from its desire to create a learning environment for the talent of those companies.

Recurrent education or reskilling—working and then going back to school to study again—is not a realistic option.

In this era of 100-year lifespans and constant change, designing an ever-learning approach—a continuous learning process—is crucial.

Universities shouldn't be limited to two or four years of study; we need a subscription-based system where students can stay for 10 or 20 years, learning whenever they want.

Before that happens, AI tutors may become highly developed, and having a good AI tutor could become a key factor in determining competitiveness.

The disparity in whether or not people can afford to invest in AI is likely to become a decisive factor.

Therefore, a guarantee that "everyone can use AI" is important.

 

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Cool Japan: Housing

 ■Cool Japan: Housing

NHK Cool Japan: The "Housing" episode.

The importance of "staying at home" has become paramount due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to one survey, more than 70% of Japanese people said they have spent more time at home in the past year.

Furthermore, more than 60% of people said that their stress levels have increased as a result of spending more time at home.

Is the home where we spend so much time comfortable? Are Japanese homes cool?

"Storage"

In the past, Japanese homes had fewer possessions and furniture.

Storage space was limited, so a wardrobe was part of the bride's trousseau.

As we became wealthier, we accumulated more possessions. We started showing them off, and things became chaotic.

These days, it's actually considered smarter to keep your home tidy.

Furthermore, the coronavirus pandemic has increased the amount of time I spend at home.

I'm currently re-evaluating my family's lifestyle from a hardware perspective.

"Share house"

This is a row house from the Edo period.

A lifestyle where wells, tools, and food are all shared within a single town.

In the modern era, life became centered around the workplace, and communities became more fragmented.

For generations that have grown accustomed to smartphone sharing services, a lifestyle of sharing and living together in a relaxed and enjoyable way has become natural.

with the decrease in person-to-person interaction due to the COVID-19 pandemic , I think this is a lifestyle worth paying attention to.

"Subscription"

Subscriptions are familiar to the smartphone generation.

I think that working from home during the coronavirus pandemic is less about forcing people to stay indoors and more about giving them the freedom to be wherever and whenever they want.

An era where people can live anywhere. A service that anticipates this.

In Japan, the problem of vacant houses is becoming serious due to an aging population and depopulation, and some estimates suggest that by 2033, approximately one in three houses will be vacant.

Furthermore, it serves as a means of matching people with new ways of working and living.

This could be seen as a more accessible way to revitalize a region than relocating, and it's likely to attract attention.

"Traditional construction methods"

Currently, the mainstream method of house construction is the "pre-cut" method, where lumber is processed by machines rather than by the hands of craftsmen.

Because carpenters only need to assemble pre-processed lumber on-site, traditional construction methods like hand-cutting are steadily declining.

This program often shows foreigners struggling to preserve Japanese traditions, but I think we Japanese should realize the importance of the wisdom we have passed down through generations.

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Coronavirus, Ukraine, and the Future: Academic Conference @ iU

 ■Coronavirus, Ukraine, and the Future: Academic Conference @ iU

I am the chairman of the International Association for Public Economics (CIRIEC).

Its headquarters are in Belgium. It is an international academic network.

We held our first academic conference at iU . Welcome!

Symposium: "Coronavirus, Ukraine, and the Future."

"In recent years, the world has faced two challenges: COVID-19 and Ukraine."

While the virus threatened human lives and devastated the economy, it also spurred digital transformation, such as teleworking and distance education.

The 14th-century plague is considered a contributing factor to the Renaissance, but what will the 21st-century epidemic produce?

"The conflict initiated by Russia involves modern nations still engaging in infantry battles over territory, while also incorporating digital warfare such as cyberattacks and disinformation. And now, fighting is also erupting in Israel and Gaza."

The world has entered another period of war. What legacy will 21st-century warfare leave behind?

The coronavirus and Ukraine. This double challenge, a combination of natural and artificial factors, is a pivotal event marking the turning point of the era.

What kind of changes await us after we overcome these challenges?

Some will develop, grow, and become larger.

Some may decline, be suppressed, and become smaller.

How should we respond?

And what are the challenges that public economics faces?

Panelists

Hiroto Fujii, Mayor of Minokamo City

Monte Cassem, President of AIU (International Christian University)

Naoto Kikuchi CIRIEC Director

Hiroshi Osaki, Chairman of the Expo Organizing Committee

Professor Nanako Ishido, KMD

Kang Hanna

Professor Noriyuki Yanagawa, University of Tokyo

Shinichi Yamaguchi, Associate Professor, International University of Japan

Everyone has a completely different background.

Politics, cities, music, comedy, education, society, economics, the internet.

As expected, the comments were all over the place.

However , if we try to interpret it forcefully,

This change will continue (Osaki), the entrance (Yanagawa).

The impact of AI (Ishido and Yamaguchi) may, conversely, lead to a return to the nation and nature (Kang).

using a different yardstick than growth or evolution ( Osaki ), and requiring well-being (Yanagawa) and satisfaction indicators (Yamaguchi).

"Festivals" are important (Osaki), and micro-communities and connections with people are being re-evaluated (Yanagawa and Yamaguchi).

That's where it all came together.

However, what's important, on top of all that, is "gardening" (according to Osaki) and "romance" (according to Fujii).

That might be the case.

International public economics is a broad field of study that deals with macroeconomics.

However, when specialists gather together, a tendency towards tunnel vision comes into play.

Embrace big changes, break down assumptions, and focus on the micro.

I think this is very important right now. Thank you.

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iU President Gachon: Prof.Masaru Sugiyama

■iU President Gachon: Prof.Masaru Sugiyama

He is a professor at the University of Tokyo and the director of the RIKEN AIP Center. In other words, he is at the top of AI research in Japan.

It's amazing that he became the top leader at the age of 41, and the government that appointed him deserves credit for that .

◆ AI research in Japan

There are a certain number of brilliant people conducting world-class research. However, their numbers are small, and the pool of talent is thin.

The RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project will continue basic research for 10 years, but to do so, we need a solid team of talented people. Therefore, we invite researchers not only from within Japan but also from overseas.

◆Singularity

It cannot be said that the era when AI surpasses human capabilities will not come. Indeed, AI is already surpassing humans in various aspects. We are in the midst of the beginning of the singularity.

◆Gap between researchers and users

Researchers enjoy developing technology because they understand its inner workings. On the other hand, ordinary users worry that their data is being collected without their knowledge, that they are being monitored, or that they will be controlled by AI. This gap is difficult to bridge. I would like to explain this from the perspective of a researcher.

◆ Let's make use of our technology

I personally like working in isolation. I'm comfortable working alone from home. That's fine when I'm developing technology, but when it comes to actually getting people to use it, I need to communicate with various people around me. I want to convey the possibilities to many people and connect them to actual applications, even if only a little.

◆ Research Institutes and Universities

RIKEN is a research institute, so it's mainly staffed by postdoctoral researchers who have earned their doctorates. Universities, on the other hand, are mainly staffed by graduate and undergraduate students. The age range and the degree to which research is dominated by different groups are different. There is value in doing both. If you do it right, you can get the best of both worlds.

◆Today's students

They are always excellent. Today's students know a wide range of things. They possess knowledge that we don't have, so we can learn from them.

◆ Working with companies

It's fun. Universities have students, RIKEN has researchers from public institutions, and companies have lots of people with the drive to actually turn that into a business. When you go there, you're just a newbie in your first year. You get all sorts of stimulation. You learn from that and use it as the seed for basic research.

◆Time Management

It depends on the time. My main job is at a university and research institute, so I only act as a corporate advisor in my spare time.

◆Student days

I didn't have a particularly fulfilling student life. I didn't really like school. I studied in class to some extent, but nothing more, nothing less. I spent my time at home playing on computers and video games. I'm from the Famicom generation. Programming came naturally as a result of that.

◆The reason I decided to pursue a career as a researcher

Without any hesitation, I chose information engineering. However, once I entered university, programming suddenly became less enjoyable. I didn't study very hard during university.

In my fourth year, I joined a research lab studying mathematical theory. I had a great professor, and working with him there made me realize how interesting it all was. After entering graduate school, I started researching machine learning. That's when I finally understood the meaning of coming to university. As an undergraduate, I thought I was done with studying since I was just attending lectures, but as a graduate student, I realized that output is what's required. That's when I understood that I had been studying in order to produce output. In my first year of graduate school, I realized how necessary it was, so I started attending first and second-year undergraduate classes. That's when I first found it interesting.

◆Motivation to learn

I'm trying my best to convey to first and second graders that even the seemingly boring math lessons they'll be taking are actually useful, but it's difficult.

◆Japanese Education

We're always adding things, wanting to do this and that. We need to subtract. Time is limited. Let them find something they love and enjoy studying it. We can create new things, but we can never destroy them.

◆A message for you

There's no need to rush. Life is long. You might feel anxious when you see young people who are very successful, but you can start new things even at 22, 30, or 40. Don't get discouraged; just enjoy it at your own pace. The world is constantly changing, so trying to keep up will be exhausting. It's important to focus on doing things that don't change much.

★Postscript

He apparently didn't study much at university. Then something clicked, and he rose to the top of academia and management at a young age. But he doesn't seem to give off any sense of gravitas . I admire him. Though, even if I admire him, I could never imitate him!

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