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Asahi Shimbun
10-07-2025
- Science
- Asahi Shimbun
Kyushu locals, farmers uneasy with volcano's latest eruption
The crater of Mount Shinmoedake, captured by a drone around 2 p.m. on July 3. Experts are watching closely to see if eruptions will expand further in the future. (Provided by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology's Geological Survey of Japan) Since Mount Shinmoedake began erupting on June 22, experts are continuing to closely monitor the southern Kyushu volcano in the event the volcanic activity veers from past flare-ups. At 1,421 meters tall, this member of the volcanic Kirishima Mountain Range sits on the border between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures. A 5,000-meter plume was observed on July 3. "The ashes fell from the sky silently as if they were snowflakes," a 70-year-old resident of Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, observed that same day. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, ash fell in such large amounts that white lines on roads in Kirishima became obscured, and very loud rumblings were heard in Kobayashi, Miyazaki Prefecture. Venturing outside at around 10 a.m. on July 4, the Kirishima resident saw that the mountains, grass, flowers, roads and roofs were all stained gray, as if cement had been poured over the entire area and all colors lost. She shared that the road was covered in 2 to 3 centimeters of ash, her shoes leaving tracks as though she were walking through snow. Subsequent rain would wash away the ashes and restore the road's colors. However, the bottom of the nearby river turned gray, and the ash remaining on the road hardened into a muddy substance, the woman said. Although she has not felt any physical changes, she sighed, and said, 'How long will it last? I'm worried about my future life.' 'FIST-SIZE CINDERS' LAST TIME The JMA confirmed that the volcano is still active, warning that there is a risk of cinders and pyroclastic flows within 2 to 3 kilometers of the crater. It also cautions residents in other areas to prepare for the possibility that shock waves from an explosion could break windows. Mount Shinmoedake has had volcanic activity and eruptions from ancient times. When it erupted in 2011, the JMA's volcanic eruption prediction liaison committee described the event that disrupted transportation and agriculture as the volcano's 'first full-scale magma eruption in 300 years.' The latest eruption is the first in seven years, and experts are meticulously watching to see if its activity is different from previous ones. The estimated total volume of ejecta over the six-day phenomenon back in 2011 was 50 million tons. This is about 10 times what Mount Sakurajima spews annually with an estimated volume of 5 million tons of ejecta in a normal year. According to the Cabinet Office and other organizations, shock waves broke many windows and automotive glass. Fist-size cinders, meanwhile, destroyed solar panels. The ashfall was particularly disruptive to vegetable harvests over an area of about 12,000 hectares. FLIGHTS CANCELED, CROPS COVERED This time, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) based in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, has conducted a field survey of Mount Shinmoedake. According to the AIST, gray volcanic plumes are spouting vigorously from a newly formed line of vents in the southeastern part of the crater. There is a chance this line of vents generated pyroclastic flows, the AIST said. 'It is almost certain that there is a new supply of magma.' said Isoji Miyagi, chief researcher of volcanology at AIST's Geological Survey of Japan. Magmatic eruptions like this are accompanied by the potential of prolonged or large-scale eruptions. 'Even if the activity temporarily ceases, there is a possibility that a larger eruption will occur later, so we need to be careful,' said Miyagi. The researcher and his team are not taking this lightly. He added, 'At this point, we cannot say how long it will continue, but we are conducting our research with the possibility in mind that the activity of Mount Shinmoedake may have changed from its previous patterns.' This year's eruption has already impacted the region. Ashfall from Mount Shinmoedake caused the cancellation of 139 Japan Airlines flights and 16 All Nippon Airways flights over a three-day period from July 2 to 4. Flights were mainly to and from Kagoshima Airport in Kirishima. The Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Miyazaki's Kobayashi district headquarters reported that crops have also been affected. Echoing the Kirishima resident, Kiminori Higashi of the headquarters in Miyazaki Prefecture said, 'I'm worried about the future.' Cucumbers and bitter melons are currently in the harvest season. Higashi is concerned that washing ash off of the vegetables may not be completely effective or result in discoloring. (This article was written by Ryo Sasaki and Kenta Iijima.)
NHK
08-07-2025
- Science
- NHK
Magma could further activate volcano in southwestern Japan
Experts in Japan have found that ash spewing from an erupting volcano in the country's southwest since last month contains an increasing volume of substances derived from fresh magma. Authorities are urging people to beware of falling volcanic rocks and pyroclastic flows around the crater as magma may be building up. Mount Shinmoedake in the Kirishima mountain range straddles the prefectures of Kagoshima and Miyazaki. It erupted on June 22 for the first time since 2018. Eruptions are continuing. The volcano blew an ash plume over 5,000 meters above its crater. It is also releasing 2,100 to 4,000 tons of sulfur dioxide contained in volcanic gas per day. Researchers in the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology analyzed the ash from last Wednesday's eruption and detected several percent of substances that came from new magma. They said only a fraction of such substances were observed at the start of the eruption. The Japan Meteorological Agency suggests that the recent trend could be driven by underground magma activity. Usui Yuji, an analyst in the agency's volcanology department, said the recent events are not close to steam eruptions, but they cannot be called magma eruptions either. He said they appear to be something in-between. He warned that if the volcano shifts to full-scale magma eruptions, large amounts of ash could be spewed and lava could flow down. Usui said the agency has already specified an alert zone in the event of a magma eruption, and asked people to stay away from the area. Agency officials are warning that large volcanic rocks may fall within about a 3-kilometer radius from the crater, and that pyroclastic flows could travel within about a 2-kilometer radius. They are also urging people to beware of pressure waves caused by an explosive eruption that could break window panes.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
IEEE Study Describes Polymer Waveguides for Reliable, High-Capacity Optical Communication
Researchers discover that glass-epoxy-based waveguides have characteristics ideal for transmitting optical signals in co-packaged optics PISCATAWAY, N.J., June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Co-packaged optics (CPO) technology can integrate photonic integrated circuits (PICs) with electronic integrated circuits like CPUs and GPUs on a single platform. This advanced technology has immense potential to improve data transmission efficiency within data centers and high-performance computing environments. CPO systems require an integrated or external laser source for operation. While integrated laser sources allow for dense CPO integration, ensuring consistent reliability can be challenging, which may affect overall system robustness. The use of external laser sources (ELS) in CPO, in comparison, offers improved system reliability. Single-mode polymer waveguides are crucial components of many PICs, where they help couple light from an external laser to the PIC. They are cost-effective, mechanically flexible, and highly compatible, showing significant potential for use in CPO systems utilizing ELS. Now, a team of researchers led by Dr. Satoshi Suda from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan have tested the stability and reliability of single-mode polymer waveguides fabricated on glass-epoxy substrates. Their findings published in IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology, suggest that these polymer waveguides have a range of desirable characteristics that make them a promising addition to future CPO systems. The team fabricated 11-mm-long polymer waveguides using direct laser writing on FR4 glass-epoxy substrates. The waveguides had well-controlled core dimensions (9.0 µm × 7.0 µm), suitable for matching standard single-mode fibers. They exhibited low polarization-dependent loss and low differential group delay, along with excellent uniformity across eight fabricated samples. The researchers found that the fabricated waveguides possess consistent insertion loss and mode field dimensions. In addition, they exhibited desirable polarization extinction ratio (a critical metric that reflects the ability of waveguides to maintain a specific polarization for the signals they transmit). The testing of waveguides under high-power conditions revealed that the waveguides were resistant to power degradation even after 6 hours of continuous use, while showing minimal heating concerns. The ELS used in these experiments, which enabled stable operation for six hours, was provided by Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. "These findings demonstrate the strong potential of polymer waveguides for practical deployment in demanding CPO systems, providing a reliable foundation for next-generation high-density and high-capacity optical communication technologies," concludes Dr. Suda. Reference Title of original paper: High-Power Stability and Reliability of Polymer Optical Waveguide for Co-Packaged Optics Journal: IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology DOI: 10.1109/JLT.2025.3543339 Contact: Kristen Amoroso +1(732) 562-6694 396307@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE IEEE Photonics Society
Japan Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Singapore envoy eyes stronger cyber and digital links with Japan
Cybersecurity and digitalization are among five key areas where Japan and Singapore plan to take relations to fresh highs next year as the partners look to step up cooperation on emerging technologies such as quantum computing, according to the city-state's envoy to Tokyo. 'When it comes to cybersecurity, there are so many different areas that you can look at,' Ambassador Ong Eng Chuan said in an interview with The Japan Times ahead of the two countries' 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026. 'While today is artificial intelligence, tomorrow we're looking at the possibility of quantum technology, taking it a step further,' he said, noting that post-quantum cryptography — the development cryptographic systems designed to be secure against both quantum and classical computers — 'is going to create a whole new set of challenges and opportunities.' Ong said Singapore hopes to 'collaborate closely' with Japan in this area 'because the country is already developing that technical capability. He pointed to the work being done by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, which is working with Intel on a next-general silicon quantum computer. The ambassador said Japan and Singapore plan to use the 2026 anniversary 'as a benchmark to upgrade our relationship,' noting that the partners also aim to deepen collaboration in the areas of trade and the economy, sustainability and climate change, defense and security and people-to-people exchanges. One important and overlooked area of cooperation is how Singapore, which has a Ministry of Digital Development and Information, is often seen as a model for Tokyo's transition to a digital economy, especially as Japan continues to lag behind others, ranking 31st in an international comparison of digital competitiveness conducted last year. Singapore, which ranked No. 1 in the same survey, has been working for at least a decade to become a "smart nation" by leveraging technology to improve different areas such as government, infrastructure and the economy. That drive is supported by a large contingent of government IT engineers, compared with that of Japan — a country of over 120 million people as opposed to Singapore's 6 million. This includes digitalizing government services, with Singaporeans now using apps such as SingPass or LifeSG that enable them to not only have a digital ID card but also interact with the government electronically and access services such as applying for passports, birth certificates and driver licenses from anywhere. Japan, which has sent teams to examine Singapore's approach, is believed to have taken inspiration from the city-state when it began integrating its health insurance card into the My Number Card last year. 'Japan is a very advanced country when it comes to technology, but it's more in terms of the implementation that I think we can share a little bit of our experience,' Ong said. 'So maybe once there is more collaboration in that area, more examples of successes in Singapore, people may be more open to see the conveniences that such technologies can bring to their lives,' he added. 'And I think once that happens, Japan will be an even more efficient country.'
18-05-2025
- Business
Ishiba to Revamp Strategy to Industrialize Quantum Tech
Tsukuba, Ibaraki Pref., May 18 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday that his government will "drastically strengthen" its strategy to industrialize quantum technology, amid growing international competition in this field. Positioning this year as "the first year of quantum industrialization," Ishiba indicated that the government will promote support for related startups and human resource development. Quantum technology is "expected to become a new industrial pillar of our country, and also important for economic security," the prime minister told reporters in the city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, east of Tokyo. While in the city, Ishiba visited the Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI technology under the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, or AIST. He inspected quantum computing research and interacted with researchers there. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
