Aiming for the efficient usage of electricity, the three parties will test a system for trading electricity between individuals by utilizing distributed power supplies such as solar panels, secondary batteries, and electrified vehicles. Tokyo, Japan, May 23, 2019―The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota), and TRENDE Inc., (TRENDE) will jointly conduct tests, from June 17 at Toyota’s Higashifuji […]
toyota
The master craftsmanship of the Century, Japan’s only chauffeur-driven car
A look inside Toyota Motor East Japan’s Higashi-Fuji Plant, which is responsible for producing every Century model, reveals the many ways master craftsmen leave their mark. A full model change in June 2018 led to the development of the third-generation Century, which remains Japan’s only chauffeur-driven automobile. Each Century model has been handcrafted at Higashi-Fuji Plant of Toyota Motor East […]

Japan Takes Fast Follower Approach on Artificial Intelligence, Too
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has recently become a buzzword around the globe. The processing power of microchips is now strong enough for machines to do very complex tasks. In 2015, Google’s AlphaGo defeated the best human players in the board game Go, which was considered the last bastion of human advantage. It did not use pure computing power, but deep […]

Japanese Business at a Tipping Point: The Importance of Marketing
This is the first in a series of columns about Japan Inc.’s ultimate global challenge: marketing. Japan is the world’s third largest economy; it is an influential country and will continue to be a valuable contributor to the global economy. In the 1950s, Japan competed largely on low prices, low wages and selling cheap imitations of western goods. Recognizing the […]

Toyota Closes Another Gap in Sustainable Mobility
Green driving just got one option richer in Japan. At one of its largest press conferences since introducing the Mirai two years ago, Toyota launched its new Prius PHV plug-in hybrid. The automaker is shooting to sell each month 2,500 of the car it considers to be a key to sustainable mobility. Consumers nowadays have a broad range of electrified […]