Green' internal-combustion engines to power heavy vehicles of the future
General Motors (GM) CEO Dan Akerson created a stir late last year by referring to the new Toyota Prius hybrid as a "geek-mobile," while claiming that the Volt -- GM's new "electric" car -- "actually looks good." When the Volt was unveiled, however, we discovered that the "electric" car was equipped with a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. In other words, it turns out that the GM Volt is a hybrid, not an electric car. Yet, GM keeps insisting that the Volt is a new type of electric vehicle, and unsurprisingly, the market has responded with cynicism. The purpose of this column is not to knock GM, however. What I really want to point out is that the GM Volt hoopla shows just how superior internal combustion engines are. They aren't going to disappear into obsolescence without a fight. Rather, all signs are pointing to a possible internal combustion comeback. Gasoline engine efficiency has been improving in leaps and bounds, but what we should really keep a close eye on are diesel engines, according to Keio University Graduate School of Media and Governance professor Toshinobu Kanaya. Although diesel engines have generally been considered a major contributor to environmental contamination in Japan, the situation seems to be changing. Developed in the late 1990s, the common rail system -- which breaks down light fuel oil into ultrafine particles before supplying it to injectors -- drastically cuts back pollutant emissions such as nitrogen oxide. About half the new cars in Europe are equipped with diesel engines, which emit about 20 to 30 percent less carbon dioxide than gasoline cars. Another up-and-coming "green" internal-combustion car is the natural gas vehicle. Thanks to a new method of extracting natural gas from shale newly devised in the U.S., shale gas supply has increased significantly, enough for some to call the latest developments a "shale revolution." While electric and hybrid cars are attracting widespread interest today, there is a great possibility that diesel and natural gas will become the norm for large, long-distance trucks and other commercial cars. With the technology we have today, the production of an electric-powered truck with a maximum loading capacity of 10 metric tons would require the installment of a 10-ton battery -- which defeats the purpose of the truck. Of course, batteries are expected to become more lightweight, but there's a limit to that. We are inclined to think of electric-powered cars when it comes to next-generation vehicles. But it is likely that the majority of overland transport vehicles will continue to be equipped with internal combustion engines. When we start replacing light fuel oil with biomass-derived fuel, it will be a sign that the internal combustion engine's comeback is finally in full swing. (By Michio Ushioda, Expert Senior Writer)
ゼネラル・モーターズ（ＧＭ）の最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）、ダニエル・アカーソン氏は昨年末、トヨタのハイブリッドカー、プリウスを「おたくっぽい」と評して物議をかもした。 それに比べて、ＧＭが新開発した「電気自動車」ボルトは「実にかっこいい」と自画自賛した。ところが、この車、公開されてみると「電気自動車」といいながら、ガソリンエンジンを搭載していることが分かった。つまりはハイブリッドカーであって電気自動車とはいえない。 それでもＧＭはなお、これは新種の電気自動車だと言い張っているそうだが、市場にはシラケ気分が漂っている。それはそうだろう。 が、今回のコラムはＧＭをくさすのが目的ではない。このＧＭのケースが示しているのは、いかに内燃機関というものが「優れもの」であるかということだ。そう簡単にはくたばらない。いや、それどころか、「内燃機関の逆襲」が起きそうな情勢だ。 ガソリンエンジンの燃費の向上も著しいが、金谷年展慶応大学大学院教授によれば注目株はディーゼルエンジンだ。日本ではディーゼルといえば環境汚染の元凶のように思われているが、状況は一変している。 ９０年代の後半にコモンレールシステムといって、軽油を超微粒子にして供給する方式が開発され、窒素酸化物などの汚染物質の排出が劇的に減った。二酸化炭素もガソリン車に比べ、２～３割は少ないという。欧州では新車の半分はディーゼルだ。 内燃機関のクリーンカーとしてもうひとつ注目株がある。天然ガス車だ。従来取り出せなかった頁岩（けつがん）層から天然ガスを採取する手法が米国で開発され、「シェールガス革命」とよばれるほどに天然ガスの供給力が拡大した。 日本では電気自動車と部分的電気自動車ともいうべきハイブリッドカーに耳目が集まっているが、大型・遠距離のトラック、商用車部門はディーゼル車、天然ガス車がになっていく可能性が大きい。 というのも、例えば１０トン積みトラックを電気自動車で作れば、現状では１０トンもの重さの電池（バッテリー）を載せる必要がある。これでは荷物を全然積みこめない。もちろん、電池は今後軽量化されるだろうが限界がある。 次世代のクリーンカーというと電気自動車系に目がいくが、今後も陸上運輸の相当部分、とくにトラックは内燃機関を積んだ車が主役をになうのではないか。軽油の代わりにバイオマス由来の燃料を使うようになれば、内燃機関の逆襲はいよいよ本格化
Death sentence for AUM's Tsuchiya finalized AP The death sentence for Masami Tsuchiya, a former senior member of the AUM Shinrikyo cult who was convicted over a series of crimes committed by the group, has been finalized, the Supreme Court said Tuesday. Tsuchiya, 46, is the 11th AUM member to be sentenced to death. He was convicted of involvement in six AUM-related cases, including the deadly sarin gas attacks on a residential area in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, in June 1994 and on the Tokyo subway system in March 1995. (AP)
'Penguin-cam' reveals secrets of life below the ice Reuters The secret life of Adelie penguins is not quite so secret anymore, thanks to Japanese scientists who attached video cameras to the backs of birds for a rare active glimpse of life as a penguin sees it. Penguins jumping into the water from ice floes, swimming under water to capture food and other scenes of life beneath the ice were all captured with surprising clarity, said a spokesman for the National Institute of Polar Research, Japan. The cameras, set on standby mode, automatically switched on once the penguins entered the water to shoot some 90 minutes of footage. (Reuters)
Bankruptcy cases decline in Japan CNN Corporate bankruptcies in Japan fell to 987 cases in February -- a 9.4% drop from levels a year ago, the credit research firm Tokyo Shoko Research said Tuesday. It was the first time in nearly five and a half years that the total has fallen below 1,000. The February figures marked the 19th consecutive month that bankruptcies have declined on a year-on-year basis. Tokyo Shoko said government support in financing medium- and small-sized companies helped to curb financial failures. (CNN)
US to hand over four suspects after attack on Japanese ship monstersandcritics.com Four pirates accused of attacking a tanker operated by a Japanese company are to be brought to Japan, officials said Tuesday. US forces, which took the four into custody, were expected to hand them over to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, Justice Minister Satsuki Eda told a news conference. The suspects appeared to be Somali but had not confirmed their nationalities, Jiji press quoted anonymous officials as saying. (monstersandcritics.com
10 Emperor meets with Serbian President Tadic Emperor Akihito met with Serbian President Boris Tadic Wednesday at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, the Imperial Household Agency said. According to the agency, the Serbian president, who is on an official visit to Japan this week, told the emperor that his and Empress Michiko's visit to the former Yugoslavia in 1976 was very important for Serbia, and the emperor expressed his happiness. (AP)
4 deaths in Japan not tied to shots There's no direct link between two vaccines that help prevent meningitis and pneumonia and the deaths of four children in Japan, a panel of medical experts says. The Japanese panelists will continue to do more checks, Kyodo news agency reported Tuesday. The two vaccines are Pfizer's Prevnar 7 and Sanofi-Aventis's ActHib, which protect against bacterial infections that can lead to meningitis and pneumonia. Japan temporarily suspended use of the vaccines during the investigation. The experts' findings mean Japan will likely return to using the vaccines, Dow Jones reported. (CBC News)
Deaths of 2 Japanese in N.Z. quake confirmed: Foreign Ministry The Japanese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it has confirmed the deaths of two Japanese missing since the major quake in New Zealand on Feb. 22. (AP)
Japan names new foreign minister Japan on Wednesday named a new foreign minister, three days after a political scandal toppled his predecessor. Vice Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto will succeed Seiji Maehara, officials said. "I'm apologizing to the people of Japan for this political uneasiness," Maehara said at the Sunday news conference at which his resignation was announced. The foreign minister had been under scrutiny for a political contribution he received from a South Korean living in Japan. (CNN
Huge earthquake rocks Japan A 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Japan this afternoon has triggered a small tsunami, but with no reports of damage. The quake hit at 11.45am about 169 kilometres off the city of Sendai in northern Japan at a depth of 14 kilometres. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning of up to 50 centimetres for the east coast of the main Honshu island. A 60-centimetre wave was first reported at Ofunato port half an hour after the quake without causing any damage. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Japan launches primary push to teach English With just weeks to go before English becomes a compulsory subject at Japan's primary schools, doubts surround the boldest attempt in decades to improve the country's language skills, and its ability to compete overseas with rival Asian economies. The new curriculum is to be introduced after intense lobbying from the business community, amid fears that Japan's competitive edge could be blunted unless it takes English communication as seriously as China and South Korea. The new classes, which start in April, will be aimed at fifth- and sixth-grade pupils, aged 10-12, at all of Japan's public primary schools. The lessons will be held only once a week - or 35 times a year - with each lasting 45 minutes. (guardian.co.uk)
US Japan desk diplomat replaced for Okinawa comments BBC The head of the US State Department's desk for Japan has been replaced, for apparently making disparaging remarks about the people of Okinawa. Japanese media quoted the official, Kevin Maher, as saying Okinawans were lazy and used their island's hosting of US military bases to extort benefits. The State Department said the remarks attributed to Mr Maher were regrettable and did not reflect government policy. (BBC)
Japan hit by aftershocks after powerful earthquake AP A series of powerful aftershocks shook the eastern coast of Japan early Thursday, briefly triggering a tsunami alert, in the wake of a strong earthquake that hit a day earlier. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quakes. The country's meteorological agency said Thursday's quakes were likely aftershocks from a 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit in the same area Wednesday, shaking buildings hundreds of miles (kilometers) away in Tokyo and triggering a small tsunami. (AP)
Ueno Zoo's giant pandas get new names Japan Times The two newly arrived giant pandas at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo have been named, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday. "Ri Ri" and "Shin Shin" were chosen from 40,438 suggestions sent in by the public. The pandas, which arrived at the zoo Feb. 21, will go on public display at 1 p.m. March 22, the metropolitan government added. The male, Ri Ri, was called Bili in China, while the female, Xiannu, was renamed Shin Shin. The two kanji characters for Ri Ri stand for power. Shin Shin means truth or genuine. (Japan Times)
Japan economy contracts by more than thought in Q4 AFP Japan's economy contracted by more than first thought in the fourth quarter of 2010 due to weaker-than-expected business investment and private consumption, data showed Thursday. The economy contracted by a revised 1.3 percent in the quarter, compared to an initial estimate of a 1.1 percent slide, as expiring subsidies hit car sales, a new tobacco tax sapped cigarette demand and a strong yen hurt exports. Japanese GDP data is subject to constant revision and the latest was in line with the median forecast in a survey of economists by Dow Jones Newswires and the Nikkei business daily. (AFP)
20 1st Person: Rich Japan's misery stuns war reporter by Seattle Times Bodies are strewn among the knotted skeletons of entire towns. Military helicopters clatter overhead. Survivors who lost everything huddle under blankets in schools-turned-shelters as foreign governments dispatch aid and urge their citizens to flee. After years spent reporting from desperate and war-torn corners of the world, the scenes I've witnessed here are unsettlingly familiar.
It's the setting that's not.
Here, in one of the richest and most advanced nations on earth, I've found one of most challenging assignments of my career.
The grim sights have been widely compared to the astonishing destruction wrought here during World War II. But it also reminds me of Lebanon in 2006 - when Israel's Hezbollah-seeking rockets vaporized whole villages - or any other conflict zone filled with refugees and military convoys. (Seattle Times)
Sony, Nissan prepare to resume operations at factories idled by earthquake by Bloomberg Sony Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. said they're preparing to resume production at some factories as Japanese manufacturers seek to recover from the strongest earthquake on record to jolt the world's third-largest economy. Sony plans to resume a plant that makes rechargeable batteries in Tochigi prefecture, northern Japan, from March 22, Hiroshi Okubo, a Tokyo-based spokesman, said today. Nissan, Japan's second-largest automaker, said in a statement it will begin the resumption of operations at six factories tomorrow and some vehicle assembly from March 24.
Scores of Japanese companies have been forced to halt some operations after the March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan, claimed more than 8,000 lives. Manufacturers are also facing ]power outages, disruptions in the supply chain and a strong yen that's undermining the competitiveness of exports. (Bloomberg)
Offers of foreign aid pour in for Japan quake zone by Reuters Francis Markus, a spokesman for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said aid efforts in Japan would be quite different from those after the 2004 tsunami. "There will be useful and significant amounts of financial support from outside, but there isn't likely to be the same kind of set-up as after the tsunami when many organisations set up operations in a more or less autonomous way in those countries," he said.
Asked if the crisis over radiation leaks from a damaged nuclear plant was diverting attention from aid, Markus said: "Obviously the nuclear crisis has been a complicating factor in the human situation, but I wouldn't say the government has been distracted." (Reuters)
Two survivors found under rubble in Japan by MSNBC Rescuers have found two earthquake survivors under the rubble in Japan's earthquake-devastated Miyagi Prefecture, state broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday. The two, a 80-year-old woman and 16-year-old boy, were airlifted by helicopter NHK reported citing Miyagi police.
The rare good news punctuated the traumatic hunt for bodies and missing people.
"This morning my next door neighbor came crying to me that she still can't find her husband. All I could tell her was, 'We'll do our best, so just hold on a little longer,'" fire brigade officer Takao Sato in the disaster zone said.
About 257,000 households in the north still have no electricity and at least 1 million lack running water. Food, water, medicine and fuel are short in some parts, and low temperatures during Japan's winter are not helping. (MSNBC)
21 Bid to 'protect assets' slowed reactor fight Crucial efforts to tame Japan's crippled nuclear plant were delayed by concerns over damaging valuable power assets and by initial passivity on the part of the government, people familiar with the situation said, offering new insight into the management of the crisis. Meanwhile, a regulator who was inspecting the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power complex when the quake hit offered The Wall Street Journal one of the first eyewitness accounts of the havoc at the site, describing how the temblor took down all communications in the area, greatly complicating the response. The plant's operator-Tokyo Electric Power Co., or Tepco-considered using seawater from the nearby coast to cool one of its six reactors at least as early as last Saturday morning, the day after the quake struck. But it didn't do so until that evening, after the prime minister ordered it following an explosion at the facility. Tepco didn't begin using seawater at other reactors until Sunday. (Wall Street Journal)
The first, and most fundamental, lesson from other natural disasters is that the economy is the least important thing to worry about. Typically, if economic effects are measured simply by gross domestic product, natural disasters cause a short-term loss in output, thanks to the destruction of offices and factories and the disruption to transport links, but after just a few months they actually act like an economic stimulus package. This is what happened after Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. in 2005, and it was what happened after Japan's last massively deadly earthquake, the temblor in Kobe in 1995 that killed 6,500 people. Reconstruction spending kicks in quickly, creating jobs, raising incomes, and boosting activity. Insurance pays for some of it, government spending and private investment the rest. The only real difference in the current Japanese disaster is that the scale of it will be unknowable until the nuclear dangers have either transpired or been brought definitively under control. Admittedly, nuclear-power plants are not insured commercially, but rather by the government and the power companies themselves, so in this case more of the costs will fall on the state. (NewsWeek)
In post-quake Japan, no rest for weary government spokesman Edano For Japanese glued to their television sets these past 10 days, there have been many tragic and indelible images: the monster waves carrying away people and homes; the towns reduced to rubble in the water's wake; evacuees from the area around the Fukushima nuclear plant lining up to be tested for radiation exposure. Just as familiar is the haggard visage of Yukio Edano - his eyes heavy with fatigue, his black hair slightly unkempt - as he briefs the nation on the latest developments from the nuclear zone and the tsunami-battered area further northeast, always wearing the same light blue emergency services jumpsuit. (theglobeandmail.com)
Whistleblower slams Japan nuclear regulation A nuclear industry whistleblower who helped design protective containment vessels for reactors has attacked the Japanese government, its nuclear industry and regulators over their safety record. Dr Masashi Goto, a nuclear engineer, resigned from his job at the Toshiba Corporation over safety concerns. Toshiba supplied two of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant that was stricken by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11. Dr Goto criticises his country's record on nuclear safety. "We have the government commission overseeing nuclear safety standards and in my opinion they are not doing their job," he told ABC correspondent Eric Campbell last Thursday in Tokyo in an exclusive interview for Four Corners. (ABC News)
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