Shin-Etsu Chemical said Tuesday that it will build a new semiconductor materials plant in the city of Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, at a cost of some 83 billion. The plant, slated to be completed by 2026, will make photoresists, including extreme ultraviolet resists used for state-of-the-art chips for generative artificial intelligence systems, and other semiconductor-related materials. The investment includes the cost to buy a 150,000-square-meter site for the factory. It will be the Japanese company's first new domestic production base since its plant in the city of Kamisu, Ibaraki Prefecture, was built in 1970. The Isesaki plant will also carry out research and development in the future. Currently, the company makes photoresists and related products at its plants in the prefectures of Niigata and Fukui, both along the Sea of Japan, and in Taiwan.

MAEBASHI – A town in Gunma Prefecture will kick of trials for an autonomous amphibious tour bus this winter as part of a project to foster tourism and facilitate the transport of goods between islands. The trial will be the first of its type in the world, according to the town of Naganohara. The amphibious bus began manned operations last month around Yamba Dam, a long-delayed project that was finally completed in March. The project team involving the Saitama Institute of Technology and other organizations plans to conduct research and development on the vehicle for two years, with an eye to putting into practical use in five years, the private university said. The team has secured a fiscal 2020 budget of around ¥250 million ($2.36 million) for the project, with a contribution from the Nippon Foundation.

They are trying to get a head start, and unlike most of the 11,000 athletes who will be in Tokyo for the games, and thousands more for the Paralympics, they will be able to speak Japanese. "Just the language itself, I love it," said Abraham Majok, a runner who arrived in Japan in November with three other South Sudanese athletes and a coach. "And it's nice and since we started learning it. But, you know, we are moving well with it and we just love it." They are training northwest of Tokyo in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, supported mainly by donations from the public.