Visitors from far and wide have been traveling to Japan, with the country breaking a tourism record in 2024. Between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, projections indicated that nearly 33.4 million travelers visited Japan, according to the country's government site. Nearly three million Americans visited the country in 2024. Hokuto Asano, first secretary at the Embassy of Japan, told Fox News Digital that the number of visitors last year ended up reaching 36 million. Yukiyoshi Noguchi, who is the counselor at the embassy, said 2024 was declared the "U.S.-Japan Tourism Year" by both governments.

Beijing – With China likely to have been the only major country to achieve positive economic growth in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, fears are mounting that Japan will fall further behind the world's second-largest economy, particularly in digital technology. Some foreign affairs experts are optimistic on China's rise in the digital field, saying it will provide commercial opportunities for Japanese companies -- many of which have been bolstering their business relations with Chinese firms. Others, however, have warned that unless Japan makes serious efforts to promote its own digital competency as a national strategy, the world's third-biggest economy could be swallowed up by China's more influential platform in the not-so-distant future. Although Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has pledged to make digitalization a top policy priority since taking office in September, he has yet to yield visible results as he has had to concentrate on steps to contain the virus crisis. China's economy is expected to "gain momentum in 2021 with domestic demand bouncing back from the coronavirus shock," probably allowing the Communist-led nation to spend "huge money" on developing digital technology, a diplomatic source in Beijing said.

A woman wearing a Cyberdyne lumbar robotic suit, which is designed to help her walk, gets an assist from caregiver Asami Konishi. TSUKUBA, Japan -- In America and other aging societies around the world, it has become common for the elderly to be cared for by their graying children or older workers. That's largely because the younger labor force is shrinking, and few want to do such low-paying, back-aching work. Japan sees an answer in robots. At Minami Tsukuba nursing home near Tokyo, caregiver Asami Konishi wears a robotic device on her hips that cuts the stress on her back when she bends and lifts someone.

Astronaut Soichi Noguchi has been selected to take part in a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station starting around the end of 2019, Japan's space agency said Tuesday. It will be the third ISS mission for the 52-year-old, following earlier expeditions in 2005 and 2009. Training for the mission, which will be carried out in both Japan and the United States, starts from Nov. 20. "I am extremely honored as I may be able to witness a big turning point in the history of manned space flights," Noguchi said. Noguchi will be responsible for maintaining ISS facilities, including the Japanese laboratory module Kibo, as well as conducting experiments and operating the station's robotic arm.

In a few years, robotic farming equipment will be able to plow and prepare soil while human farmers sleep. That is what Hokkaido University professor Noboru Noguchi and his team are aiming for as the nation's farmers age, with no successors in place. The improved use of robotics in agriculture will not only reduce manual labor but will enable aging farmers to continue working and focus their time and energy on areas that require their knowledge and experience. The related technology has been advancing in recent years. Machinery that allows a driver to sit back while it plows the field in straight lines is already on the market.

Your closet is overflowing, spilling shoes, shirts, and underwear onto the floor. You think, "It's time to get organized." Now you have two problems. Specifically, you first need to decide what to keep, and second, how to arrange it. Fortunately, there is a small industry of people who think about these twin problems for a living, and they are more than happy to offer their advice. On what to keep, Martha Stewart says to ask yourself a few questions: "How long have I had it? Is it a duplicate of something I already own? When was the last time I wore it or used it?"