In their latest bid to gain consumers’ attention, Dentsu, Fujitsu, and Advanced Communications have announced that they have developed a new distribution model for Internet advertising using a “license code system.”

Toyota has developed the world’s first rear window curtain-shield air bag to protect back seat passengers in the event of a rear-end collision. The airbags are hidden in the top lining of the rear window, inflating in the shape of a curtain that becomes a protective barrier between the passenger’s head and the window.

The future is here -- Battery stations that recharge electric cars were installed in Tokyo last month... -- A new spin on the same old ... -- Convenience store chain FamilyMart opened the first in a line of new “eco-friendly” stores in Chiba, with plans to build about 1,000 more nation-wide within the next five years... -- Geeks rule and bankers drool? -- According to calculations by the Financial Times, employees at Nintendo earn more per head than those at investment banking mammoth Goldman Sachs... -- Puts hair on their chests -- Asahi Breweries Ltd. Announced that beginning in October, they will start selling Asahi Ginger Draft, a low-malt beer containing ginger extract with a lower carbon content and only 4 percent alcohol... -- Post office goes postal -- Japan Post began a project to renew and make the present post offices more efficient by renting out spaces to florists, department stores, and convenient stores... -- It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s better than nothing. -- Masamichi Adachi, senior economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co, responding to the Bank of Japan’s decision to let the US Federal Reserve supply dollars in Japan to ease financial tensions after the fall of Lehman Brothers on September 15... -- IPO Report -- There were seven completed or forecast IPOs for the first half of September and the latter part of August...

By Greg Lane -- It’s electric, stupid -- In the same way that hybrids stole the limelight from purely electric vehicles a few years ago, ‘plug-in’ electrics look like they are about to steal the thunder from hydrogen ... -- Waseda opens ‘campus’ in Second Life -- Private university Waseda has shown that it is ‘down with the kids’ by opening a ‘virtual campus’ in Second Life. -- High Speed Wireless at High Speed -- JR Tokai, operator of the Tokaido Shinkansen which runs between Tokyo and Osaka, has announced that high speed wireless internet will be introduced on its N700 series trains from March, 2009. -- Sharp and Kepco build PV farm -- On his blog ‘On the Inside looking In,’ venture capitalist Shin Fukushige reports on the plans by Sharp and Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) to begin constructing a 28MW photo-valtaic (PV) solar cell farm mostly on the roof of Sharp’s Sakai 10G LCD/thin film PV plant -- Artificial DNA created in Toyama -- Researchers at the University of Toyama are reported to have developed a completely new class of DNA composed entirely of artificial nucleosides.

By Greg Lane -- IPhone touches down. -- Big news of late was the announcement in June by SoftBank that it will be bringing Apple’s iPhone to Japan later this year -- Xenesys -- A promising method of clean power generation called ‘Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion’ (OTEC) received a boost when Hyogo Prefecture-based Xenesys received a ¥2 billion order for a power plant from the Kuwait National Petroleum company. -- New indoor lighting source: the sun -- Tech blog Digital World Tokyo reports that two Japanese companies are utilizing 19th-century technology to provide environmentally friendly lighting for 21st-century buildings. -- Facebook -- Social Networking goliath Facebook finally got around to releasing a Japanese version of the site in May. -- Brightcove -- Internet TV platform Brightcove announced the formation of a Japanese subsidiary, Brightcove KK. -- IPO Report -- The big news on the IPO front is actually that there is no news.

By Greg Lane -- What's new and what's hot -- Morpho exhibits a rare case of a Japanese tech company receiving attention from overseas investors. -- In a similar vein, Israel based Gizmoz announced that it has raised $US6.5 million in second round venture funding. -- Monolithic steel maker Kobe Steel has shown that it can be as innovative as the next company with the announcement that they have developed a type of steel sheet that significantly reduces electromagnetic wave emissions. -- Producer of the US$2,500 ‘People’s car,’ Tata Motors of India announced that it will tap into Japanese capital markets with a listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. -- Kakaku.com, a comparative shopping website that attracts more than 6 million users each month, has launched a photo sharing service ‘PhotoHito.’ -- The convenience store operator has announced that they will begin selling an enormous range of alcohol online from late June. -- Trends: When it comes to digital points of sale in Japan, the goal to increase efficiency and provide a better customer experience will always come first.

By Greg Lane -- What's new and what's hot -- Business Break: Mobile Moves, Second Life, Breakthrough for Skype, Web 2.0, The sun setting on DRM?, Power from footsteps -- New business & IPO -- Trends in Japan -- Eco fashion: Tokyo teen fashion Mecca, Shibuya, is having an unusual bohemian moment. Take a stroll through the trendy Shibuya 109 fashion building and you’ll see many a boutique offering ’60s-inspired flower-print dresses with flowing skirts and sleeves and fringed suede boots and vests.