Akita's Products

With the price of crude oil skyrocketing even as the demand for energy, particularly in Asia, continues to rise, the future of the international energy situation is uncertain. Furthermore, the mass consumption of fossil fuels as our main energy source releases great amounts of carbon dioxide, said to be one of the major causes of global warming. In order to establish a foundation for long-term development, a safe and stable source of energy is needed.
Therefore, Akita has devoted itself to introducing new sources of energy through the New Energy Vision plan, and supporting the development of new energy and businesses related to it.

Noshiro Biomass Power Plant
This plant produces 3,000 kilowatts of electricity and 20 tons of steam every hour. This cutting-edge power plant, aimed at disposing of wood debris, has drawn observers from throughout the nation.

World Solar Car Rally
Every summer, Ogata Village hosts the Solar Sports Line, and it has become the world’s third largest solar car race. Also, beginning in 2003, it also began holding the world’s first fuel cell car race.

Wind Power Generation
Akita is Japan’s third greatest producer of wind-generated power.

   Now that Japan has moved from playing catch-up to being a technological front-liner, Japanese companies seek to further progress by developing new forms of technology which will form the basis of cutting-edge technological developments.
   Akita, too, is unveiling new developments every day, throughout many different fields of research.
   The Akita Industrial Technology Research Center was established on May 9^th, 2005, through the merging of the General and Planning Department’s office and that of the Industrial Center and Advanced Technology Department. The Center is the “technological think-tank” which supports the growing industries and continuous new developments from a technological standpoint.
   The Akita Research Institute for Brain and Blood Vessels, too, is a pioneer in the field of cerebrovascular medicine, announcing new research results every year.

Akita Research Institute for Brain and Blood Vessels
In 1968, Akita Prefecture had the highest number of repeated strokes in Japan. The Akita Research Institute for Brain and Blood Vessels was established to meet this problem. Through research, they strive to contribute to the health and welfare of Akita’s citizens and to advance the state of medicine.

Akita Industrial Technology Center
Focusing on research and development and technological guidance and engaging in cooperative research with various institutions and businesses, this could be called the tech-help center of the prefecture.

Akita Research Institute of Advanced Technology (AIT)
From the early 1980s, AIT has been greatly expanding the processing and assembling industry of electronics and electro-mechanics. Now, with the need to form a high-technology base for Akita’s future technological development, it has become the premier research institute for advanced technology in Akita.

Perpendicular Magnetic Recording
In December 2004, Toshiba announced it would be putting the first perpendicular recording hard drive on the market. That perpendicular recording system was the result of a research theme first put forward by AIT.

Actuator with Dampening Mechanism
(Kobayashi, Co.; Daisen City)
   This actuator was developed at AIT and the prototype produced and tested by Kobayashi, Co.
   Since 2004, it has been marketed as a high-speed, high-precision positioning actuator for use in hard disk playback testing equipment, and is stocked by major hard disk drive and inspection equipment producers.
   Currently, in response to the requests of those producers for greater efficiency, and in anticipation of further applications from other hard disk producers, semi-conductor testing equipment producers and more, AIT and Kobayashi, Co. are developing further designs and prototypes.

Designer Wristwatches
(Kyowa Co., Ltd・Ugo Town)
Using electrical-abrasion sharpening technology developed in joint with the prefecture, Kyowa Co., Ltd. has produced a long-lived precision drill, as well as an end mill like no other in the world, with a blade less than 0.1 mm thick.
With this high-precision technology and polishing techniques refined with an intensity the envy of even the designer brand makers of Europe, Kyowa Co. is producing original brand wristwatches that exceed all expectations, with an estimated lifespan of up to one hundred years.

Remote Control Motor Checker
(Straight Ltd.; Akita City)
The Directdriver, developed to help enthusiasts select and monitor the motors of their electric remote-control cars in various races. Through research conducted jointly with the prefectural Industrial Technology Center, Straight Ltd. developed a compact sensor unit which runs on a maximum current of 50A from a 9V power source, and can make reliable readings not only through pre-set voltages but also by pre-set RPMs.

Environmentally-Friendly Firework Shells
(Sekon, Co.; Daisen City)
When the shell of a firework explodes, it presents several environmental and safety problems, from the widespread dispersal of cinders to damage to property and people from shrapnel. Now the Akita Industrial Technology Center and Sekon, Co. have worked together to produce a firework shell of biodegradable plastic that is both safe and environmentally friendly.

Under the principle of preparing its students to play an important role in the global society, Akita International University, the first public university to become an independent administrative institution in Japan, was established in Yuwa, Akita City in an environment surrounded by green forests.
With its innovative educational system, conducting all classes in English and requiring first-year students to live in residence with international students in addition to a mandatory year spent studying abroad, AIU attracts students from across Japan who dream of contributing to the international community.
AIU provides a richly international campus life, beside international students from overseas partner universities and faculty members of diverse nationalities.

AIU website: http://www.aiu.ac.jp/

This university consists of two faculties, the Faculty of Systems Science and Technology and the Faculty of Bioresource Sciences, their respective graduate schools, and the Institute of Wood Technology, where research on wood processing and utilization is conducted.

Research on effective utilization of Akita cedar timber
Takanobu Sasaki, associate professor at the Institute of Wood Technology

Equipped with excellent facilities, the Institute of Wood Technology investigates the distinctive features of the Akita cedar, researching effective ways to make this timber resource.
The technology using Akita cedar resources, conducted in collaboration with local companies and research centers, has been adopted both inside and outside Akita.