JAPAN is a country proud of its past, with a reputation for looking to the future. It is known for innovation and impeccable quality.
Despite decades of battling deflation, a shrinking population, and more global competition than ever, how are Japanese innovators are stepping up to the plate?
Join CNN’s Will Ripley in On Japan, as he uncovers what is driving the country’s ambition and discovers how today’s technology can alter tomorrow’s reality.
One of the highlights of the show is gaming. Characters are so well accepted in the Japanese culture and it’s perhaps what makes the gaming industry so successful there.
Ripley visits Sony Global Headquarters in Tokyo as the company rolls out its newest addition to Playstation 4 — PlaystationVR.
He speaks to the president of Sony’s Worldwide Studios for Sony Interactive Entertainment, Shuhei Yoshida, on the challenges of bringing virtual reality to the mass market, and discusses the future of gaming with Sony Interactive Entertainment’s chief executive officer, Andrew House.
But virtual reality can be much more than just a game; the implications can be widespread.
CNN also speaks to Japanese researchers at the University Of Tokyo who are experimenting with how the world would look like.
Another highlight is transportation. Japan has always been at the forefront of transportation technology.
Ripley makes a visit to the first Shinkansen bullet train from 1964; at the time, it revolutionised train travel.
Now Japan is hoping to step up the ante once again with the SC Maglev. Clocking in at speeds over 600kph, CNN gets rare access to what is said to be the world’s fastest train.
From public transport, to personal mobility, CNN also visits a Toyota theme park to see what one of the largest Japanese carmakers has envisioned for the future of transportation.
In terms of sport technology, Tokyo hosted the Olympic games in 1964. This was the first time the world’s most prestigious sporting event came to the East, and Japan seized the global spotlight.
Now, gears are in motion to once again impress the world in 2020. CNN visits the head office of one of Japan’s oldest and most successful sporting brands, Asics, in Kobe.
Ripley has a rare conversation with Asics president Motoi Oyama and goes behind the scenes of the research and development institute as we get a preview of how the sporting company is already preparing for the games.
On Japan airs on Oct 28 (11.30pm), Oct 29 (7pm), Oct 31 (11.30am), Nov 1 (5.30pm) and Nov 2 (4.30pm) on CNN (Astro Channel 511).