In this episode of Focus, we explore Niigata's groundbreaking innovations, from turning rice into sustainable plastics to creating digital villages that preserve rural traditions, offering a fresh perspective on Japan's sustainable and technology-driven progress.
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00:00Located on an important trading route, Japan's Niigata Prefecture has a long history of industrial prowess, rooted in shipping and manufacturing.
00:11Today's residents have inherited that entrepreneurial spirit and are using it to find solutions to modern society's problems.
00:17We're here to take a look at some of Niigata's technological innovations in this edition of Focus.
00:23For most Japanese, Niigata is synonymous with rice.
00:31The region produces some of the country's finest, but a lot of it gets binned before it's eaten.
00:37To prevent old or damaged rice from being wasted, the Niigata-born startup Rice Resin, now based in Fukushima, found a clever way to repurpose it.
00:46We've been upcycling rice that's no longer suitable for consumption to make biomass plastic.
00:52We want to expand the business of biomass plastic in Japan as well.
01:01Japan aims to increase the use of bioplastics 20-fold by 2030, from the current level of 100,000 tons to 2 million tons.
01:10Rising demand has led Rice Resin to move production to a bigger factory in Fukushima.
01:15Using unconsumed rice from here, too.
01:18Rice Resin's technology replaces a percentage of the petroleum-based polymers in traditional plastics with rice.
01:25This way, the biomass plastic emits less carbon dioxide when it's incinerated at the end of its life.
01:32I don't think all plastics need to be recycled.
01:36If they are recycled, their durability will deteriorate.
01:40I think our role is to increase the biomass rate of incinerated plastics and reduce the use of petroleum-based plastics.
01:52Rice Resin's low-carbon plastic is used to make bags, packaging, and various household objects.
01:58The products are often sold back to the regions the rice came from, like this gift shop in Niigata City.
02:19Rice Resin found a completely new way to use Niigata's famous rice.
02:23Another initiative has transformed the region's beloved koi fish, known as Nishikigoi, into a digital beacon of hope.
02:44Nishikigoi NFTs are at the heart of the Neo-Yamakoshi Village project, which was launched in 2021.
02:50By selling these unique digital tokens, Yamakoshi has built a support system for its aging and shrinking population.
02:57After the devastating 2004 Chuetsu earthquake, Yamakoshi's population went from 2,200 to 7,300.
03:05But 1,750 Nishikigoi NFT owners have since become digital villagers.
03:12They communicate with residents online and get a say in how the village operates.
03:21The only thing digital villagers can't vote on are Yamakoshi's politicians, which is reserved for physical residents by Japanese law.
03:29Today, Yamakoshi's two worlds are colliding.
03:32Both digital citizens and longtime residents are gathering in the village for a big festival.
03:37Longtime residents say the village's history helped them welcome the project.
03:51When I was a kid, I used to come to Nishikigoi as a business, whether I was a foreigner or a local.
04:00I didn't have much resistance.
04:02The digital villagers have become increasingly involved in village life,
04:06even starting a fan club for local bullfighters and attending every tournament.
04:11They say it's a two-way relationship.
04:13They get to experience the charm of village life while also helping preserve rural culture.
04:19The goal is to offer physical support as much as possible.
04:38The Neo-Yamakoshi project is the first of its kind
04:41and hopes to serve as a blueprint for other villages dealing with population loss around the world.
04:47It's ambitious, just like rice resin's grain-powered biomass plastic.
04:51But Niigata's changemakers have proven they're committed to designing a new future.