Dans cet épisode de Focus, nous explorons les innovations révolutionnaires de Niigata, de la transformation du riz en plastique durable à la création de villages numériques qui préservent les traditions rurales, offrant une nouvelle perspective sur les progrès durables et technologiques du Japon.
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00:00♪ ♪ ♪
00:02Located on an important trading route,
00:05Japan's Niigata Prefecture has a long history
00:07of industrial prowess, rooted in shipping and manufacturing.
00:11Today's residents have inherited that entrepreneurial spirit
00:14and are using it to find solutions
00:15to modern society's problems.
00:17We're here to take a look at some of Niigata's
00:19technological innovations in this edition of Focus.
00:22♪ ♪ ♪
00:27For most Japanese, Niigata is synonymous with rice.
00:31The region produces some of the country's finest,
00:34but a lot of it gets binned before it's eaten.
00:36To prevent old or damaged rice from being wasted,
00:39the Niigata-born start-up Rice Resin,
00:42now based in Fukushima,
00:43found a clever way to repurpose it.
00:57♪ ♪ ♪
01:01Japan aims to increase the use of bioplastics 20-fold by 2030,
01:06from the current level of 100,000 tons to 2 million tons.
01:10Rising demand has led Rice Resin to move production
01:13to a bigger factory in Fukushima,
01:15using unconsumed rice from here, too.
01:18Rice Resin's technology replaces a percentage
01:20of the petroleum-based polymers in traditional plastics
01:23with rice.
01:25This way, the biomass plastic emits less carbon dioxide
01:29when it's incinerated at the end of its life.
01:51Rice Resin's low-carbon plastic is used to make bags,
01:54packaging, and various household objects.
01:57The products are often sold back to the regions
02:00the rice came from, like this gift shop in Niigata City.
02:18Rice Resin found a completely new way
02:21to use Niigata's famous rice.
02:23Another initiative has transformed the region's
02:25beloved koi fish, known as Nishikigoi,
02:28into a digital beacon of hope.
02:43Nishikigoi NFTs are at the heart
02:45of the Neo-Yamakoshi Village project,
02:47which was launched in 2021.
02:50By selling these unique digital tokens,
02:52Yamakoshi has built a support system
02:54for its aging and shrinking population.
02:57After the devastating 2004 Chuetsu earthquake,
03:00Yamakoshi's population went from 2,200 to 7,30.
03:05But 1,750 Nishikigoi NFT owners
03:09have since become digital villagers.
03:12They communicate with residents online
03:14and get a say in how the village operates.
03:23The only thing digital villagers can't vote on
03:26are Yamakoshi's politicians,
03:28which is reserved for physical residents by Japanese law.
03:31Today, Yamakoshi's two worlds are colliding.
03:33Both digital citizens and longtime residents
03:36are gathering in the village for a big festival.
03:39Longtime residents say the village's history
03:41helped them welcome the project.
03:52The digital villagers have become increasingly involved
03:55in village life, even starting a fan club
03:58for local bullfighters and attending every tournament.
04:01They say it's a two-way relationship.
04:04They get to experience the charm of village life
04:07while also helping preserve rural culture.
04:09The goal is to offer physical support
04:12as much as possible.
04:13Yamakoshi's village is a place
04:15where people from all over the world
04:17come together to support each other.
04:19The goal is to offer physical support
04:21as much as possible.
04:23Yamakoshi's population is declining,
04:27and as we get older, we don't have enough people.
04:30So we want to create a system
04:32where more people can come together
04:36when they need to.
04:38The Neo-Yamakoshi project is the first of its kind
04:41and hopes to serve as a blueprint
04:43for other villages dealing with population loss
04:45around the world.
04:46It's ambitious,
04:48just like Rice Resin's grain-powered biomass plastic.
04:51But Niigata's changemakers have proven
04:53they're committed to designing a new future.