Hokuriku Shinkansen Line stretches through Fukui Pref.

Hokuriku Shinkansen Line stretches through Fukui Pref.

Actress Minami Hamabe (R) gestures prior to the departure of the first train bound for Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, on March 16, 2024, as a shinkansen bullet train service between Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, and Tsuruga -- a new extended route of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line, previously linking Tokyo with Kanazawa -- starts the same day.

Punch and fiber laser multifunction machine introduced by Hamabe Manufacturing Co.

Punch and fiber laser multifunction machine introduced by Hamabe Manufacturing Co.

Hamabe Seisakusho has installed a punch/fiber laser multifunction machine at its main factory, which will be operational within the month. The investment will amount to 200 million yen. The combined punch and fiber laser machine will be operated unmanned 24 hours a day, including die changes, to improve processing efficiency and save manpower. The machine is also equipped with a material feeder and product accumulator, which automatically feeds six types of materials at the right time to handle small-lot, high-mix sheet metal processing. With the introduction of a punch/fiber laser multifunction machine, the company aims to increase productivity in sheet metal processing, improve its ability to respond to single-part orders and short delivery times, and also acquire new orders. Photo taken on October 29, 2019, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images

New Godzilla statue in Tokyo

New Godzilla statue in Tokyo

Actresses Yasuko Sawaguchi (R) and Minami Hamabe pose in front of a new Godzilla statue unveiled at a shopping mall in Tokyo on March 22, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo