In a step towards strengthening its international research and innovation ecosystem, a delegation from JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research (JSS AHER), Mysuru, led by its Pro-Chancellor, Prof. B. Suresh, recently visited the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba, Japan.

AIST is one of Japan’s leading public research organisations and is internationally recognised for its contributions to advanced scientific research, technological innovation, and the translation of research discoveries into practical applications that benefit industry and society, JSS AHER said in a press release.

The delegation was received by Yasunori Chiba, executive officer and director-general, Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, along with Motomichi Doi, deputy director, and Hyonchol Kim, director, Collaboration Promotion Office of Life Science and Biotechnology.

The discussions focused on identifying areas of mutual research interest and developing a structured framework for future cooperation between JSS AHER and AIST, the release added.

State-owned power producer NTPC is developing a green hydrogen hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, and is in talks with potential offtakers in South Korea, Germany and Japan, its Chairman and Managing Director Gurdeep Singh said at the 20th India Energy Summit organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

“We will be able to produce green ammonia or green methanol,” Mr. Singh said, adding that NTPC plans to source carbon dioxide (CO₂) from its nearby Simhadri power station through a 20-km pipeline currently under construction.

Mr. Singh said the lower carbon compounds could eventually evolve into a commercially viable business, potentially expanding NTPC’s renewable energy portfolio.

However, he stressed that scaling up demand would be critical to the sector’s success. “The requirement is that green hydrogen must move from pilot to dependable demand,” he said.

Admiring Virat Kohli and B. Dhiraj for their work ethics, 17-year-old women’s recurve Asian Games champion Kumkum Mohod understands the importance of staying grounded in order to win an Olympic gold.

After returning to a grand welcome and a roadshow at her home town, Amaravati, the Maharashtra girl was reminded of her main target by her personal coach Praful Dange.

“My sir (coach) said, ‘Forget what has happened. This is not our dream. Our dream is to win the LA Olympics (gold). You haven’t done anything yet. Stay grounded. Just focus on your work,’” Kumkum said, during an interaction organised by the Sports Authority of India on Friday.

Kumkum, who won individual and women’s team gold and mixed team silver in Japan, said she loved combining with Dhiraj, with whom she landed the World Cup Stage gold in Antalya.

“We could’ve won (mixed team gold) too. Dhiraj bhaiya advised me to enjoy the process irrespective of the result. He said, ‘If you make a mistake, it’s mine. If I make a mistake, it’s the coach’s. So, don’t take any load and shoot’.”

When Dhiraj couldn’t be present, he sent Kumkum a text message: ‘Don’t look at the opponent and behave like a champion.’

Kumkum, who skipped simple pleasures of childhood, calmed herself to win the tense shoot-off in the final and secured the gold and an Olympic quota place for the country. Now, she is keen to board the LA flight and win the gold there.

“My father says, ‘You’ll make history in LA,” said Kumkum, while remembering her parents’ sacrifices.

A Kohli fangirl, Kumkum wants to meet the cricket star. “I like his discipline and hard work. Despite his stature, he is so grounded. I have not thought what to ask if I meet him,” said Kumkum, who also finds seasoned Deepika Kumari’s dedication inspirational.

Kumkum bows to para archers, armless Sheetal Devi and limbless Payal Nag, for their courage. “I salute them. Their mindset is strong. They will do well in the Para Asian Games,” said Kumkum, looking forward to increasing her strength and fine-tuning technical aspects.

Cricket barely scratches the sporting surface in Japan but there is no dearth of fans here for a sport that many would struggle to identify on screen. And no one has more, at least among the volunteers at the Korogi Sports Park, than Harmanpreet Kaur.

Even though the Indian captain did not come out to bat as India first decimated the Japanese batting, then strolled past the 58-run target in five overs for an eight-wicket win, the player with jersey No. 23 remains famous.

“I don’t know the name but No. 23, I like her. My friend is an Indian and he also likes her game a lot. I really like watching the sport and her game,” a volunteer gushed.

India’s Shafali Verma plays a shot during the Asian Games women’s quarterfinal cricket match against Japan, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
PTI

The venue is not for the easy-goers. Changing at least two train lines — three for some — and then walking for 15-20 minutes to reach the venue that at other times is a baseball field, a sport far more popular in the country, quite a few suffered heatstrokes and had to be administered fluids under the scorching sun.

With open temporary stands and barely any provision for shade, only the hardcore fans turned up. Among those were Virendra Maja and Aniket Yagnik, who took leave from work and came all the way from Osaka to watch the Indian team play.

The two, originally from Madhya Pradesh, are big fans of Smriti Mandhana and Shreyanka Patil. “It is a proud moment for us to watch the Indian women’s team play in Japan. We applied for leave from work and drove here to cheer for them. It feels special,” Maja said.

On the field, Shree Charani knifed through the Japan batting for a four wicket haul, then Shafali Verma’s unbeaten 15-ball 40 meant the game was over in a blink.

The reward is a repeat of the Asia Cup semifinal against Bangladesh, a challenge that will be tougher than Friday’s outing. Jersey No. 23 will, however, have the crowd behind her.

The result: Japan 57 in 19.5 overs (Ayaka Kato-Stafford 25, Shree Charani 4/10) lost to India 59/2 in 5 overs (Shafali Verma 40 not out) by eight wickets.

Former World No. 1 James Willstrop, who’s part of the coaching staff for the Asian Games-bound Indian squash contingent, believes Anahat Singh’s instinctive attacking game makes her a “very unusual player.”

“She’s got this instinct to go into the front of the court and to hit accurately short. I’ve very rarely seen it being done the way she’s doing it by someone as good as she is,” ,” he said at the Indian Squash Academy (ISA) on Thursday, ahead of the squash contingent’s departure for Japan on Friday.

“I mean, she’s a very unusual player. Unusual in that she attacks the front so clinically and more often than the other girls. So, the other girls are constantly on edge.”

Anahat, the reigning World junior champion, is still “very young” and “relatively inexperienced compared to her compatriots,” Willstrop said.

“She’s a baby. She’s barely played any platinum events. She’s up against them, but then she’s probably got a little bit less pressure than they have,” he added.

Willstrop expects the 18-year-old to become increasingly difficult to beat as she develops physically and tactically.

“The girls are already struggling with her now because of her sheer instinct and attack. Give her a few more years. When she gets the physical strength, becomes even more disciplined, and gets even more understanding of constructing rallies, it’s going to be a real nightmare for the opponents. She’s a wonderful prospect,” he said.

The 43-year-old sees his role at the Asian Games as primarily providing “tactical support,” while helping the players make the most of his “experience.”

Speaking about India’s singles medal prospects, he said: “Anahat’s obviously a big prospect for a medal chance — that could be gold. Abhay (Singh) and Veer (Chotrani) have great chances.

“I’ve seen Veer push Ali Farag very hard at the World Championships. I’ve seen him play some fabulous squash. If he can produce that, there’s a massive chance of a medal.”

Former World No. 1 James Willstrop, who’s part of the coaching staff for the Asian Games-bound Indian squash contingent, believes Anahat Singh’s instinctive attacking game makes her a “very unusual player.”

“She’s got this instinct to go into the front of the court and to hit accurately short. I’ve very rarely seen it being done the way she’s doing it by someone as good as she is,” ,” he said at the Indian Squash Academy (ISA) on Thursday, ahead of the squash contingent’s departure for Japan on Friday.

“I mean, she’s a very unusual player. Unusual in that she attacks the front so clinically and more often than the other girls. So, the other girls are constantly on edge.”

Anahat, the reigning World junior champion, is still “very young” and “relatively inexperienced compared to her compatriots,” Willstrop said.

“She’s a baby. She’s barely played any platinum events. She’s up against them, but then she’s probably got a little bit less pressure than they have,” he added.

Willstrop expects the 18-year-old to become increasingly difficult to beat as she develops physically and tactically.

“The girls are already struggling with her now because of her sheer instinct and attack. Give her a few more years. When she gets the physical strength, becomes even more disciplined, and gets even more understanding of constructing rallies, it’s going to be a real nightmare for the opponents. She’s a wonderful prospect,” he said.

The 43-year-old sees his role at the Asian Games as primarily providing “tactical support,” while helping the players make the most of his “experience.”

Speaking about India’s singles medal prospects, he said: “Anahat’s obviously a big prospect for a medal chance — that could be gold. Abhay (Singh) and Veer (Chotrani) have great chances.

“I’ve seen Veer push Ali Farag very hard at the World Championships. I’ve seen him play some fabulous squash. If he can produce that, there’s a massive chance of a medal.”

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reshuffled her Cabinet on Thursday (September 17, 2026)in a bid to turn around her waning popularity, but retained key Ministersas she pursues stronger ties with the U.S.

Japan faces U.S. President Donald Trump’s tough demands for bigger defence spending, more investment in America and measures to combat a weak yen.

The reshuffle is the first by the right-wing star of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since she took office last October as Japan’s first female leader in modern history. It’s a widely used tactic by a Prime Ministerto manage power balance within the party, policy priorities and public opinion.

She had for months enjoyed high ratings, attracting young voters with her style and straight talk that were fresh in male-dominated Japanese politics. But she has seen her popularity fade after pushing policies including an enforcement of male-only succession rules for the imperial family at a time people were expecting tougher measures to fight inflation.

Key Ministers will stay

Ms. Takaichi retained Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to ensure continuity of Japan’s key policies and good ties with Washington. Both are Ms. Takaichi’smain party rivals and keeping them is seen as her strategy to contain their influence.

Ms. Takaichi also kept Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, her longtime confidant who has been implementing her ambitious spending policy, and Economy and Fiscal Policy Minister Minoru Kiuchi. Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa, who has dealt with Trump’s tariff and investment demands, also kept his job.

In a party leadership revamp Wednesday (September 16, 2026), Ms. Takaichiretained a kingmaker and former Prime Minister Taro Aso as LDP vice president, his brother-in-law Shunichi Suzuki as secretary-general and a few of her right-wing allies. Her rival Takayuki Kobayashi stayed on as head of the LDP policy research council.

Maintaining stable ties with Washington is also important for MS. Takaichi as Japan struggles to mend ties with China following her comment last year that Japan’s military would could intervene if China were to take action against Taiwan — an island democracy that Beijing considers its own territory. The tensions have spilled over into the neighbours’ economic ties.

Ms. Takaichi, who will attend the UN General Assembly in New York later this month, is seeking a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of his planned September 24 talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but prospects are unclear, according to Japanese media reports.

Japan plans for a stronger military with drones and use of AI

Takaichi’s government is working to revise security and defence strategy documents by the end of the year to bolster Japan’s offensive capabilities to deter threats from China, North Korea and Russia. Japan says it wants to adapt to “new ways of warfare” that involves use of artificial intelligence and combat drones and their deployment.

Takaichi-led government has increased defence spending to 2% of gross domestic product and wants spend more for 2027. Japan is likely to face U.S.demand for further increase, possibly up to 3.5% of GDP.

The victory in the Okinawa gubernatorial election Sunday (September 13, 2026)by Genta Koja, a conservative new face backed by Ms. Takaichi’sLDP and several other conservative parties, is expected to help her push for a military buildup on Japan’s southern islands to deter China.

Who are the new ministers

Ms. Takaichi replaced 10 out of 18 Ministers. Hiroshi Nakatsuka, from the LDP’s junior coalition partner Japan Innovation Party, was appointed as Minister of Administrative Reform and Children Policies. Kazuo Yana replaced Norikazu Suzuki as Agriculture Minister, despite Mr. Yana’s alleged involvement in a political funds scandal. Internal Affairs Mnister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Ms. Takaichi’s party rival, was replaced by Mr. Hisayuki Fujii.

Takaichi introduces tax cut and ambitious spending

Ms. Takaichi, as part of her measures to combat rising prices, has pushed a two-year cut in the consumption tax to 1% from the current 8% and payouts to households. But the plan without funding details has divided her party and could be a problem when parliament reconvenes in October.

The tax measure, adopted on Monday (September 14, 2026) by the Cabinet, has added to concern about Japan’s already strained financial health. Ms. Takaichi’s spending policy has already prompted U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to urge Japan to stop the reflationary policy of weak yen and low interest rates.