Alliances & Technology Transfer

Panasonic will bring a Google vice president and robotics expert into its leadership team Thursday, drawing on her experience in the American technology behemoth's smart home business to enhance its own connected appliances.

Japanese technology group Hitachi has partnered with Thai conglomerate TCC Group to install building control systems powered by "internet of things" across the Asia-Pacific region, Nikkei has learned.

Five major automakers including Honda Motor begin field tests next month in the U.S. for a blockchain-based vehicle identification system that would let drivers automatically pay parking fees or highway tolls without using cash or cards.

Some 200 Japanese companies and organizations will take part in an initiative to develop smart cities in Southeast Asia, as Tokyo battles for influence with its Chinese and South Korean rivals.

Arm Holdings, the British chip technology firm owned by Japan's Softbank Group Corp, is joining with automakers General Motors Co and Toyota Motor Corp to establish common computing systems for self-driving cars, an effort the companies hope will speed development of the technology.

Nikkei on Monday said it acquired a 14.79% stake in Singapore-based artificial intelligence startup DC Frontiers for an undisclosed sum.

Leading Vietnamese developer BRG Group and Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp. will spend 450 billion yen ($4.21 billion) to develop a smart city on the outskirts of Hanoi, the partners said Sunday.

The Japanese and U.S. space agencies have agreed to step up collaboration on advancing human activities on the moon as a way of realizing the eventual exploration of Mars.

Toyota Motor's expansion of its capital partnership with Subaru aims to help Japan's largest automaker develop a balanced worldwide network for emerging technologies such as self-driving vehicles, as upstarts vie with established players to set global standards.

Toyota Motor announced on Friday that the company will turn Subaru into an equity-method affiliate, expanding the 14-year-old partnership between the Japanese automakers to invest more effectively in new technologies.