Japanese beer has a diverse heritage, and Kirin has explored these roots in the third stage of its "Five Thousand Years of Beer" research project. The current study reproduced beers from the Edo (1600–1867) and Meiji (1868–1912) eras.

Historic beers recreated.

Beer pioneers; Copeland's "Bavarian Lager" from 1870 (left), and the very first lager sold under the name "Kirin Beer," brewed by Japan Brewery in 1888 (right).

  During Japan's opening to outside influences and cultural change, three individuals in particularaHendrik Doeff, Komin Kawamoto and William Copelandahelped introduce beer brewing.

  It was Hendrik Doeff, the manager of the Holland Trading House in Nagasaki, who brewed the first beer in Japan around 1812. However, it is Komin Kawamoto, a professor of Dutch studies who test-brewed his own beer around 1853, who is credited as the first Japanese to brew beer in Japan.
  Then, in 1870, William Copeland started to produce beer in his Spring Valley Brewery in Yokohama. This was the first commercial beer produced continuously in Japan. Eventually, his brewery was taken over by Japan Brewery.
  The research project's primary aim was to recreate the beers of these pioneers, along with the variety of beer sold in 1888 by Japan Brewery, the first beer sold under the name of Kirin Beer.
  The new-historical beers were introduced to the mass media on October 14, 2005.

Mitsubishi Kagaku Media, a pioneer in DVD technology, has developed the world's first single-sided, double-layer 8x speed recordable DVD disc. The new disc received compatibility verification and went on sale in October 2005.
  At the 8x speed, the disc's entire 8.5GB capacity (equivalent to nearly 6,000 floppy disks) can be recorded in about 16 minutes.
  Used with a compatible DVD recording drive, the disc not only allows for continuous recording of a large amount of data, but records in a format which can be read by existing DVD video players and PC DVD-ROM drives.
  In order to develop the 8x speed recordable DVD disc, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media used proprietary technology, which included new technology for assembling the various layers of the DVD, as well as a new, high-sensitivity organic dye. A new manufacturing process also ensured ultra-precise molding and an improved surface smoothness, two factors that greatly affect a disc's capacity and performance.
  The new disc puts Mitsubishi Kagaku Media in a good position to benefit from the rapidly expanding DVD market. In 2005, global DVD sales are estimated to be around 2.5 billion discs, a year-on-year increase of 79%.

One of U.S. photojournalism's most enduring mysteries looks to have been finally resolved, thanks to the 3-D face-scanning technology of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories.

  On August 14, 1945 a young sailor was photographed by Life magazine as he, ecstatic with the news that World War II had finally ended, impulsively kissed a young nurse in New York's Times Square. The photo, published two weeks later, became a symbol of the joy and relief felt throughout the U.S. after the war.
  But while the young nurse was identified in the 1980s, the name of the sailor has remained disputed among ten different men.
  But in early 2005, George Mendonsa, an 82-year-old fisherman who for decades had insisted that he was the sailor, got a chance to prove his case. With the help of volunteers from the Naval War College in Newport, he visited the Mitsubishi lab and had some 4,000 images taken of his face from 16 angles. The software then built a 3-D model and de-aged his features.
  Finally, it superimposed the younger face onto the photoaa nearly identical match.
  Legally, the young sailor's identity remains unproven, and Life magazine has yet to acknowledge it. But, the 82-year-old veteran is certain of his place in history, and will continue his quest for recognition.

Mitsubishi Motors is rapidly making good on its promise of across-the-line model changes to spur its sales recovery. After a full redesign, the Company released one of the keystones of its 3-year Business Plan, a 1-ton pickup truck, newly named "Triton."

Mitsubishi Motors' new Triton pickup truck has a global destiny.

  Initial sales are in Thailand, where it is built. Thailand is a major ASEAN market and a key manufacturing and transportation hub facilitating export to world markets as part of Mitsubishi Motors' global market strategy. To overcome the commonly held image of a pickup as a vehicle suitable purely for commercial use, the Triton has a stylish exterior and interior design that adds a sporty dash to its built-in pickup toughness. They achieved a best-in-class interior roominess and sedan-like comfort and ride. As such, these characteristics are expected to expand the customer base for Mitsubishi brand pickup trucks.
  Triton models are powered by a newly developed common rail direct injection diesel engine that delivers high outputs while returning low fuel consumption, clean emissions and quiet operation. Other customer-winning features include a new body with top-rated crashworthiness in the class and a Dakar Rally-honed four-wheel drive system that delivers outstanding all-surface performance. All these attractive features put the Triton next-generation pickup ahead of the market in all aspects of performance.

The fraudulent use of cash cards for ATM withdrawals and other illicit purposes has been in the spotlight recently, and financial institutions have been seeking ways to improve card security. As part of its efforts to offer total risk management solutions, Tokio Marine & Nichido is working with NTT Communications on a service to address the problem of cash-card counterfeiting and theft. The service will be provided to financial institutions, with NTT Communications offering a cell-phone based ATM "lock" service that will protect against fraudulent account withdrawals, and Tokio Marine & Nichido providing discounts on card theft insurance reflecting the reduced risk of fraudulent withdrawals.
  It already provides financial institutions with insurance that protects against fraudulent withdrawals via stolen or counterfeited cash cards. As a result of the improved security, Tokio Marine & Nichido will be able to offer insurance discounts based on the proportion of customers utilizing the new service.

A cell phone locks out thieves.

  The ATM withdrawal lock system works by initially setting the account withdrawal limit to zero ("withdrawal lock") and requiring the customer to call from a registered cell phone that functions like a "key" to "unlock" withdrawals to allow transactions. The "lock" prevents withdrawals using only a card and password, and is less expensive than IC cash card systems. The new service tie-up will provide a low-cost, immediate and guaranteed response to the need for greater security.

The rapidly expanding number of coffee-drinking Chinese may soon be able to quench their thirsts at a new coffee shop chain. A new company, known as Dalian Amici Coffee, Co., Ltd. is being set up jointly by Mitsubishi Corporation, Unicafe and Dalian Acasia Fast Foods. The trio plans to begin developing the franchise in China in late fiscal 2006, with the aim of expanding to 50 outlets by 2008 and 100 outlets by 2010. The focus will be on the big cities in northeast China, where coffee consumption has more than doubled since the beginning of the century.

A touch of class; the first Dalian Amici Coffee outlet in Dalian, China.

  In contrast to its competitors, who mainly use imported roasted coffee beans, Dalian Amici Coffee will offer coffee made from beans freshly roasted in its own coffee roasting facilities. It is expected that in China, where coffee-drinking is still novel and very much a fashion statement, this will appeal to more quality-minded consumers.

  In 1999, Mitsubishi Corporation invested in Dalian Acasia Fast Foods, owner of 29 fast food restaurants and food courts in Beijing, Tianjin and Dalian. After the successful trial of a first coffee shop in Dalian in early 2005, the partners decided to begin going forward with the new venture.