Today's print edition Home Delivery Toyota unveiled to the media on Saturday the first phase area of its Woven City a demonstration city being built in central Japan to test advanced mobility technologies includes roads dedicated to automated mobility on the ground and "logistics streets," or underpasses to conduct experiments on the automation of logistics services.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); I hope that future mobility will emerge," Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said at a ceremony to mark the completion of the first phase building of Woven City The first phase area covers 47,000 square meters Eight of the 14 buildings completed last year are residential buildings surrounded by an exchange center for inventors and residents construction of hydrogen pipelines and other infrastructure including one for pedestrians and another for automated mobility and traffic lights can be equipped with various sensors to measure the flow of people and other traffic which were constructed by excavating a layer of lava 10 meters underground and experiments with automated delivery robots will be conducted Woven City will eventually expand to about 700,000 square meters and house some 2,000 people from inside and outside the Toyota group Some 100 Toyota employees and others are expected to move into the city in fall this year Toyota also plans to test advanced technologies by repeating experiments including in digital spaces that replicate real cities "Woven City is an ever-evolving 'eternally unfinished city' and a 'test course for future mobility,'" Toyoda said "I promise to continue moving forward toward the future together with those who share the same aspirations." 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To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Akihabara News — Toyota Motor has officially inaugurated its pioneering “Woven City” project a smart city designed to redefine mobility and urban living located at the base of Mount Fuji in Susono has been completed and is now welcoming its initial residents the launch of Woven City marks a significant milestone in Toyota’s transformation from a traditional car manufacturer to a “mobility company.” The city which seeks to test and develop new technologies in real-world settings emphasizes sustainability and human-centric design will primarily consist of Toyota staff and their families with plans to expand the community to around 360 residents by the end of Phase 1 Woven City aims to house up to two thousand people including inventors and entrepreneurs from various fields Woven City has been designed with three types of streets: one for autonomous vehicles another for mixed use including personal mobility devices and pedestrians This innovative layout is intended to enhance safety and connectivity within the urban environment constructed with sustainable materials like wood are equipped with the latest in smart home technology including in-home robotics and health-monitoring AI systems The infrastructure is powered by hydrogen fuel cells and solar energy underlining Toyota’s commitment to environmental sustainability A notable aspect of Woven City is its collaborative approach and academic institutions to participate through an accelerator program set to start in the summer of 2025 This initiative aims to foster innovation by providing a real-life testbed for new products and services described Woven City not just as a place to live but as a “living laboratory” where residents actively participate in testing and refining new mobility concepts The project has already garnered attention for its potential to influence future urban planning and mobility solutions globally Woven City Reveals New Hydrogen Cartridge Hydrogen Fuel Station for Woven City Woven City Collaborations Panasonic Sojitz Smart Town Super Cities in Japan Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version introduced the 50,000-square-meter first phase area of Woven City a demonstration city for advanced technology being constructed in Susono in a tour for members of the press on Saturday please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent The company showed a research facility called Kakezan Invention Hub plus other buildings and a courtyard where researchers and residents will gather about 10 residential buildings and research facilities are constructed around the courtyard The Kakezan Invention Hub is a two-story glass-walled building where researchers will let residents experience planned new services A 100-meter underground passageway that connects all the buildings in the first phase area will be used for robots to deliver mail and packages to the residents About 10 utility poles stand in the courtyard The utility poles are equipped with power outlets and network cables to allow researchers to test their various advanced services Woven City is a demonstration city where self-driving vehicles artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies will be experimented with to enrich people’s lives The company began constructing the city in on the site of a former factory in 2021 The first phase of the 708,000-square-meter futuristic city will open in this autumn have announced that they will join the project to conduct demonstration experiments The city is planned to have about 2,000 residents in the future “We will promote initiatives to contribute to realizing a safe and secure mobility society.” Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report Shizuoka Prefecture--Three former nursery teachers at a licensed preschool here were arrested Dec 4 on suspicion of repeatedly assaulting toddlers in their care including hanging them upside down in midair and hitting them The arrests came after a police search of the school Investigations by the Susono city government and the nursery school found that the women were involved in 15 kinds of abuse between June and August They included holding children by the feet and hanging them upside down in midair hitting them on their heads with a binder to make them cry yelling at toddlers during lunch breaks and pinching their cheeks The teachers were apparently also fond of targeting specific children to look at menacingly yelling at and forcibly pulling down their pants brandishing a cutter knife in a menacing manner and mocking certain individuals for their physical appearance calling them things like “fatty” and “ugly,” and locking up naughty ones in a storage room of toys The suspects were identified as Sachi Miura of Numazu in the prefecture; Kaori Komatsu They worked for Sakura Nursery School in Susono and were responsible for the well-being of 1-year-olds The nursery teachers reportedly told school officials during an in-house hearing that they were simply trying to discipline the children City officials announced the incidents of mistreatment at the school during a Nov 30 news conference after sharing their findings with police Municipal authorities were alerted to the situation in mid-August by an inside source It also emerged that the school tried to cover up the scandal by having all the staff members sign a written oath in late October not to reveal personal information about children and staff they learned through their work to third parties They were also forbidden to leak documents digital files and confidential matters concerning the school Susono Mayor Harukaze Murata had harsh words for the head of the school “His responsibility is grave as he kept the abuses under wraps despite knowing about them.” City authorities are weighing whether to file a criminal complaint against Sakurai and the company that operates the school Rampant abuse reported at nursery where boy died in bus Sprinkler glitch ruins orchestra’s costly musical instruments Mother arrested after 5-year-old son’s body found under home Child abuse cases across the nation have soared over the past decade Police suspect blow by teacher killed nursery school student Foreign parents use unlicensed child care amid lack of support Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission on Tuesday began construction of a smart city at the foot of Mt Fuji in central Japan as a testing ground for new technologies including robotics and artificial intelligence About 360 people including Toyota employees will initially move to the so-called Woven City to be built at the 70.8-hectare former Toyota factory site in Susono which derive power from a hydrogen-oxygen reaction Toyota describes the city -- run with partner companies such as telecommunications giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp -- as a "living laboratory" where it will test autonomous vehicles robots and artificial intelligence in a real-world environment The Japanese automaker has commissioned Danish architect Bjarke Ingels who designed the 2 World Trade Center in New York City and Google's headquarters in California Toyota said the streets in Woven City will be designated for three type of usage -- faster vehicles only personal mobility and pedestrians and a pedestrians only promenade The buildings will mostly be made of wood to minimize the carbon footprint and the homes will use sensor-based AI to check the occupants' health Toyota again ups FY 2020 net profit outlook to 1.9 tril. yen Toyota eyes record 9.2 million unit global output in 2021 Toyota group tops global auto sales in 2020 for 1st time in 5 years To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible FRANKSTON SUSONO FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION INC.  For more than 40 years Frankston has demonstrated it is an inclusive community by having highly regarding “sister city” relationship with Susono in Japan  The sister city relationship between Frankston and Susono was established on 22 February 1982.  Susono City is located on the Pacific coast of Japan's Honshu Island approximately 1oo kilometres (62 miles) south of Tokyo Susono has a population of over 50,000 residents Frankston Susono Friendship Association (FSFA) is a group of passionate volunteer citizens from Frankston City who administer the sister city relationship on behalf of the people of Frankston The Susono side (Susono Overseas Friendship Association) is administered in a similar way All the activities/ projects are created and undertaken by the Associations If you would like more information on the Frankston Susono Friendship Association and our relationship with Susono please visit the Frankston-Susono website.         Imagine Frankston Engage Frankston! Frankston Arts Centre Frankston City Libraries Frankston Youth Services PARC - Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre Transparency Hub Frankston City Council respectfully acknowledges the traditional owners We pay respect to all Aboriginal community Elders who have resided in the area and have been an integral part of the history of the region               Frankston City Council is a member of the Welcoming Cities network a group of more than 80 Councils who are committed to an Australia where everyone can belong and participate in social Japanese version part of a series featuring Toyota's research in non-automotive fields While most would say “the summit,” the answer is not so simple Several old craters exist near the volcano’s base meaning a future eruption could occur surprisingly close to residential areas There is no telling where an eruption will come from This makes planning evacuation scenarios all the more important where the construction of Woven City is underway has projected as many as 31 potential lava flow patterns lava was expected to take a day to reach the populous Suyama district; a re-examination revealed that After hearing about a department working to unravel this startling data and better inform residents we visited the Toyota Higashi-Fuji Technical Center The group that greeted us included a man wearing camouflage face paint and a mascot that looks like Mt all of which will be explained in good time the Fuji hazard map was updated for the first time in 17 years technology developed by Toyota proved useful Susono faces ongoing challenges that it has been unable to resolve We began working with the city because we felt that Toyota’s expertise could help find solutions Toyota has all kinds of simulation technology of which multi-agent simulation was particularly useful We have been using this technology to study how much the spread of autonomous driving could alleviate traffic congestion This joint public-private planning effort began by visualizing traffic congestion during evacuations It was at this point that “Colonel Magma” chimed in The mystery of his camouflage makeup will be cleared up later in the article Information and communications technology is a weak spot for Susono City so we were very grateful when Toyota offered to help us formulate an evacuation plan Toyota also has connections with insurance companies and research organizations I think we would have struggled on our own I was skeptical about how useful they would be,” says Colonel Magma with a smile the ongoing efforts brought tangible results Susono City’s mayor also shared the following comment The technology and know-how that Toyota provided enabled us to analyze data and visualize outcomes through 3D simulations which would have been difficult by ourselves We incorporated the results into our Fuji volcano evacuation drills and disaster prevention classes for elementary and junior high schools helping to raise awareness among residents The project also boosted the skills of city employees engaged in data-driven policymaking Here was an example of a carmaker’s unique expertise being used for the benefit of the local area Three women held by police on suspicion of assaulting children at nursery school in city of Susono Police have arrested three teachers at a nursery school in central Japan on suspicion they routinely abused toddlers holding them upside down and locking them up in a bathroom in a case that has triggered outrage and allegations of a cover-up Shizuoka prefectural police said they arrested three women on Sunday on suspicion of assaulting at least three children in June at a nursery school in the city of Susono told reporters on Monday that he had also filed a criminal complaint against the school’s director He urged police to widen their investigation one of the teachers is accused of holding a boy upside down and the third slapped the head of another boy Their arrests followed a search of the private school by police on Saturday in response to the city’s revelation last week of 15 counts of alleged abuses between June and August Results of an internal investigation revealed the three teachers routinely abused toddlers in their care verbally abusing the children by calling them “ugly” and “fat” locking them up inside a toilet or storage room Murata accused the school director of “covering up” the abuses by getting other teachers to sign a paper requiring them to conceal the problem and delaying giving an explanation to the parents calling his handling of the issue “heinous” View image in fullscreenThe mayor of Susono and the vice-mayor bow during a press conference in Susono on Monday reportedly told investigators that their treatment of the toddlers was “discipline” while the director said he had the document signed only to protect privacy of those involved and denied trying to cover up the abuses The city has faced public criticism for sitting on the case for more than three months since a whistleblower first came forward to reveal “inappropriate” cases at the school in mid-August Murata said he took the criticism seriously and would take a pay cut for two months while also punishing three senior officials Separate investigations into possible abuse are continuing in two other nursery schools officials are conducting an internal investigation following allegations that children had to strip down to their underwear during mealtimes so they did not dirty their clothes At another school in the northern city of Toyama police are investigating teachers on suspicion they locked up crying children in a storage facility or poked their backs with a stick to order them to move Experts say nursery teachers tend to be low paid and schools face chronic staff shortages and a harsh working environment Japanese version A private nursery school in Shizuoka Prefecture has been found to have engaged in repeated physical and verbal abuse of toddlers in its care including holding them upside down by their feet The city government of Susono said Wednesday it is considering filing a criminal complaint on suspicion of assault or threatening behavior after confirming 15 cases of abuse involving three teachers at the school "We consider this to be a case of abuse," said Susono Mayor Harukaze Murata at a press conference It was also discovered that the school had made all of its staff sign an oath not to reveal what took place there were among six teachers in charge of the 1-year-olds' class at the nursery school also included forcibly removing the children's pants and brandishing a cutter knife in a threatening manner The teachers admitted taking such actions but said they were trying to discipline the children They have been reprimanded and have left the school while the head has had a pay cut The case was brought to light after the city received a report in mid-August The city interviewed the school head to probe the incident but kept mum about it for more than three months Gov't shares nationwide info on abusive baby sitters in Japan and one of its subsidiaries were watching on a big screen video footage of factory workers sending off the last vehicle manufactured at a plant that was closing Toyota Motor Corp.’s audit and supervisory board member Toyota Motor East Japan president at the time and currently chairman and other officials at Toyota Motor East Japan Inc.’s Higashi-Fuji plant about 18 months before the plant shut down.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); But the video was not of the Higashi-Fuji plant in Susono which closed late last year after 53 years Japanese version began construction of a smart city in Susono in an ambitious project that aims to accelerate practical application of cutting-edge technologies as an experimental site to utilize such technologies as autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence in a bid to make life more convenient “We want to make this a place for innovation,” Toyota President Akio Toyoda told the press after participating in the groundbreaking ceremony that day Woven City is being built on the site of a former factory that was closed in December and has a view of Mt A smart city is an urban model that uses information technology to enhance services and improve energy efficiency The aim is to connect the foundations of daily life — such as homes offices and automobiles — and social infrastructure — such as electricity gas and public transportation — through communications networks to collect and analyze information regarding consumption and movement Toyota has previously announced that the site is about 700,000 square meters in size and three types of roads will be laid out like a network including one for autonomous vehicles and another for pedestrians Underground roads will be built for autonomous vehicles to distribute goods will live in the city and be encouraged to work toward resolving social issues Toyota plans for 2,000 people to live there but [even in the future] it will be incomplete as it’s an open concept,” Toyoda said The company has not disclosed a completion date nor the total cost of the project stemming from Toyoda’s idea of making continuous efforts to improve the city without defining a finished product Toyota is emphasizing a collaborative effort with companies from various industries and more than 3,000 corporations — including NTT Corp — and individuals have said they want to participate in the project Toyoda has also invested in an affiliate company that will be responsible for development One of the goals of building Woven City is to increase the speed of R&D as the company is competing with tech giants such as Apple Inc and Google LLC in creating autonomous vehicles and other areas there are many barriers to testing automated vehicles on public roads such as legal restrictions and ensuring the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians Toyota hopes to secure a greater degree of freedom in development by designing the city from scratch including the construction of roads exclusively for automated vehicles Smart city projects are underway around the world China is promoting the concept of a government-monitored type of city efforts are being made to improve the efficiency of garbage collection plans are underway to improve the energy efficiency of entire cities such as the Kashiwanoha area in Chiba Prefecture While many projects are in progress in existing cities “Woven City is being built from the ground up which is rare in Japan,” a Cabinet Office official said “You can get a sense of the speed of development.” Japanese version Japanese version Japanese version Japanese version Japanese version Japanese version Japanese version