00:00Located on an important trading route, Japan's Niigata Prefecture has a long history of industrial prowess, rooted in shipping and manufacturing.
00:11Today's residents have inherited that entrepreneurial spirit, and are using it to find solutions to modern society's problems.
00:17We're here to take a look at some of Niigata's technological innovations, in this edition of Focus.
00:23For most Japanese, Niigata is synonymous with rice.
00:31The region produces some of the country's finest, but a lot of it gets binned before it's eaten.
00:37To prevent old or damaged rice from being wasted, the Niigata-born startup Rice Resin, now based in Fukushima, found a clever way to repurpose it.
00:46We've been upcycling rice that's no longer suitable for consumption to make biomass plastic.
00:53We want to expand the use of biomass plastic in Japan as well.
01:01Japan aims to increase the use of bioplastics 20-fold by 2030, from the current level of 100,000 tons to 2 million tons.
01:11Rising demand has led Rice Resin to move production to a bigger factory in Fukushima, using unconsumed rice from here too.
01:18Rice Resin's technology replaces a percentage of the petroleum-based polymers in traditional plastics with rice.
01:25This way, the biomass plastic emits less carbon dioxide, when it's incinerated at the end of its life.
01:32I don't think all plastics need to be recycled.
01:36When they are recycled, they become less durable.
01:40So we need to increase the biomass rate of incinerated plastics, and reduce the use of petroleum-based plastics.
01:52Rice Resin's low-carbon plastic is used to make bags, packaging, and various household objects.
01:58The products are often sold back to the regions the rice came from.
02:01Like this gift shop in Niigata City.
02:04This red spoon is very popular.
02:08It's made of rice, so it's environmentally friendly and sustainable.
02:13Many people are interested in this product.
02:19Rice Resin found a completely new way to use Niigata's famous rice.
02:23Another initiative has transformed the region's beloved koi fish, known as Nishikigoi, into a digital beacon of hope.
02:30Nishikigoi originates from Yamakoshi.
02:33Nishikigoi represents the connection between the world and Yamakoshi.
02:38So we decided to use Nishikigoi as a motif.
02:43Nishikigoi NFTs are at the heart of the Neo Yamakoshi Village project, which was launched in 2021.
02:50By selling these unique digital tokens, Yamakoshi has built a support system for its aging and shrinking population.
02:57After the devastating 2004 Chuetsu earthquake, Yamakoshi's population went from 2,200 to 7,300.
03:05But 1,750 Nishikigoi NFT owners have since become digital villagers.
03:12They communicate with residents online and get a say in how the village operates.
03:18The only thing digital villagers can't vote on are Yamakoshi's politicians,
03:23which is reserved for physical residents by Japanese law.
03:27Today Yamakoshi's two worlds are colliding.
03:30Both digital citizens and longtime residents are gathering in the village for a big festival.
03:35Longtime residents say the village's history helped them welcome the village.
03:41The digital villagers have become increasingly involved in village life,
03:45even starting a fan club for local bullfighters,
03:48and attending NFTs in Yamakoshi.
03:51Yamakoshi is the first village in the world to have a Nishikigoi NFT.
03:55It's the first Nishikigoi NFT in Japan.
03:58Yamakoshi is the first village in the world to have a Nishikigoi NFT.
04:01It's the first village in the world to have a Nishikigoi NFT.
04:06even starting a fan club for local bullfighters,
04:09and attending every tournament.
04:11They say it's a two-way relationship.
04:13They get to experience the charm of village life,
04:16while also helping preserve rural culture.
04:19The goal is to offer physical support as much as possible.
04:37The Neo Yamakoshi project is the first of its kind,
04:41and hopes to serve as a blueprint for other villages dealing with population loss around the world.
04:46It's ambitious, just like rice resin's grain-powered biomass plastic.
04:51But Niigata's changemakers have proven they're committed to designing a new future.
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