
Japan’s new garment printing machine is ready to make a splash
Japan is moving towards a more sustainable future, with its new clothing manufacturing machine set to be the first to make garments in a factory using a modern technology.
In the latest step in a country whose production capacity is expected to hit its peak in the next five years, the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Tuesday it was planning to introduce a new garment production machine that will print new clothing from the inside out, with the aim of providing more sustainable jobs for local residents.
“Our goal is to make sure that all of the workers in this new factory can be employed with the same dignity as any other worker in the factory, and that they can be proud of their contribution to the future of the industry,” Economy, Transport and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Muto told a news conference.
“As a result, we will make a decision within the next three months to allow this new machine to be licensed to print garments for export abroad.”
The new machine, called the “Longwear”, is set to become operational next year, but Muto said it would not be ready to start production until 2020.
“In the first phase, we plan to make the machine available for domestic use, with a capacity of 100 million garments a month, but we will not be able to manufacture a million garments per month for domestic export,” he said.
“This is because we have to design a machine with the correct manufacturing capabilities.
The machine will be a product that can be adapted to fit local requirements.”
The ministry is planning to launch a new manufacturing process in 2020, using an automated, self-sealing printing device, which it said will allow for more reliable production and a cleaner environment.
It is also planning to set up a “clean factory” in the city of Miyagi, which has a population of just over 20,000 people, and to develop the new plant by 2025, and then scale it up to be a major manufacturing hub.
It will also use an automated and self-contained printing facility, which will allow the factory to produce more garments within a short time, according to the ministry.
The machine will print clothing from fabrics that are recycled and certified to be sustainable, it said.
In a separate development, Japan’s Ministry for Education has been given the task of making a list of schools in the country where children can receive classes online.
The government will soon be distributing the list to all schools, and the list will be updated every three months.
Japanese schools, which have been under intense pressure to improve standards, have had difficulty filling up the lists due to the ongoing education reforms.
The government is hoping the list of eligible schools will help students from low-income backgrounds to take advantage of the school-to-school option.
“The government has a number of initiatives that aim to promote higher education, but it is also working to create jobs and to support education and job opportunities for those in need,” Education Minister Taro Aso said.
Aso said Japan has already made a significant progress in improving the quality of its schools.
“At the moment, we have more than 1,000 high schools that are open to all students, and about 3,000 colleges and universities that are also open to students,” he added.
“But there is still a lot of work to be done.
We hope to have all of Japan’s schools open to the public by 2020.”
The list will also be distributed to schools to make their courses more accessible to low- and middle-income students.
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