Tokyo

The Japanese government is planning to connect major cities with automated zero-emissions logistics links that can quietly and efficiently shift millions of tons of cargo, while getting tens of thousands of trucks off the road.

The Mori JP Tower is the new tallest skyscraper in Japan. Rising to a height of 325 m, the building is designed to reduce its energy usage with sustainability features and to stand up to the country's seismicity.

Heatherwick Studio has been hired to create its first school. Responding to a cramped site in Tokyo, it has designed a greenery filled building with an unusual layout that will provide outdoor learning areas and generous playground space.

Snøhetta has revealed plans for a new skyscraper in Tokyo. The Shibuya Upper West Project is designed to offer a peaceful sanctuary in the heart of the bustling city and will be defined by a ceramic and glass facade that's broken up by greenery.

Mitsubishi Estate has unveiled plans for the Tokyo Torch, a 1,280-foot, 67-storey skyscraper that will become the tallest office building in the country, and the second-tallest structure behind the 2,080 ft Tokyo Skytree.

The Japanese have unusual bathrooms, but we'd guess most prefer to use them without an audience. So what's the deal with these see-through public toilets by Shigeru Ban? Though they're transparent when not in use, they turn opaque when occupied.

Panasonic is trialing a new robotic mobility system that uses three electric wheelchairs equipped with autonomous "follow-the-leader" tracking functionality.

Heatherwick Studio will add some nature to Tokyo with a new district defined by an eye-catching building covered in greenery.

The narrow dead-end streets that stop and start through the city blocks of Tokyo are a distinctive, if not entirely useful, part of the city landscape. Rather than closing itself off to these pint-sized cul-de-sacs, Pluszero’s recently completed House in Ouji opens itself right up.

Japanese lumber and housing firm Sumitomo Forestry has unveiled an ambitious plan to build a supertall timber skyscraper in Tokyo. Rising to an impressive 350 m (1,148 ft)-tall, the tower would be a real feat of wooden construction.

​Toyota is investing 40 million yen (US$354,000) in SkyDrive, a drone-like compact flying car designed by a group of Toyota employees in their spare time. The goal is to have the vehicle ready to go in time to light the torch at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo games.

Along with the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car​, Toyota has invested in fueling stations and infrastructure to make sure fuel cell vehicles aren't an under-supported flash in the pan, experience that will pay off when sales of its 77-seater Fuel Cell Bus start early next year.