10月19日（月）三菱重工 休眠造船ラインを再稼働、マイナ認証の導入 デジタル庁に相談6倍

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to Restart Dormant Okayama Shipbuilding Line in Fiscal 2027

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has announced it will bring a mothballed shipbuilding line in Okayama Prefecture back into operation in fiscal 2027. The primary purpose is to construct new replenishment vessels for the Ministry of Defence. Two forces have converged to create a capacity crunch: a sustained increase in the defence budget and the recent lifting of Japan's ban on exporting warships. Rather than committing to fresh capital expenditure, the company intends to unlock its dormant assets to secure additional supply capacity. Building out a production structure capable of absorbing an expanding order book has become an urgent priority.

Inquiries on My Number Card Authentication Jump Sixfold at the Digital Agency

Corporate and government inquiries about the government's digital authentication service — which uses the My Number Card (マイナンバーカード) — have surged, with consultations at the Digital Agency increasing sixfold. The catalyst is a string of cyberattacks and unauthorised-access incidents. My Number Card authentication is attracting attention because organisations no longer need to store image data from identity documents, which reduces the risk of information leaks. Growing numbers of organisations racing to tighten security are now examining a switch to My Number Card-based verification.

Mizuho FG Completes Planned Major Update to Core Banking System 'Minori' on Schedule

On 18 October 2026, Mizuho Financial Group (みずほフィナンシャルグループ) announced it had completed, on schedule, an update to its core banking system Minori (みのり) that had been under way since 2025 — a year-long undertaking. This is the first major overhaul since the system went fully live in 2019. Minori is the integrated core banking platform that Mizuho developed over many years, and completing this update represents an important milestone in maintaining stable operations going forward.

Subaru to Cut Next-Generation Vehicle Development Time by 40 Percent with 'Open-Room Development'

Subaru has announced a target of cutting next-generation vehicle development time by 40 percent compared with current timelines. The company will introduce what it calls 'open-room development' (大部屋開発) — a model that increases digital design verification and streamlines processes such as prototyping. With development competition intensifying against Chinese EV startups and other newcomers, the aim is to sharpen competitiveness through process transformation. Accelerating development speed is also critical to raising the frequency with which new models reach market, and Subaru is pressing ahead with an overhaul of its development organisation centred on digital technology.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Push Safety Alerts to Overseas Travellers via SMS from Fiscal 2027

From fiscal 2027, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will deliver overseas safety and risk information directly to travellers as push notifications via SMS. Previously, travellers had to seek out such information themselves; the shift to proactive government delivery is intended to raise safety awareness. Amid growing instability across the Middle East and other parts of the world, the initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen the protection of Japanese nationals abroad.

Personality's Book Pick — 'The World Is Made of Prices'

Food prices have been rising since the start of October, with leafy vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, spinach, and komatsuna particularly affected — likely a delayed consequence of last month's prolonged rainfall. Personality Tomura Noriko (戸村則子) used the price spike as a springboard to recommend a book: *Receipt kara Yomitoku Kyoyo to shite no Keizaigaku: Sekai wa Nedan de Dekite iru* ('The World Is Made of Prices: Economics as Liberal Arts, Read Through Receipts') by Radio Nikkei commentator Murano Takashi (村野隆), who was also the founding producer of Nagara Nikkei (ながら日経).

The book argues that people are not so much stressed by price increases themselves as by increases whose reasons they cannot understand. A price with an explanation feels like a conversation with a company; a price without one feels like an order. Tomura gave a concrete example: hamburger patties that had been ¥580 for three had risen by ¥300. Thinking through why the price had gone up, she said, made it feel like a message from the producer — and she found herself able to buy them with a sense of acceptance. The book uses prices across a wide range of categories — condominiums, fan spending on favourite artists, subscription services — to explain economics. Tomura recommended it as especially worth reading at a time of persistent price increases.