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News from Japan

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Oct-2026 07:16 ET (21-Oct-2026 11:16 GMT/UTC)

Risk of herpes zoster among breast cancer survivors in Japan: A nationwide claims data analysis

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The risk of herpes zoster among breast cancer survivors, who constitute the largest group of female cancer survivors in Japan, remains unclear. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba used a nationwide medical claims database to identify periods during which breast cancer survivors were at increased risk of herpes zoster compared with age-matched women from the general population and to identify treatment groups that were at the greatest risk.

Journal: Breast Cancer Research

Rare C-to-G mutations occurred at an unexpectedly high frequency during the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant

University of Tsukuba

A researcher at University of Tsukuba analyzed mutation patterns in the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. Two of the seven amino acid substitutions that emerged with the Delta variant resulted from cytosine-to-guanine (C-to-G) nucleotide substitutions, a mutation type that is among the rarest observed during SARS-CoV-2 evolution. A comparison with other major variants and within-lineage viral evolution revealed that the frequency was significantly higher than expected, indicating an unusual mutational pattern in the Delta spike protein. These findings offer new insight into the evolutionary processes associated with the emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Journal: Infection Genetics and Evolution

Higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with a slower age-related decline in kidney function

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Although multiple factors contribute to age-related declines in kidney function, the role of cardiorespiratory fitness in this process has remained unclear. Researchers at University of Tsukuba conducted a 5-year prospective follow-up study and found that individuals with higher cardiorespiratory fitness experienced a slower decline in kidney function over time. These findings underscore the potential importance of maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness to preserve kidney health during aging.

Journal: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

Genomic comparison of clinical strains of Mycobacterium shinjukuense in Japan reveals low diversity and stable genome structures

Osaka Metropolitan University

An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team performed whole-genome sequencing on 18 clinical strains of M. shinjukuense collected from Japan between 2010 and 2017 to obtain insights into its intraspecies genomic diversity and structure variation.

Journal: Microbial Genomics

A new kind of polymer with two faces and a twist

The University of Osaka
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the University of Osaka have developed a new class of chiral semiconducting polymers that can generate highly spin-polarized electrical currents. The team’s unique molecular design allows the polymers to self-assemble into helical structures that efficiently filter electron spins, offering a promising platform for future spintronic devices and clean-energy technologies.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Science and Technology Agency

First 24 hours after viral infection are critical

Hokkaido University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have identified an early immune “checkpoint” that could help explain why the same virus can affect people so differently.

Journal: iScience

A 100-year-old mystery in the cat kidney may be linked to scent communication

Iwate University, Japan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

How can a cat’s urine keep saying “who was here” even after its odor begins to change? An international team led by Iwate University used the well-known flehmen response as a behavioral clue and found that domestic cats have individual-specific combinations of 13 branched-chain fatty acids in their urine. Cats could detect differences in these chemical profiles, which remained relatively stable within individuals and persisted after urine was deposited. The researchers also found that BFA-containing lipids are stored in kidney lipid droplets—structures known to be abundant in cats for more than 100 years, but whose function has remained unclear. Related urinary compounds and kidney lipid droplets were also found in several other felid species. The findings suggest that kidney lipid droplets may help support a durable chemical “calling card” in cat urine, revealing an unexpected link between kidney physiology and scent communication.

Journal: Current Biology
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Next-gen mRNA therapeutics get a new delivery vehicle

Nagoya University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan in collaboration with FUJIFILM have developed a novel way of delivering circular RNA (cirRNA) into cells, paving way for longer-lasting mRNA-based therapeutics including cancer vaccines and GLP-1 obesity treatments.

Journal: Cell Biomaterials
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI, Japan Science and Technology Agency CREST, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED)

Immune remodeling in extreme old age: how supercentenarians reshape their immune system

The University of Osaka
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the University of Osaka discovered that people who reach extreme old age have an unusual immune system. Around the age of 100, they develop large numbers of rare immune cells that resemble those seen in people fighting cancer, allowing them to remain highly active in their supercentenarian years. The findings suggest that the immune system can adapt with age and may help protect some people from disease to support exceptional longevity.

Journal: Cell Reports
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Takeda Science Foundation, Mochida Memorial Foundation for Medical and Pharmaceutical Research

Simple diet changes help microbes produce higher-quality biomaterials

Hiroshima University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Feeding bacteria a cheap agricultural by-product enables the production of high-value biomaterials with promising biomedical and industrial applications.

Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal

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