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Panasonic building utopian society in Tokyo suburb

Working toward a “Better Life, Better World”, Panasonic is showing off a line of social conscience products and solutions at 2014 ITS World Congress, including a side-view camera for vehicles and an ambitious planned community it is building in a Tokyo suburb. The side-view camera is already installed on more than 1 million Honda models in Asia and North America, according to Asuka Horita, a senior coordinator for Panasonic’s automotive module devices division, and effectively replaces side-view mirrors wit
September 9, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Asuka Horita of Panasonic with the side-view camera

Working toward a “Better Life, Better World”, 598 Panasonic is showing off a line of social conscience products and solutions at 2014 ITS World Congress, including a side-view camera for vehicles and an ambitious planned community it is building in a Tokyo suburb.

The side-view camera is already installed on more than 1 million Honda models in Asia and North America, according to Asuka Horita, a senior coordinator for Panasonic’s automotive module devices division, and effectively replaces side-view mirrors with a wider angle. The camera allows for safer passing during highway driving.

According to Gary Nelson, a senior sales manager for Panasonic, construction of the Fujisawa Sustainable and Smart Town began earlier this year and will be completed in 2018. The finished village will consist of 1,000 single family homes, two residential towers, a health centre and several community buildings and was built on the site of a factory where Panasonic manufactured home appliances. The land was repurposed when the plant closed and can now support a community of 5,000 people. Buildings, appliances, public land and community centres are engineered with sustainable Panasonic solutions and technology, showcasing the company’s commitment to changing the lives of people around the world for the better. Energy management solutions monitor energy consumption and deliver savings while security features such as closed-circuit cameras keep residents safe. A subsidised health center provides top-of-the-line care, and a car-share programme keeps people moving efficiently. Finally, a series of public parks and community centres brings the community together for music concerts, town hall meetings and other recreation.

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