"Japan has the worst generational inequality in the world," said Manabu Shimasawa, a professor of social policy at Akita University who has written extensively on such inequalities.

The company teamed up on the project with Okayama University biologist Manabu Sugimoto, who has been part of a Russian space project to explore ways to grow edible plants in space.

“Japan has the worst generational inequality in the world, ” said Manabu Shimasawa, a professor of social policy at Akita University who has written extensively on such inequalities.