Panasonic Corporation is showcasing its energy solutions for achieving comfortable and sustainable lifestyles at the Japan Pavilion, which opened on June 13 in the Athletes Park, situated adjacent to Rio Centro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the main venue of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20. Panasonic’s exhibition is part of Japan’s joint public- and private-sector initiative that aims to demonstrate to the world the Asian country’s potentials and contribution towards sustainable development, which is one of the main themes of the Rio+20 conference to be held from June 20 to 22. The Japan Pavilion will open through June 24.

Pepsi Japan, which has a lot of shocking and weird varieties in its portfolio, including Strawberry & Milk, Ice Cucumber and Baobab, has unveiled another revolutionary seasonal variety. Now, the iconic carbonated drink brand is inviting its loyal fans to try a new variety with the salted watermelon flavour. The new drink, which pays tribute to the traditional Japanese summertime treat, will hit the local market on July 24.

Nike and Skype have launched new activations revolving around human faces. The online ‘Free Face’ game, which was kicked off by Nike in Japan, is designed to promote Nike iD, the brand’s branch which is focused on customization and adjusting to consumers’ preferences. The new digital Flash platform, developed by Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo, invites fans to give their faces a workout and (with the help of the web camera) put them next to Nike ID’s sneakers, which can easily mimic the facial expressions thanks to their flexible soles.  

Google is unifying users’ entertainment with the launch of Google Play, a cloud-based service which enables users store multiple songs, movies, books and apps online. Now you don’t need to switch from one device to another, synchronize data, use cables or pay for storage space—the company united a range of its services such as Android Market, Google Music and the Google eBookstore into one platform called Google Play, launched on March 7.

Nike, which always chooses motivating names and slogans for its campaigns and encourages its fans to lead active lives (recently, it launched the #makeitcount movement), is now rolling out a new promotion dubbed ‘Only The Strong’ in Japan. On its official website, the sportswear manufacturer has posted a series of photos, shot in the different areas of Tokyo, as well as a video featuring young males, who are looking at the megalopolis from a roof of a high building. The Nike Japan Spring/Summer 2012 ‘Only The Strong’ campaign features looks and apparel from the new collections (primarily for running), but a user can’t either enlarge an item or proceed to buy it from the page—just images, nothing more.