"We'll cut them to the extent possible, but some investments are in customers, and so are strategically important, " says Managing Director Kiyoshi Asakawa.

FORBES: Mitsubishi is not amused

With his friend Kiyoshi Nishikawa, whose company, NetAge, was also setting up shop as an incubator, Mr Koike dreamed up the Bit Valley Association.

ECONOMIST: Face value

Even the buyer, sushi chain owner Kiyoshi Kimura, who also paid out the record price last year, said the cost was "a bit high".

BBC: Japan bluefin tuna fetches record $1.7m

Meanwhile, Reuters interviewed Kiyoshi Kanamura, a professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University, who said that the logical solution for Boeing would be to install ceramic plates between each cell and add a vent to the battery box.

FORBES: Does Boeing Have a 787 Battery Fix?