At the 17th Japan Teen Pageant final in Harajuku, a 17-year-old high schooler from Gifu won after the crown slid off her head mid-ceremony. She beat 5,518 applicants for one of 14 finalist spots.
New bankruptcy data from Tokyo Shokō Research shows 5,373 Japanese firms with debts over 10 million yen failed in the first half of fiscal 2026, a 13-year record. Rising interest rates and shrinking demand are hitting the smallest companies hardest.
Teenager Sora Matsushima edged Taiwan's Lin Yun-Ju 4-3 to win the WTT China Grand Slam, cementing his rise to world No. 1 in men's table tennis. The seven-game thriller left Chinese fans debating what his emergence means for the sport.
Two and a half years after a health-supplement scandal, Japanese drugmaker Kobayashi Pharmaceutical is said to be weighing a take-private deal from CVC and a state-backed fund worth over 500 billion yen.
A thread asking why so many parents still escort children to primary school has sparked a wider debate about independence, safety and changing childhoods in Chinese cities.
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