Stories from Japan

NOB announced it has accepted a government recommendation to cancel its acquisition plan for Makino Milling Machine.

A man from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force was arrested on April 28 for violating regulations regarding the possession of firearms. The arrest occurred on April 28 and the individual previously served as a security guard in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The arrested man reportedly served as a manager in a Tokyo ward, according to Shonan Beach FM. A man was arrested in flagrante delicto on April 28 by the Metropolitan Police Department's Yotsuno Station. The suspect was a member of the Tokyo Music Band and served as a conductor, according to the Shonan Beach FM report. Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara is scheduled to visit the Philippines on May 5 to meet with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro regarding regional stability. Protests by Japanese citizens and civic groups against the lifting of arms export bans continue.

Ferrari has requested explanations from FIA regarding the performance of Mercedes and Red Bull power units. The team cited perceived anomalies in electrical operations during the final laps of certain races.

Red Cat has delivered 173 Black Widow drone systems to the Japan Ministry of Defense. The delivery includes two aircraft and a control station per system, marking the company's second Asia-Pacific military contract following a previous deal with Australia.

Yousuke Tamori, the author of the Popolocrois Story manga, has passed away at the age of 74.

An electronics giant reported a net adjusted profit of $32 billion for the January to March period. This figure beat market estimates following a 68% year-on-year revenue increase.

Thieves targeted five residential properties in Hikone City, stealing luxury foreign cars and precious metals valued at approximately 14 million yen.

Kagoshima City has begun distributing 5,000 yen gift cards per person to combat rising living costs.

Major cloud computing providers are demonstrating the commercial viability of artificial intelligence technologies. Alphabet's cloud growth is specifically cited as a driver for the $700 billion industry-wide AI investment trend. 64 percent of young people in the EU utilized artificial intelligence in 2025. Cloud computing enterprises are being paved by Resolution 57. The trend is currently a top 10 topic on CLS Finance. Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta collectively represent 25% of the S&P 500 market capitalization. Alphabet's recent performance was well received as its AI spending is reportedly translating into revenue. Enterprises are being further enabled by regulatory pathways under Resolution 57. The cloud is described as more than infrastructure for storing files or training AI models, functioning as a testbed for digital interactions.

A bottle of sake rice wine produced in space has sold for approximately 600,000 euros to an anonymous buyer in Japan. Two companies sent specialized brewing equipment and sake ingredients to the International Space Station for the fermentation process. The fermentation occurred under microgravity conditions on the station.