Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

A 26-year-old man who worked as a car salesman in Belgium has been legally recognized, through DNA testing, as the biological son of Prince Laurent (the King’s younger brother), and has now become an official member of the royal family. Reports say he was granted the same inheritance rights as the children born to the Prince and his wife, sparking chatter on 5ch — from “Why doesn’t Japan’s Imperial family do DNA testing?” to questions about whether a child born out of wedlock can actually hold a claim to the throne.

(CNN) — Clément Vandenkerckhove, a man who worked as a car salesman in Belgium, has become a prince at age 26. He has been recognized as the son of Prince Laurent, the King’s younger brother.

[Photo] Prince Laurent and Wendy Van Wanten back in the 1990s

Vandenkerckhove’s mother is a Belgian singer who was in a relationship with Prince Laurent in the 1990s. She reportedly revealed who his father was for the first time ten years ago, when he turned 16.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

*This article is an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Newsplus) thread “[Royal Family] Belgian car salesman becomes a prince at 26 — DNA test reveals royal bloodline, granted the same inheritance rights as the children born to the Prince and his wife.”

It has come to light that an 85-year-old couple living in Osaka City donated a total of ¥400 million to the memorial park being built on the former Expo site, and have requested that a giant statue of the official mascot “Myaku-Myaku” be installed there. Reactions on 5channel were split, ranging from lighthearted jokes like “Kengo Kuma’s probably going to get involved” to opinions that disaster relief should take priority.

Hoping to contribute to the redevelopment of Yumeshima, the artificial island in Osaka’s Konohana Ward that hosted the Osaka-Kansai Expo, an Osaka couple — Keihachi Fukunishi, 85, and his wife Akiyo, also 85 — donated a total of ¥400 million to the city. Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama presented them with a letter of appreciation at city hall on the 24th.

In June this year, the couple offered the ¥400 million donation to the city, requesting it be used for the “Memorial Park Zone,” where part of the Expo’s symbolic “Grand Roof Ring” will be preserved alongside a new memorial hall. Among their wishes is the construction of a giant statue of the Expo’s official mascot character, Myaku-Myaku.

At the presentation ceremony, Mayor Yokoyama said of the donation, “We will do everything we can to put it to good use and pass the Expo’s legacy on to the next generation,” as he handed over the letter of appreciation.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

112AnonymousAug 24, 2026 23:00

This year's kanji, Osaka edition only: "脈" (myaku, "pulse/vein" — a nod to Myaku-Myaku)

220AnonymousAug 24, 2026 23:28

Re: #112
Osaka's still stuck in Expo mode

155AnonymousAug 24, 2026 23:09

Completion image

167AnonymousAug 24, 2026 23:11

Re: #155
This is probably going to cost something like ¥4 billion

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (News Speed+) thread “Elderly Osaka Couple Donates ¥400 Million, Requests Giant Myaku-Myaku Statue: “A Symbol to Pass Down to Future Generations”.”

On August 20, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced the “Entertainment & Creative Industry Strategy 2026” — nicknamed the “Storytelling Powerhouse Five-Year Plan” — aiming to expand overseas sales of Japanese-origin content such as anime, games, and manga to ¥20 trillion by 2033.

On 5ch, skeptical reactions poured in — commenters pointed to the past failures of the “Cool Japan” policy, called for METI to be abolished outright, and mocked the middleman-skimming structures that tend to plague these initiatives.

On August 20, METI announced it had compiled the “Entertainment & Creative Industry Strategy 2026.”

The strategy is meant to help achieve the government’s goal of expanding overseas sales of Japanese-origin content — games, anime, manga, and more — to ¥20 trillion by 2033, and has been dubbed the “Storytelling Powerhouse Five-Year Plan.” The idea is for the public and private sectors to share this target and accelerate efforts together.

In fiscal 2025, the ministry held an “Entertainment & Creative Industry Policy Study Group,” holding repeated discussions with more than 90 top figures from various industries as well as over 100 startups and creators. The new strategy compiles the results of that work, and is positioned as fleshing out the content-industry portion of the “Public-Private Investment Roadmap” covering 17 strategic fields that Japan’s Growth Strategy Headquarters decided on in July.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

*This article is composed of excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “METI Announces “Storytelling Powerhouse Five-Year Plan,” Aiming for ¥20 Trillion in Overseas Sales of Japanese Content.”