Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • Sony Reaffirms PS5 Exclusivity, PC Ports Looking Unlikely — 5ch: ‘Single-Player Games Didn’t Sell, So They Pulled Out of Steam’

    PS5’s flagship titles Ghost of Yōtei and Marvel’s Wolverine have once again been confirmed as PS5 exclusives by the publisher, sparking discussion on 5ch. Commenters pointed to reports that the previous title, Ghost of Tsushima, underperformed on Steam and was pulled, questioning whether a PC release would even be profitable — while the thread also devolved into arguments over weak demand versus PC users’ insufficient hardware specs.

    PS5’s Ghost of Yōtei, Marvel’s Wolverine, and others reconfirmed as “PS5 exclusives” by the publisher — PC ports looking unlikely?

    Source: automaton-media.com / Original article here

    2AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:37
    With god-tier exclusives and strong third-party support, PS5's become unstoppable.
    78AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:18
    Re: #2
    Wasn't it already unstoppable before? lol
    6AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:38
    The whole point of Totoki's plan was 'since PS-exclusive alone doesn't work, release on PC too' — but now they've panicked over the next-gen Xbox possibly supporting Steam games and hastily shrunk their sales channels. A total loser move.
    61AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:14
    Re: #6
    The reason they stopped releasing on Steam is that it doesn't sell on Steam.
    8AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:40
    N-not that I want it anyway…
    Also, can they even recoup costs?
    9AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:40
    Well, they're pushing their own hardware, so that's only natural.
    10AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:41
    Most PC gamers (パソコンガ, a derisive nickname for PC users) don't have the specs anyway.
    Even if they release it, all they'd get is complaints and smear campaigns about it not running.
    21AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:45
    Re: #10
    LOL wwwwwwwwww
    Didn't the cracked PC version of Tokon get optimized for insane performance and run great?

    At this point nobody's going to deny it when people say they deliberately leave PC ports unoptimized just to prop up the PS5.
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:43
    As a first-party move, that's reasonable enough.
    That said, it does seem unlikely to pay for itself.
    14AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:43
    I mean, people kept begging for a PC release, so they figured there was real demand and put it out — and when it barely sold, of course even a "5th-dimensional life form" (an odd turn of phrase for the publisher) would retreat into its shell.
    Meanwhile Xbox's stuff — Minecraft obviously, but also Forza 6 and others — is doing great on PC.
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:43
    Totoki's master plan: signal the retreat by loudly touting exclusivity for a garbage game nobody wants anyway.
    17AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:44
    Was there even demand for a PC release? 🤭
    They pulled out because it didn't sell at all.
    18AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:44
    Guess it didn't sell at all on Steam, so they moved single-player games back to PS5 exclusivity.
    19AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:45
    Wolverine, ranked #75 in the bestseller charts, is a PS exclusive!

    20AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:45
    Sony reportedly halting PC ports of major PS5 titles — report says it's a strategy shift due to weak sales
    https://gadget.phileweb.com/post-120489/
    22AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:46
    An "eco-conscious" company (lol) that quarantines its industrial waste behind walls.
    Now if they'd just pull PlayStation off retail shelves since it doesn't sell, it'd be perfect.
    23AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:46
    Just keep all your busa-izon multiplayer trash locked into PlayStation too (5ch slang mocking certain live-service games).
    Don't bring that stuff over here.
    24AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:46
    All they got out of it was embarrassment and complaints from PS5 owners — no upside at all.
    Well, of course, they're the first-party maker.
    And quit making boring games too — you're doing it on purpose, right?
    25AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:47
    People aren't buying it unless it's on sale anyway.
    26AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:47
    No idea why, but even when they put single-player games on Steam, they'd for some reason require a PSN account anyway.
    Ask yourself if you really want to jump through those hoops just for a single-player game, and yeah, you'd skip it.
    And on top of that, they were selling it in countries where PSN isn't even supported, so people literally couldn't play it.
    27AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:47
    Wasn't busa-izon multiplayer the one that got its scope cut down?
    Who's going to buy a game from a studio in that kind of state?
    28AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:48
    "Sony's single-player games didn't sell at all, so they're pulling out of Steam" —

    said like their multiplayer titles are actually selling.
    29AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:49
    Wolverine's thick fur, and the not-so-pretty heroine in Yōtei — you need PS5-level specs to render that stuff, apparently.
    32AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:50
    Western games used to be strongly associated with PC.
    Now the roles are completely reversed.
    33AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:52
    PCs are getting too underpowered to even run Western games these days.
    When GTA6 comes out, probably less than 1% of PC owners will be able to run it.
    34AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:52
    Is it really okay not to make Yōtei multiplatform?
    Isn't it selling way worse than Tsushima?
    Or have they just given up on this IP already?
    35AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:52
    Genuinely don't want it. Everyone said Tsushima was great, but it flopped hard on Steam.
    I actually bought Tsushima myself, and it wasn't fun at all — basically the same open-world formula as the last-gen Horizon games.
    Releasing that kind of dated open-world design after The Witcher 3 already came out is just embarrassing.
    36AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:53
    That arm hair just isn't happening without a PS5.
    38AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:54
    Their stance against Steam is crystal clear now (´・ω・`)
    Makes sense though — consoles need to differentiate or PC will swallow them whole.
    42AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:57
    Good thing Stellar Blade came out before they locked in this exclusivity policy.
    48AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:03
    Re: #42
    That one's from a second-party studio, so they can't lock it down.
    49AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:03
    Re: #42
    Sony only published Stellar Blade — it's not a PlayStation first-party title at all.
    Same pattern as Death Stranding and Nioh.
    63AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:15
    The smear campaign (negakyan) about PC gamers' rigs being too weak to even run it got out of hand, but really, demand was just lower than expected.
    It's not that it "doesn't work in the PC market" — it's below the market's baseline.
    80AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:19
    Re: #63
    And here we go again, PlayStation fanatics bashing PC users.
    They keep going 'it's a PC-gamer smear campaign!' and swinging first — when will they realize they're just getting pushback from ordinary PC users?
    96AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:29
    SIE can't even manage to become a proper software company.
    100AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:30
    Re: #96
    Way too pathetic…
    116AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:41
    So going forward, PS commercials are only going to feature Astro Bot, Yōtei, and Wolverine, right?
    They won't be using other companies' multiplatform games anymore, right?
    117AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:42
    Re: #116
    Huh? What are you even talking about?

    Background and Key Points

    PlayStation’s PC push began in earnest around 2020, when Sony Interactive Entertainment — under then-president Jim Ryan and later restructured under Hiroki Totoki, who became Sony Group President in 2025 — started staggering former PS5 exclusives onto Steam after a delay: Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, Days Gone, Spider-Man, and eventually Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut in May 2024. That last port is the flashpoint here. Sony never published exact Steam numbers, but reporting (including the Phileweb piece linked in the thread) suggests it landed well below internal projections despite generally positive reviews, and Sony has since signaled a pullback toward exclusivity for Ghost of Yōtei and Marvel’s Wolverine.

    The thread’s real disagreement isn’t over whether the pullback is happening — everyone agrees it is — but over why. One camp blames Sony’s own execution: mandatory PSN account linking (which caused the 2024 Helldivers 2 fiasco, where the game had to be pulled from sale in ~177 countries lacking PSN support) and allegedly deliberate under-optimization to protect console sales. The other camp says it’s simpler: demand for single-player, story-driven PS ports on PC is just smaller than Sony hoped, full stop.

    What the thread misses is that “reconfirmed exclusive” has historically just meant “not yet ported” — every prior flagship eventually reached PC after a multi-year delay, so this may be sequencing rather than a permanent reversal.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “[Sad News for Nintendo Fans] PS5’s Ghost of Yōtei, Wolverine, and More Reconfirmed as PS5 Exclusives by the Publisher — PC Ports Looking Unlikely?”.

  • Lilas Ikuta Makes Live-Action Film Debut as Michiyo Azusa — 5ch Reacts: “Konnichiwa Akachan, Ahh!!”

    It’s been announced that Lilas Ikuta will appear in Junichi Okada’s film “SUKIYAKI: Ue wo Muite Arukou” (releasing December 25), playing legendary singer Michiyo Azusa and performing her signature song “Konnichiwa Akachan” (Hello, Baby). This marks Ikuta’s first-ever live-action film role.

    On the thread, alongside debate over whether the casting works, a hot topic was whether the film will recreate the famous episode where Michiyo Azusa doused comedian Akashiya Sanma with water (later corrected to champagne).

    Lilas Ikuta makes her live-action film debut! To play singer Michiyo Azusa and perform “Konnichiwa Akachan” in Junichi Okada’s new movie

    It has been revealed that Lilas Ikuta will appear in Junichi Okada’s film “SUKIYAKI: Ue wo Muite Arukou” (releasing December 25).

    Ikuta will play Michiyo Azusa, the beloved Showa-era star known for hits including “Konnichiwa Akachan,” which won the 5th Japan Record Award. This will be Ikuta’s first-ever live-action film appearance.

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

    4AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:47
    Maybe it's because 'Kokuho' (National Treasure) was such a hit?
    There've been more movies aimed at older audiences lately.
    10AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:51
    Wasn't she supposed to have a bad personality?
    36AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:07
    Re: #10
    Yeah, she dumped water on Sanma.
    73AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:35
    Re: #10
    Nah, that's not true.
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:52
    Is there a scene where she dumps wine on Sanma?
    59AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:28
    Re: #13
    Correction: not wine, champagne.
    14AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:53
    I wonder if they'll recreate the scene where Michiyo Azusa puts the cocky Akiko Wada in her place.
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:53
    I wonder if they'll use a Sanma impersonator comedian for the glass-of-water scene. I really want them to do that.
    17AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:54
    Why does everyone demand an all-rounder these days?
    Actors should master acting, singers should master singing~
    Guess you can't draw a crowd without some buzz these days?
    20AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:55
    http://livetest.net/load/20260825-081632-484.jpg

    Ikura-chan overwhelms Riho Yoshioka with sheer youthfulness!!
    65AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:30
    Re: #20
    Thought she was the girl from the Promise (consumer loan company) commercials.
    22AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:58
    Isn't this casting a mistake?
    25AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:59
    Re: #22
    Chanmina: "Totally, totally" (a catchphrase associated with singer/rapper Chanmina)
    28AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:02
    The supporting cast outside the lead is impressive.
    31AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:02
    Re: #28
    It's because the lead is so big-name that the supporting cast gets stacked too — makes sense.
    30AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:02
    I keep hearing her say something in English in a Spotify ad.
    32AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:03
    Wasn't she highly praised when she did voice acting for something once?
    I expected her to get bashed for it.
    37AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:08
    Re: #32
    The rest of the cast had a similarly amateurish feel, so it slipped by unnoticed — if she'd been surrounded by properly skilled voice actors, I think she'd have gotten torn apart.
    45AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:14
    Re: #1
    What I like about her is that even though she's this famous and sells well as a solo artist, she doesn't go chasing lead roles.
    She seems like she'll survive in showbiz for the long haul.
    53AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:21
    Re: #45
    She probably doesn't even get offered lead roles in the first place.
    47AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:15
    Creepy if it existed:
    a love hotel that plays 'Konnichiwa Akachan' as background music. (riffing on the 'scary if true' meme format)
    51AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:20
    "Konnichiwa Akachan, Ahh!!"
    82AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:52
    The one bullying 'Ano Kane wo Narasu no wa Anata' (You're the One Who Rings That Bell) was 'Konnichiwa Akachan,' and the ones who stuck up for it were 'Blue Light Yokohama' and 'Kawaii Baby' (all classic Japanese song titles, personified here like kids on a playground).
    87AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:58
    Re: #82
    >'Blue Light Yokohama' and 'Kawaii Baby'
    Sounds like you could make a whole drama out of that.

    Background and Key Points

    Lilas Ikuta is the daughter of Yuki Kajiura collaborator… actually she’s known as one half of the pop duo YOASOBI, where she is the vocalist (“Ikura”) alongside composer Ayase. Michiyo Azusa is a real Showa-era enka/pop singer whose 1971 hit “Konnichiwa Akachan” won the Japan Record Award and remains a widely recognized standard in Japan, closer to a nursery-rhyme-level classic than an obscure deep cut. She was also a fixture of Japanese variety TV in the 1980s-90s and had a public persona as blunt and combative, which is the source of the recurring, unverified anecdote that she once threw water (or, per some retellings, champagne) at comedian Akashiya Sanma on air — a moment that has become entertainment-industry folklore repeated more than confirmed. “SUKIYAKI: Ue wo Muite Arukou,” directed by Junichi Okada (V6/Ballistik Boyz), is a period drama tied to Kyu Sakamoto’s famous song, situating this biopic-style casting within a wave of Showa-nostalgia films following the success of “Kokuho.”

    The thread’s actual disagreement was narrow: not whether Ikuta can act, but whether an idol/singer with no acting background should be cast in a dramatic lead at all, with posters split between citing her restraint in avoiding lead roles as a mark of maturity versus assuming she simply isn’t offered them.

    What’s easy to miss is that the Sanma incident posters argue about was never confirmed within the thread itself — one poster asserts it, another flatly denies it, and a third only “corrects” the liquid from wine to champagne, so the thread treats a contested show-business legend as established fact rather than settling it.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Lilas Ikuta makes her live-action film debut! To play singer Michiyo Azusa and perform “Konnichiwa Akachan” in Junichi Okada’s new movie.”

  • Nearly 60, Saito Yuki’s Recent Photo Draws Praise — 5ch: “The Rare Actress Who Never Gets Blacklisted No Matter How Many Affairs”

    Actress Saito Yuki (59) posted a two-shot Instagram photo with singer Mitsunaga Ryota, drawing a wave of praise like “she’s so beautiful.” On a 5ch thread, users posted photos from her prime while reminiscing about her past relationships and affair scandals, with one comment going so far as to call her “the rare actress who never gets blacklisted no matter how many affairs she has.”

    Nearly 60 — Saito Yuki’s Current Look! “Quit Making Googly Eyes” — The Monday-9 Breakout Singer “Can’t Stop Grinning”

    Actress Saito Yuki (59) has been showered with praise for her beauty.

    The one who posted the two-shot photo on Instagram by the 25th was singer Mitsunaga Ryota, who broke out with “Always,” the theme song for the 2003 Fuji TV Monday-9 drama “Itsumo Futari de” (Always Together).

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

    5AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:15
    The rare actress who never gets blacklisted no matter how many affairs she has
    7AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:16
    She's been into affairs since she was young — like with Ozaki (musician Ozaki Yutaka, whom she was rumored to have had an affair with)
    10AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:18
    Amazing she managed to date a guy who wore panties on his head (a nod to a notorious old scandal)
    17AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:21
    Re: #10
    Is this a denial about Kubo Yuta's remarriage partner (18)?
    16AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:21
    Rerun "Haisukuru Rakugaki" (High School Graffiti) on BS already
    18AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:21
    The previous-gen Nagano Mei (´・ω・`)
    58AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:39
    Re: #18
    Watching reruns of her in "Sukeban Deka," I was shocked how much her voice and speaking style resemble Nagano Mei
    22AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:23
    It's probably because she's always in love mode, affairs and all, that she stays glowing and beautiful
    Can't say I dislike it
    23AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:23
    Christian women always seem to be either super strict or super loose, no in-between
    24AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:23
    She and Sakai Noriko are
    the twin pillars of "women you shouldn't touch"
    121AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:14
    Re: #24
    No way she beats Noripi's level of darkness though lol (nickname for Sakai Noriko)
    25AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:23
    Sato Jiro was hugging her from behind
    if only this were 40 years ago
    26AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:23
    Even the idol world itself is aging, and she's about at the upper age limit for it too — wonder how this'll play out
    28AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:24
    In terms of ranking,
    her looks are Sano Ryoko level
    it's just fans' rose-tinted bias
    calling her beautiful — way overhyped
    39AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:27
    Re: #28
    Sano Ryoko is one of the '80s' five great idol beauties alongside Takeda Kumiko, Yakushimaru Hiroko, Ito Maiko, and Shimada Nami, so she's on a different level
    36AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:26
    No idea who the guy even is, can you really call him a celebrity?
    38AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:27
    The only thing I remember about Mitsunaga Ryota isn't his music, it's that he dated Mizuki Arisa
    41AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:28
    Thought it was Isomura Hayato, turned out to be Mitsunaga Ryota
    42AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:28
    Yeah, no wonder Satojiro wanted to hug her (nickname for actor Sato Jiro)
    59AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:40
    Now I can't help picturing this scene from Sato Jiro's drama

    68AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:46
    Her prime years

    79AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:53
    Re: #68
    Who'd have guessed she'd later become "the woman who got her panties worn on someone's head"…
    98AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:04
    She was pulling what we'd now call "Nagano Mei moves" back in her idol days,
    yet she's made it this far without getting bashed at all — impressive
    103AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:06
    Re: #98
    Must just be her good character
    112AnonymousAug 25, 2026 11:12

    Background and Key Points

    Nearly-60 “aging beauty stays scandal-free” pieces are a 5ch staple, and this thread is representative: it’s less about the current photo than a decades-long retrospective on Saito Yuki’s career and love life. Saito debuted as a teen idol in the 1980s and became a household name through the 1993 Fuji TV drama “Sukeban Deka” and other work; the “Monday-9” (Getsuku) slot referenced here is Fuji TV’s flagship 9pm drama block, a career-making showcase since the ’90s. Mitsunaga Ryota, the singer in the photo, is tied to that same lineage as the artist behind “Always,” the theme song for a 2003 Getsuku drama — which is why posters keep drawing a line back to that era rather than treating this as a fresh romance story.

    The thread doesn’t split on whether Saito looks good — that’s near-unanimous — but on how to weigh her reputation against her history. One camp treats her run of affair rumors (with musician Ozaki Yutaka and others, plus the “panties on the head” scandal referenced obliquely) as remarkable precisely because none of it ever damaged her image, unlike the “blacklisted” fate that usually befalls Japanese celebrities caught in infidelity scandals. The other faction pushes back on the “great beauty” framing itself, ranking her below canonical ’80s idol beauties like Sano Ryoko, Takeda Kumiko, and Yakushimaru Hiroko.

    What outside readers will likely miss is the weight of “blacklisting” in Japanese entertainment — agencies and networks routinely sideline talent over scandal, so a celebrity who survives repeated affair rumors unscathed is genuinely an outlier worth remarking on, not just idle gossip.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geisupo Sokuho+) thread “[Entertainment] Nearly 60 — Saito Yuki’s Current Look! Monday-9 Breakout Singer “Can’t Stop Grinning” — Followers Say “She’s So Beautiful”.”

  • Handheld Fans on Trains: Yes or No? 5ch Debates “Your Self-Satisfaction vs. an Old Man’s Life”

    A celebrity’s social media post sparked debate over using handheld fans on trains, with complaints like “I’m getting blasted with air that evaporated your sweat” and reports of hair getting sucked into the blades.

    On 5ch, opinions split between those defending the fans as necessary heatstroke prevention and those calling them a manners violation on packed trains, with the discussion eventually spreading to alternative cooling gear like air-conditioned jackets and water-cooling devices.

    [Debate] Handheld Fans on Trains — OK or Not OK? “That Wind Carries Your Evaporated Sweat…” Celebrity’s Social Media Post Sparks Controversy, With Reports of Hair Getting Sucked In Too

    8/25 (Tue) 8:00 AM

    Yomiuri TV

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here

    2AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:17
    Don't let this turn into discrimination.
    43AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:28
    Re: #2
    Well, skip it and you might get heatstroke.
    So really it comes down to: your self-satisfaction, or some old man's life — which matters more?
    210AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:11
    Re: #43
    What kind of situation has you catching heatstroke on a train with the AC running, unless you whip out a fan?
    9AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:19
    Huh? I don't have enough hair left to get caught in anything.
    238AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:19
    Re: #9
    That's a sad thing to say 😢
    257AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:23
    Re: #9
    Do bald guys even wear swim caps at the pool?
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:20
    Going on about "evaporation" is being way too neurotic.
    21AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:23
    Not something you use in cramped spaces. Grab a folding fan and just wave it yourself.
    254AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:23
    Re: #21
    That's not something for cramped spaces either.
    Can't use it on a packed train.

    And on top of that, some guys snap it open and shut loud enough to be annoying.
    That's basically every old man with a folding fan.
    Going "aahh, so hot" out loud over and over, so irritating.
    26AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:24
    There was a guy whose fan buzzed louder than some lady's loud voice. If you're going to use one, at least get a decent one.
    120AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:47
    Re: #26 If it's an old guy, fan-equipped clothing beats a handheld fan for noise, guaranteed.
    Manufacturers, put quiet fans in these things.
    Buyers, test them before you buy.
    A loud fan usually means a cheap Chinese battery inside.
    Once that battery catches fire
    and you become a victim of "flaming clothes," it's too late.
    29AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:25
    I can just picture you guys rushing over to catch a whiff of some cute girl's evaporated sweat breeze.
    36AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:27
    Re: #29
    Can't touch, can't look, can't smell — so what am I supposed to do?!
    35AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:26
    Handheld fans aren't even that cooling to begin with, so carrying one is pointless (´・ω・`)
    52AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:30
    Re: #35
    On a train with the AC on, I sort of get it, but using one outside in the daytime is just dumb.
    Do they actually feel cool getting blasted with hot air?
    42AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:28
    Why use a handheld fan when the AC is already running?
    57AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:30
    Re: #42
    It makes sweat evaporate faster, for the cooling effect.
    107AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:42
    Re: #42
    Because the guy who sprinted to catch the train and is drenched in sweat is hot.
    46AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:29
    Honestly, this is only an issue in big cities.
    56AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:30
    Re: #46
    It's because you're packed so close to strangers.
    Makes you extra self-conscious about it.
    94AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:40
    Does that actually feel cool? People walking around outside with a fan in one hand and their phone in the other just look like idiots to me, lol
    99AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:41
    Re: #94
    Right, if it's that brutally hot outside, just get moving instead of using that thing — that's all I can think. Everyone who uses one outdoors is an idiot, no exceptions.
    200AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:06
    Re: #94
    If it's an actual cooler fan and not just a plain fan, it's incredibly cooling.
    111AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:44
    The train was packed, but there was one weirdly empty pocket of space — turned out there was a guy in a cooling vest standing there.
    114AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:46
    Re: #111
    Train was packed but there was a clear gap by the window nobody would approach — thought it was strange, then I saw someone had thrown up ("gero") right there by the window. Made sense after that.
    115AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:46
    Re: #111
    Yeah, that stuff reeks.
    158AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:56
    Try standing behind a fat guy wearing an air-conditioned jacket. It smells like hell, lol
    165AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:58
    Re: #158
    Air-conditioned jackets are walking pollution. They should ban wearing them anywhere there's a crowd.
    171AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:01
    Re: #158
    If someone's wearing an air-conditioned jacket outside of work, it's best to keep your distance from them, in more ways than one.
    198AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:05
    Guess that means water-cooling is the way to go, then. Not thrilled about lugging a radiator around, though.
    204AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:07
    Re: #198
    If you rig a radiator into your business bag, that'd probably keep you cool.
    206AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:08
    Re: #198
    Water-cooling has a noisy pump too, though.

    Background and Key Points

    Japan’s summers have become brutal enough that the government now issues daily “necchusho keikaihou” (heatstroke alert) warnings, and handheld fans — battery-powered, pocket-sized “handy fans” — have become near-universal street and commute gear over the past several years, alongside fan-equipped work jackets (“kuchofuku”) originally designed for outdoor laborers. The backdrop that matters here is the Japanese commuter train itself: unlike many countries, these cars pack riders shoulder-to-shoulder in near silence, with unwritten but strictly enforced norms against loud phone calls, eating, and generally imposing on the personal space of strangers. That’s the context that turns something as trivial as a desk fan into a genre of debate.

    Notably, the thread didn’t split cleanly into pro-fan versus anti-fan camps. Almost nobody defended blasting a fan in a jammed train car — even fan users conceded that’s different from using one outdoors or in open space. The real fault line was over degree and etiquette: fan noise (the snap of a folding fan, a buzzing motor) versus the airflow itself, and whether alternatives like air-conditioned jackets or water-cooling rigs are actually worse offenders due to smell and mechanical noise. In that sense the thread escalated into a hierarchy of commuting annoyances rather than a fan-specific verdict.

    One thing worth noting that no poster raised: heatstroke deaths in Japan are overwhelmingly concentrated among the elderly, which is likely why “an old man’s life” became the rhetorical shorthand for the pro-fan side — it echoes real public health data on who actually dies from heat, even though nobody in the thread cited it.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “[Debate] Handheld Fans on Trains — OK or Not OK? ‘That Wind Carries Your Evaporated Sweat…’ With Reports of Hair Getting Sucked In Too”.

  • Slim Maeda’s Sauna Post Sparks Controversy — 5ch: ‘He’s Literally the Annoying Guy He’s Complaining About’

    On the 23rd, Ken Maeda of the comedy duo Slim Club posted on X about an experience at a sauna where a female staff member in her 30s came in to swap out the equipment, sarcastically remarking, “Because this world just loves gender equality.” The following day, the 24th, he doubled down with more sarcasm aimed at “people who can’t understand the intent behind my words,” writing that he was “worried about Japan.”

    On 5ch, reactions were split over how to read the true intent of the post, and the discussion also grew into a debate over how staff should be assigned by gender for cleaning and attendant duties at saunas and bathhouses, if gender equality is the standard being invoked.

    Slim Club’s Maeda fires scathing sarcasm at “people who can’t grasp the true meaning behind my X post” — “I’m worried about Japan”

    Ken Maeda (50) of the comedy duo Slim Club updated his X account on the night of the 24th. Regarding his recent post, he wrote that he was “worried about Japan” when it came to “people who can’t understand the meaning behind my words.”

    In his post on the 23rd, Maeda wrote: “So I’m in the sauna — totally naked, of course — and a female staff member in her 30s comes in to swap out the towels laid on the sauna seats. If there’s a job doing the reverse, I’d love to apply. Since this world just loves gender equality, that means it’s fine for a man to go into the women’s sauna too, right? So exciting.”

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

    14AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:09
    Why the hell do I have to go digging for your "true intent"?
    22AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:12
    Re: #14
    Oh dear, that sounds rough.
    40AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:17
    Re: #14
    Right? People just want to twist things any way they like so they've got an excuse to bash him.
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:09
    It's rare to find a comedian who's this consistently unfunny.
    110AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:37
    Re: #15
    He's just farming X "impressions" (view-based ad payouts) off the outrage.
    54AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:20
    Your daughter sure is skilled at the piano, isn't she? (a classic 5ch non-sequitur troll catchphrase)
    56AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:21
    Re: #54
    Spirited and splendid indeed! (keeping the old comedy-routine catchphrase bit going)
    61AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:22
    Makes an annoying post,
    gets tangled up with an annoying guy,
    fires back with an annoying reply — he's basically the annoying guy himself.
    66AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:25
    Re: #61
    It's like a guy tossing out bait, getting bitten by piranhas, and then screaming "it's just bait!" lol
    89AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:32
    Re: #61
    Makes an annoying post,
    gets tangled up with an annoying guy,
    fires back with an annoying reply, and becomes the annoying guy himself — all to cash in.

    This guy's an "impression-begging" comedian doing it on purpose (farming X engagement payouts), same breed as Onigoe Tomahawk (another controversy-baiting comedy duo).
    68AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:25
    Back when I worked at a factory, one old guy cleaned both the men's and women's restrooms, and the women complained about not liking that cleaning guy — yet nobody bats an eye when an older woman goes into the men's room. Feels off.
    103AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:35
    Re: #68
    Maybe factor in this reality first —

    > In Japan, over 95% of people arrested for sex crimes (non-consensual intercourse, non-consensual indecent acts, etc.) are male — men overwhelmingly make up the offenders.
    74AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:28
    This guy's takes are as boring as Tatekawa Shiraku's (a rakugo performer/TV commentator known for tone-deaf opinions).
    76AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:28
    Re: #74
    Yeah, for a comedian he never actually says anything funny.
    75AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:28
    People have lost the ability to read between the lines or pick up on subtext, so expecting that from them is pointless.
    Also, nobody gives a charitable read to someone with low likability to begin with.
    If it's going to cause misunderstandings, just spell everything out straight.
    79AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:30
    Re: #75
    Honestly, "read the room" or "pick up on it" is a uniquely Japanese, Galápagos-style thing anyway. Are Japanese people supposed to be psychic? If anything, if you don't put it into words, the real meaning never gets across.
    84AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:31
    What does this guy actually want to be? Does he hate being a comedian?
    90AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:32
    Re: #84
    Maeda: "I'm gonna be the King of Flame Wars!" (riffing on the famous One Piece line "I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!")
    88AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:31
    This slot's full. Somebody's gotta get knocked out first to open one up.
    105AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:36
    Re: #88
    lol
    Kinda want to round them all up in one place and let them fight it out. Wonder who'd survive.
    109AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:37
    Re: #103
    Men's rooms should be cleaned by men. That's really all there is to it, no?
    120AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:40
    Re: #109
    Depending on the size of the facility, one cleaner is enough to cover the whole place. In that case, it's simply more practical to have a woman who doesn't draw complaints going in and out of the men's room.
    141AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:46
    Re: #120
    Even so, isn't the point that they should hire one man and one woman? Even guys find a situation like this uncomfortable.
    114AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:38
    No, seriously, you shouldn't be sending a female staffer in her 30s into a room full of naked men. Did this actually happen?
    116AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:39
    Re: #114
    At the local spa I used to go to, a woman — not exactly young either — used to come in to check the bath water temperature.
    145AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:46
    Writing something that can be read either way, both sides of the coin, and then dumping the blame on how people chose to read it — that's embarrassing. You can claim whatever "true meaning" you want after the fact.
    159AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:50
    Re: #145
    He's saying he's "worried about Japan" precisely because more people seem to feel it "can be read either way." I personally didn't think it could be read two ways at all.
    160AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:50
    Come to think of it, threads about this guy keep popping up lately — who keeps starting them? We don't need threads about him or Kurosawa either.
    164AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:50
    Re: #160
    Yeah, this thread-starter shows up a lot (a regular known for spamming threads on certain topics).

    Background and Key Points

    For readers outside Japan, a few pieces of context matter here. Sento (public bathhouses) and many sauna facilities routinely send staff of either sex into single-sex bathing areas to clean, restock, or check water temperature when a facility is short-staffed or only employs one attendant per shift — this is a long-standing, legally unremarkable practice, not a recent policy shift. “Gender equality” (男女平等) is also a live flashpoint in Japanese public discourse, often invoked sarcastically in online arguments about differential treatment of men and women in everyday spaces, which is the register Maeda was working in. Separately, X’s ad-revenue-sharing “impression” (view count monetization) program is well known on 5ch as an incentive for public figures to post inflammatory content deliberately, which colors how skeptically posters read celebrities’ controversial tweets.

    The thread’s real fault line isn’t whether Maeda’s original joke was in poor taste — most posters seem to concede it reads as needlessly provocative — but whether his framing was genuine social commentary, deliberate engagement bait for ad revenue, or, per the majority mocking tone, both at once, making his “you didn’t get my true meaning” follow-up look hypocritical rather than clarifying.

    What outside readers may miss is that no one in the thread offers hard data on how common opposite-sex staff entry actually is at saunas versus bathhouses — only anecdotes — despite one post citing Japan’s official sex-crime arrest statistics (over 95% male offenders) as if that alone settles a staffing-policy question it doesn’t actually address.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Slim Club’s Maeda fires scathing sarcasm at “people who can’t grasp the true meaning behind my X post” — “I’m worried about Japan”.”

  • Houshou Marine’s New Song Hits 1.6 Million Views — 5ch: “She’s Paying Out of Pocket, Right?”

    Hololive’s Houshou Marine released a new song, and it topped 1.6 million views in a short span of time. On 5ch’s Nanimo Jikkyo G board (a general live-commentary board), users reacted with surprise to reports that she funds the entire production herself, while others were skeptical about whether the song is truly popular.

    Already at 1.6 million views!

    Source: m.youtube.com / Original article here

    3AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:22
    Pretty sure she's paying for it out of pocket.
    She's really putting in the work.
    25AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:31
    Re: #3
    Doesn't Hololive management not cover the cost of the music videos?
    4AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:22
    This girl always gets stuck singing crappy songs, kinda feel bad for her.
    Then again, when you think about a middle-aged woman (obachan) being made to play this character, that's already sad enough on its own.
    17AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:27
    Re: #4
    Even calling her an "auntie," she's still probably 10+ years younger than the average age on this board (nanG).
    21AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:29
    Re: #17
    Is this board seriously nothing but old guys…?
    24AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:30
    Re: #17
    She's just playing an "old hag" character — there are plenty of real old hags posting right here.
    7AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:23
    If I didn't even know this song existed until this thread, I wouldn't call it "popular."
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:25
    Re: #7
    Look who's talking, old man.
    10AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:25
    Well, who knows really.
    Right now it seems like it's mostly Marine's own fans listening to it.
    If it hits like 10 million views, then it's the real deal.
    18AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:27
    Re: #10
    Even accounting for her loyal fanbase, 1.6 million views in such a short time is still pretty impressive.
    14AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:25
    The AI-generated Yajuu Senpai (a famous internet meme figure) song got 2.31 million views.
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:26
    Re: #14
    Yajuu Senpai really is something else, huh.
    16AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:26
    Re: #14
    Is this a rivalry between two "females"? (a running joke referring to Yajuu Senpai as female)
    19AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:28
    She always gets an MMD (MikuMikuDance, a 3D animation tool) music video made for her songs, but it's kind of sad that only lower-tier, less popular MMD creators ever make them for her.
    22AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:29
    It's a song deliberately toeing the line of "oof, that's rough."
    36AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:33
    Re: #22
    Well, she clearly knows there's demand for that sort of thing.
    27AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:31
    Re: #24
    Who's the top girl in Hololive?
    29AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:32
    Re: #27
    The one with animal ears.
    The elf one.

    You get the rest, right?
    32AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:32
    Re: #29
    Hanabatake Chaika?
    37AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:34
    Re: #29
    There's like two of them with pointy ears 😡
    33AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:32
    Re: #21
    The Matsuzaka generation or the "Handkerchief Prince" generation is the mainstream (age groups named after famous baseball stars Daisuke Matsuzaka and Yuki Saito, popular in the mid-2000s).
    45AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:37
    Re: #33
    No, the mainstream is the KK-combo generation (Kiyohara & Kuwata, the legendary PL Gakuen baseball duo from the 1980s).
    50AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:40
    So how old is she actually?
    52AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:40
    Re: #50
    Around 23.
    57AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:42
    Re: #50
    She herself has said 31.
    59AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:42
    Re: #50
    Based on calculations after her identity leaked, she's estimated to be 32–34.
    62AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:45
    Re: #4
    "Gets stuck singing" lol
    She pays for the lyrics, the music, and the MV all herself, commissions everything herself, and produces it all herself.
    85AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:53
    Re: #62
    Huh, I'm not really a fan so I didn't know that, but you sure know a lot.
    71AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:48
    Theory: Pekora is actually the older one.
    73AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:48
    Re: #71
    T-then how old is Pekora's "mommy"…?
    78AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:49
    Re: #73
    We can't go any further than that.
    82AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:51
    Re: #73
    Considering Pekora has two much older brothers, her mom being over 60 is basically confirmed.
    75AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:49
    Re: #72
    She did streaming on Niconico too?
    80AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:51
    Re: #75
    She started back in high school, and kept streaming on the side all through her years as an office worker and as a manga artist.
    86AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:53
    Re: #80
    Wait, that's the first I'm hearing she was ever a manga artist.
    87AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:54
    Re: #86
    She's made games too, you know.
    103AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:02
    Re: #86
    Apparently she had a serialized manga in Kirara (a magazine known for cute-girl slice-of-life series), but it ended quickly.

    Background and Key Points

    Houshou Marine debuted in August 2019 as one of Hololive’s third-generation VTubers under Cover Corporation, the Tokyo-based agency that produces virtual YouTubers with live 2D/3D avatars voiced by anonymous performers. She plays a boisterous “pirate captain” character and is one of Hololive’s most commercially successful talents, regularly ranking among the group’s top earners via merchandise and superchats. Original songs are a common promotional tool across VTuber agencies, but production costs — composer, lyricist, arrangement, and a music video, often built in MMD (MikuMikuDance), free 3D animation software widely used by fan and semi-pro animators for VTuber content — are typically absorbed by the agency or bundled into a talent’s budget. The claim circulating in the thread is that Marine instead commissions and pays for these elements herself, which several posters treated as notable dedication.

    The thread doesn’t agree on much beyond that: some read 1.6 million views in a short window as clear proof of popularity, while others insist it’s just her existing fanbase engaging and that only a number an order of magnitude higher (10 million) would prove broader reach. The comparison to an AI-generated meme song (2.3 million views) underscores that view counts alone are a weak popularity signal, since audience composition differs wildly between organic fan content and a fan-funded original.

    What outside readers likely miss: no one in the thread actually confirms Cover’s official stance on who funds Hololive music videos — it’s asserted, not sourced, and the “usually lower-tier MMD creators work with her” comment suggests her videos aren’t premium in-house productions, which cuts against the idea that this is a lavish vanity project.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nanimo Jikkyo G) thread “Captain Marine’s New Song Is Actually Blowing Up ❤.”

  • 57-Year-Old Masaharu Fukuyama Reveals Ripped Physique, Fans Stunned: “Too Much Stimulation”

    Singer and actor Masaharu Fukuyama (57) shared a ripped, muscular photo of himself in an X post announcing the end of his nationwide tour. On 5ch, comments ranged from awed (“what a physique,” “like the Statue of David”) to divided opinions on how a 57-year-old should approach beauty and body maintenance.

    57-Year-Old Masaharu Fukuyama’s Ripped, Muscular Body Stuns Fans: “Too Much Stimulation,” “Are We Allowed to See This for Free?,” “Like the Statue of David”

    Singer and actor Masaharu Fukuyama (57) announced the end of his nationwide tour on his own X account on the 24th. Fans are buzzing over the candid off-shot he posted.

    Fukuyama wrote that he had safely wrapped up the tour, saying: “Counting from ‘Ryū ga Kuru’ (‘The Dragon Is Coming’), it’s been nine months on and off. I finished the nationwide tour while feeling the turn of Japan’s 72 micro-seasons. Total attendance: 450,000!! I’m amazed. Thank you all so much.”

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

    7AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:23
    He's a hard worker
    Selling dreams for a living is tough
    I'll even let the hair thing slide
    12AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:25
    He's the type who piles on weight the second he lets his guard down, yet he's really keeping it together
    14AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:25
    Wig, hair transplant, meds, whatever—he did it before he went bald, so he wins
    Guys like Inaba, Kusanagi, and Ichiro started fighting it after their hair loss had already progressed, so it's obvious lol
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:26
    "Pretty cool, aren't I? Heh heh."
    16AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:26
    The way his veins are popping out looks like something you'd see in someone with a medical condition
    17AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:27
    I want to see Fukuyama in an action movie
    21AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:30
    Didn't he say something like "please hand out harsh punishment to fans who break into my house"?
    73AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:56
    Re: #21
    Of course he did
    A society that goes easy on criminals who commit trespassing is way scarier
    32AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:36
    The second I started lifting, everyone around me started too
    33AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:36
    His own account is the one writing "total attendance: X hundred thousand," but
    if some outside party objectively reported the turnout, fine,
    but is that something he himself should be saying about the fans who came to see him?
    35AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:37
    After that tabloid scandal story broke
    his media appearances really did seem to drop off
    36AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:38
    He's not an idol, so at this point just let people say Kazue Fukiishi is his wife like it's normal
    37AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:38
    He did an impression of "Chii-nii-chan" (a bit/character nickname popular on Japanese TV/radio) on the radio and I lost it
    38AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:38
    I wanted to write "lol so lame"
    but wow, this is actually impressive
    39AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:39
    Didn't realize he was this ripped
    kind of surprising
    41AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:39
    Nah, bodybuilders over 70 are way more shredded than this
    60AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:45
    The one thing that impresses me is the stamina to run from one end of the venue to the other while singing, at his age
    that's about it though
    61AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:46
    Re: #60
    Eikichi Yazawa being 76 is just mind-blowing
    That guy really is a living legend
    I'm not into the biker/rockabilly scene and I'm not even a fan, but he makes me want to see him live at least once
    63AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:48
    Re: #61
    He quits drinking three months before every tour and just jogs nonstop
    Eichan's amazing
    68AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:50
    Re: #63
    I only ever saw him on some year-end music TV special or whatever
    but even I, who barely know Eichan, got hyped
    76AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:58
    Same with guys like Gackt, but middle-aged men struggling this hard against their age don't look cool to me
    they'd actually look better just looking their age
    80AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:02
    Re: #76
    It's fine for celebrities though, isn't it
    78AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:01
    It's fine for middle-aged guys to throw themselves into lifting, but I wish they wouldn't get the wrong idea
    and assume women are into muscles too
    84AnonymousAug 25, 2026 10:03
    Re: #78
    Probably if they don't, they end up going androgynous
    Just like middle-aged women start turning into "ossan" (stereotypical middle-aged-man type) until you can't tell which is which, men start turning into "obasan" (stereotypical middle-aged-woman type) until you can't tell which is which either

    Background and Key Points

    Masaharu Fukuyama debuted in 1990 and has spent over three decades as one of Japan’s most consistent singer-actors, best known abroad for the “Galileo” detective drama franchise. His reference to Japan’s “72 micro-seasons” (shichijūni-kō), a centuries-old calendar system that divides the year into five-day units named for natural phenomena, is a poetic flourish typical of his songwriting persona rather than a literal detail — it signals roughly nine months of touring. The commenters’ references to a “tabloid scandal” and fans “breaking into his house” point to two real, separate incidents in his career: for years Fukuyama’s marriage to actress Kazue Fukiishi was an open secret that Japanese entertainment media declined to report directly, and he has also spoken publicly about wanting stricter penalties for fans who trespass on celebrities’ homes, a recurring problem in Japanese idol and talent culture.

    The thread’s actual disagreement isn’t about whether the photo is impressive — nearly everyone agrees it is — but about whether a man his age *should* be visibly fighting his physique this hard. Some posters treat it as professional discipline befitting an entertainer; others, invoking Gackt and contrasting him with 76-year-old rocker Eikichi Yazawa, argue that middle-aged men chasing a younger look eventually read as trying too hard rather than “cool.”

    What outside readers likely miss is the subtext around hair: several comments praise him for addressing thinning hair preemptively rather than after visible loss, a comparison point (versus Ichiro or Kusanagi) that only makes sense within Japan’s unusually frank public discourse about male hair loss and cosmetic intervention among celebrities.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] 57-Year-Old Masaharu Fukuyama Reveals Ripped, Muscular Body: Fans Stunned, “Too Much Stimulation,” “Are We Allowed to See This for Free?,” “What a Physique”.”

  • GACKT’s Untouched Peach Gift Mystery: A Note Written the Wrong Way

    GACKT, who stars in the Getsuku (Monday 9pm) drama “Black Trick,” shared on X an episode from the set where a gift of peaches went completely untouched by the cast and crew.

    On the forum thread, users floated a range of theories: peaches spoil quickly, everyone may have held back out of deference until lead actor GACKT ate first, or the way the on-set note was worded might have caused a misunderstanding.

    GACKT: “A gift from Fumi Nikaido” that nobody ate… “Wait, seriously?” The shocking reason comes out — “Japanese really is a tricky language”

    Singer GACKT (53) posted on X on the 24th, revealing the “peach incident” that occurred on the set of his first leading role, the Fuji TV Getsuku drama “Black Trick.”

    GACKT titled the post “[The gift nobody touched]” and described what happened on set.

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

    4AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:12
    If it had been sent under some other name, people probably would've eaten it. I get hesitating over food from someone who's hyped up for reasons you don't quite understand.
    5AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:12
    Why would you even bring peaches as a gift when they go bad so fast?
    6AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:13
    It's probably fine to eat nine times out of ten, but nobody wants to risk being the one time it isn't.
    9AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:15
    If they were cut up and just left sitting out, they'd discolor and kill anyone's appetite.
    11AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:15
    I thought he avoided carbs entirely, but I guess peaches are fair game?
    18AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:20
    Re: #11
    You'd die if you cut out sugar completely.
    20AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:21
    Re: #11
    GACKT's all talk anyway.
    80AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:17
    Re: #11
    GACKT's line is "Fruit isn't glucose, it's fructose. So it's safe-safe."
    12AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:16
    You really didn't need to reveal that nobody touched it.
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:17
    "Kokode hakimono wo nuide kudasai" (a classic Japanese ambiguous-sentence joke: written without spaces, it can mean either "please remove your footwear here" or "please remove your kimono here")
    14AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:17
    If it was left whole, someone had to cut it; if it was already cut, it discolors — either way it's a losing proposition.
    16AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:19
    Is GACKT's staff made up of, like, Good Looking Guys or something?
    17AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:19
    I could see people thinking they should wait until GACKT eats first, at least.
    38AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:31
    Re: #17
    This, exactly.
    51AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:43
    Re: #17
    Yeah, this. People naturally hold back until the lead actor eats first.
    24AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:23
    Biting straight into a whole peach takes some know-how — you can't just wing it.
    25AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:25
    If the peach had been sliced, I'd have grabbed a piece.
    30AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:28
    I'd love to ask whoever wrote that note what they meant by "gather at ten minutes before 8" (another classic Japanese time-notation ambiguity: it can be read as "7:50" or as "just before 8:10")
    31AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:29
    Reminds me of those old college entrance exam history questions where the wording was so bad that two different answer choices both ended up counting as correct.
    32AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:29
    Could this be some kind of gathering for "Fly Me to the Saitama 3"?
    33AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:29
    You have to peel a peach before you can eat it, so isn't it kind of unsuited as a gift? Ironic, since it's from Fumi (a pun: "fu-muki" / not suited, echoing her name "Fumi").
    36AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:31
    Re: #1
    It's not that Japanese is hard — it's that you should use it correctly. lol
    37AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:31
    I bought a half-price peach at the supermarket once and half of it was already rotten.
    40AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:33
    You can actually eat a peach skin and all, you know. If the fuzz bothers you, just wash it well first.
    68AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:02
    Was it left whole with the skin still on? If you bite into that, your hands and mouth end up all sticky — no wonder nobody touched it.
    71AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:09
    Re: #68
    If it's a gift, just eat it and be grateful.

    Background and Key Points

    GACKT (b. 1973) is one of Japanese show business’s most self-consciously eccentric figures, a former visual-kei rock vocalist (Malice Mizer) turned solo singer and actor known for a controlled, almost mythologized public persona, including claims about strict dietary discipline. “Black Trick” airs in Fuji TV’s Getsuku slot, the Monday 9pm primetime drama hour that has been one of Japanese television’s flagship slots since the 1990s, home to many of the era’s biggest hit dramas; landing his first lead role there is itself a notable career milestone for GACKT. Fumi Nikaido is an established film and TV actress and his co-star, whose gift of peaches to the set is the anecdote he posted about.

    The thread didn’t converge on one explanation; it split three ways between food-safety caution (peaches discolor and spoil fast once cut), social deference (nobody wanted to eat before the lead actor did), and the idea that whatever note accompanied the gift was phrased ambiguously enough to cause hesitation or confusion, in the tradition of classic Japanese wording jokes that trade on the language’s lack of spaces between words, where a sentence can be read two different valid ways depending on where you mentally insert a break.

    What’s easy to miss is that GACKT’s own post apparently never quoted the note’s actual wording, only that a misunderstanding occurred, so the posters offering “ambiguous sentence” examples were riffing on a well-worn joke format rather than reacting to text anyone had actually seen. The overlapping detour about GACKT’s diet claims is also unrelated to why the peaches went uneaten.

    *This article is an excerpt and summary based on the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] GACKT: “A gift from Fumi Nikaido” that nobody ate… “Wait, seriously?” The shocking reason comes out — “Japanese really is a tricky language”.”

  • Terranigma Returns in 2027 — Beloved SNES Action RPG Coming to Modern Consoles

    Terranigma, the action RPG released for the Super Famicom in 1995, has been confirmed for a multi-platform release in 2027, announced during “Pixel Arcadia – The Future of Retro.” The game is known for its development by Chunsoft and a soundtrack by Yoko Kanno, but on the thread, viewers of the trailer pointed out that it “looks like a straight port of the SFC version,” while others offered a more cynical take — “this one’s probably going to flop too” — citing how recent retro remakes have consistently struggled.

    Famitsu.com — 2026.08.25 03:13

    A retro-game-focused showcase event, “Pixel Arcadia – The Future of Retro,” streamed starting at 3:00 AM on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. During the broadcast, it was announced that Terranigma will be released in 2027.

    Supported platforms are Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam, GOG).

    Source: famitsu.com / Original article here

    5AnonymousAug 25, 2026 07:39
    This makes me happy, but I'm a little worried it'll turn into something weird.
    6AnonymousAug 25, 2026 07:39
    So Square Enix's remake cash-grab strategy has reached this far, huh.
    30AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:12
    Re: #6
    Nah, Square Enix isn't the one remaking this one.
    7AnonymousAug 25, 2026 07:42
    Coincidently this turned out to be Square Enix?? lol And here I didn't even read post 1 lol
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 07:48
    Re: #7
    Chunsoft is the developer.
    22AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:03
    Re: #7
    "Coincidentally" (奇しくも, kushikumo)

    "Kushikumo" means "coincidentally" or "curiously enough."
    It's used when an unusual coincidence piles up, or when it feels like something inexplicable is at work.
    It's not pronounced "kishikumo" — it's "kushikumo."

    Reading and meaning:
    Reading: kushikumo
    Meaning: curiously, coincidentally, mysteriously
    8AnonymousAug 25, 2026 07:43
    People always used to joke around that it gave them naughty (ecchi) ideas.
    9AnonymousAug 25, 2026 07:43
    Slapstick's always the odd one out. (a weapon from the game)
    11AnonymousAug 25, 2026 07:44
    What kind of remake is this even?
    I'd be happy if it's full 3D,
    but it'd be a shame if it ends up like that HD-2D action RPG from a while back.
    21AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:03
    Re: #11
    Going by the trailer, it looks like a straight port of the SFC version.
    12AnonymousAug 25, 2026 07:46
    Paid 11,800 yen for it, but it was so boring I just rushed through and sold it off — by then the price had already crashed, so I only got 3,200 yen back.
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 07:50
    Remake 46-okunen Monogatari too. (a.k.a. E.V.O.: Search for Eden)
    79AnonymousAug 25, 2026 09:26
    Re: #15
    Yeah, I'd love a remake of the PC-98 version.
    16AnonymousAug 25, 2026 07:53
    Not really an action RPG fan.
    I want something more like Dragon Quest XI.
    19AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:02
    If it's just a remaster, at least sell it as a trilogy set.
    20AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:03
    Given the developer, it's probably just a remaster with a bit of extra polish.
    24AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:06
    Glad it's not Xeen developing this.
    Get them working on a Romancing SaGa 3 remake already.
    They can throw the entire FF7 remake budget at it for all I care.
    35AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:13
    Re: #24
    Romancing SaGa 2 got that much acclaim, so hurry up with 3.
    48AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:27
    Re: #24,35
    3's world is grittier and more realistic than 2's, so it doesn't really fit the cute, colorful direction they went with for 2.
    25AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:07
    What about Gaia Genesis? (known overseas as Illusion of Gaia)
    41AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:18
    Re: #25
    Man, that's nostalgic~ I used to play that.
    26AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:07
    Not Kamui Fujiwara's artwork, huh.
    I've been waiting for this forever so I'm happy, but I just pray it doesn't turn out weird.
    None of the original Quintet staff are probably even around anymore, so it'll likely be redesigned by people who have nothing to do with the original.
    28AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:09
    Goemon sold well because you got 12 (13) games for the price, but that won't work here.
    31AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:12
    Re: #28
    Plenty of recent indie games are doing this kind of thing too, so there's clearly demand.
    29AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:10
    Wait, what?! They're releasing it on Switch 2 too??
    On low-spec hardware??!
    32AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:13
    A surface world and an underworld.
    Getting a second shot at life.
    Seems like it's all just this lately.
    34AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:13
    I feel like the story was good, but the game itself was garbage.
    38AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:15
    It was basically a trashy knockoff of the Seiken Densetsu series (the Mana series), and they're remaking it?
    40AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:16
    The art gives off serious "we probably shouldn't have done this" vibes.
    42AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:18
    Heard Kamui Fujiwara restarted the DQ7 manga, but nobody's talking about it at all.
    43AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:19
    Not even prettier graphics, not even widescreen —
    don't tell me it's really just a straight port.
    44AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:22
    Just release it as-is already, quit messing around with unnecessary remasters 😡
    45AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:24
    Yoko Kanno did the soundtrack and it's going for crazy prices on the resale market —
    that's the one thing I could never get my hands on.
    47AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:27
    Let us switch the BGM back to the original tracks.
    49AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:31
    Bloody Mary was one of the toughest bosses in any action RPG, easily top three.
    50AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:32
    Sunshine Ikezaki's playing through the old one right now. (comedian/YouTuber known for retro game streams)
    51AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:35
    Put out more collection-style releases like Goemon —
    Oni and stuff too.
    58AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:41
    Live A Live didn't make waves either — it's all just nostalgia goggles.
    Terranigma, Illusion of Gaia, Rudra no Hihou, Bahamut Lagoon —
    they're all gonna flop, guaranteed, same as when old anime get remade and flop too.
    60AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:45
    Re: #58
    Calling 500,000 copies sold "no impact" is a bit harsh.
    67AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:57
    Re: #58
    Live A Live is basically the ultimate example of an HD-2D remake done right.

    Background and Key Points

    Terranigma was Quintet’s 1995 Super Famicom action RPG, the third of the studio’s “Gaia” trilogy after Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia (Illusion of Gaia was released in the West; Terranigma reached Europe but never got an official North American release, which cemented its cult status abroad and its “hidden gem” reputation in Japan). Quintet itself dissolved years ago, so nobody currently at any studio has direct claim to the original creative team — a point raised in the thread when posters noted Kamui Fujiwara, the character designer, doesn’t appear to be attached this time. The soundtrack was composed by Hiroki Kikuta collaborator-era Quintet regulars, but the piece here credits Yoko Kanno, whose original OST is a long-standing rarity on Japan’s resale market, commanding high prices precisely because it was never widely reissued — that scarcity is the backdrop for the poster wishing they could finally own it.

    The thread’s real fault line isn’t excitement versus rejection, it’s over what kind of “remake” this actually is. Some read the trailer as evidence of a bare-bones straight port with no visual upgrade, others hoped for a full rebuild (3D or HD-2D) and are bracing for disappointment, and a third group has simply written off SFC-era revivals as a genre — invoking Live A Live, Rudra no Hihou, and Bahamut Lagoon as a track record of muted sales rather than flops in absolute terms.

    What outsiders likely miss: Chunsoft, the developer named here, is a visual-novel and roguelike specialist (Danganronpa, Mystery Dungeon) with no prior action-RPG output, which is exactly why longtime fans doubt it can replicate Quintet’s design sensibility rather than just repackage the assets.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Terranigma Is Back! Releasing in 2027 — The 1995 SFC Action RPG Revived for the Reiwa Era“.

  • Tokyo Police Short 3,000 Officers as Recruiting Woes Start to Hit Public Safety

    The Metropolitan Police Department is short 3,060 officers against its authorized staff of 43,619, leaving it at a fill rate of just 93.0% as of April — dead last nationwide. The effects on public safety are already showing, including slower response times to 110 emergency calls. On 5ch, users voiced sympathy for officers on the ground (“brutal hours for lousy pay,” “don’t dump bear-response duty on them too”) alongside debate over pay and working conditions.

    Published 7:01 AM, Tue 8/25

    Mainichi Shimbun

    The Metropolitan Police Department, responsible for criminal investigations and security in the capital, Tokyo, is short 3,060 officers this fiscal year against an authorized staff of 43,619. Its fill rate stood at 93.0% as of April, far below the national average of 97.1% and the lowest in the country. Citing a wish “not to alarm Tokyo residents” (in the words of one official), the department has declined to release further details, but effects on public safety are already emerging, including longer response times to 110 emergency calls.

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

    4AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:11
    Genuine question for anyone who really knows this stuff —
    with the labor shortage, is business drying up for small and mid-size regional sash (window frame) manufacturers? Are they going under?
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:15
    Re: #4

    http://hissi.org/read.php/newsplus/20260825/SXR5QUV4dmIw.html
    Mr. Sash Nut is losing it — still copy-pasting even though nobody's engaging with him.
    Gotta keep grinding, gotta keep grinding.
    5AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:12
    Unless you're a total idiot, nobody's lining up to become a rank-and-file civil servant (blue-collar public sector job) these days.
    6AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:12
    It's easy work — just hide the patrol car behind something and watch for stop-sign violations.
    8AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:12
    Kids from wannabe 'college-prep' high schools should skip university and go straight into places like this instead.
    Civil service jobs and big companies will grant you leave if you say you're headed to college, so you can always go to university later.
    10AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:13
    Re: #8
    Don't be ridiculous — go be a security guard instead.
    180AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:52
    Re: #8
    I'm going to college, then becoming a civil servant.
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:15
    Even the 'Tokyo Prefectural Police' (a jab — Tokyo's force is technically the Metropolitan Police Department, not a 'prefectural' one) are in this sorry state.
    14AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:15
    Guess they'll bring in foreign technical trainees next?
    55AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:25
    Re: #14
    They'd need to build a real-life Police Academy first.
    23AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:16
    Well, Japan's own population is shrinking.
    (For reference, the foreign population is growing.)

    Japan's population falls below 120 million for the first time in 42 years — down 910,000 to 119.73 million, while the foreign population rose by 350,000
    https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/20260729-GYT1T00324/

    Japan's population falls below 120 million for the first time in 42 years — down 910,000 to 119.73 million, while the foreign population rose by 350,000 ★2 [Gure★]
    https://asahi.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/newsplus/1785323985/
    117AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:37
    Re: #23
    Uh, Tokyo's population is actually growing though.
    52AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:24
    It's a job where there's no room to skim money off the top (unlike some cushier gigs).
    66AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:27
    Re: #52
    Would be great to have police who specialize in busting that kind of skimming. How about a tax-free 2% reward for it?
    60AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:25
    Let's form a neighborhood watch militia.
    That's the only option left.
    113AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:37
    They've lowered hiring standards so much lately it's kicked off a storm of scandals, and there's still a staff shortage.
    Everyone knows the old saying — working for a master is a wretched thing — being a public servant just isn't worth it.
    Some idiots keep spouting nonsense about civil servants getting special treatment, but if you really think that, go try it yourself.

    Re: #60
    And there it is — more crackdowns. Quit piling more work onto the police, idiot.
    78AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:30
    After watching something like Kyōjō (a grueling drama about Japan's police academy), nobody's going to want to become a cop.
    106AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:36
    Re: #78
    Yeah, it's basically wall-to-wall criminals in that show — they really laid it on thick.
    87AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:32
    Police work is brutal — it's the worst draw among civil service jobs.
    If you want to live off tax money, pick any civil service job except the police.
    100AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:34
    Re: #87
    Apparently firefighting is more popular as a career choice than police work.

    Well, firefighters are basically on standby until a call comes in,
    whereas police have to deal with citizens and criminals around the clock, day and night.

    Also, firefighters aren't particularly disliked by the public,
    but a lot of people resent police officers — grudges from traffic stops and being questioned on the street, that kind of thing. It's a thankless role.
    90AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:32
    Police work really is brutal, apparently.
    Hearing people who quit talk about it, I figured even good pay wouldn't make it worth it.
    94AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:33
    Re: #90
    The pay only looks high because of all the overtime and holiday shifts.
    105AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:35
    It's an important job, but that image of it being brutal really sticks…
    122AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:39
    Re: #105
    It really is brutal.
    And on top of that, places like the police, fire department, and Self-Defense Forces
    have brutal workplace relationships/hierarchy.
    111AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:37
    They're totally planning to start recruiting immigrants for this, aren't they.
    114AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:37
    They should just handle speeding checks with cameras already.
    193AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:54
    Re: #114
    Just build it into the car from the start and auto-charge your credit card every time you commit a violation.
    Ordinary people drive way too casually just to prop up the auto industry.
    Nobody needs a 4-seater car just to commute solo.
    137AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:43
    That's a problem — more officers are going to get pulled away for bear-response duty going forward.
    At this rate they can't protect Tokyo residents.
    Maybe instead of a military draft we need a 'police draft.'
    No matter how much you throw at it, you'll never have enough hands against those bear claws if you don't get the numbers up.
    181AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:52
    Re: #137
    How many bears do you even think there are?
    174AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:50
    'We're short on officers, so let's bring in foreigners' — is that where this is headed?
    Something about that feels off.
    176AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:51
    Re: #1
    Guess we'll have to outsource it to the private sector.
    186AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:53
    Re: #176
    Tobu Construction site flagman here: 'You catch that?' (likely a nod to a known story about grueling private-sector security/flagman jobs)
    183AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:52
    When I went to the license center to take the direct practical exam (skipping driving school),
    there was a recruitment poster in the waiting room for MPD officers, hired as skills-test examiners.
    Made me think passing the exam as a test-taker is harder than being the examiner.
    That day, 8 people took it and only 1 passed….
    204AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:57
    Re: #183
    Of course the direct exam is harder.
    Back in the day, the only way to get the displacement limit removed from your motorcycle license was the direct exam at the test center.
    I went and took it myself twice, failed both times, and gave up.
    I think the old-style direct exams were even harder than today's.
    There was even a serialized feature in the famously thick magazine Monthly Motorcycle called 'The Road to Removing the Limit' — such a relentless slog of hardship that it read like it was written just to make you give up on the exam (lol).
    192AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:54
    I could become a cop if you'll have me?
    I've got my 'techo' (could mean a license — or, as a joke, a disability/mental-health certificate, implying he's unqualified).
    206AnonymousAug 25, 2026 08:58
    Re: #192
    A bedridden detective, huh?

    Background and Key Points

    Japan’s roughly 260,000 police officers are organized by prefecture, and the Metropolitan Police Department — despite covering only the Tokyo capital region — is the largest single force in the country, responsible for everything from koban (neighborhood police box) patrols to major crime investigation and VIP security. Its authorized strength of 43,619 dwarfs other prefectures’, which is why even a 7% vacancy rate translates into roughly 3,000 missing bodies. Nationally, the fill rate for police is 97.1%; Tokyo’s 93.0% is the worst in Japan, and the department’s reluctance to detail causes (citing public anxiety) is itself notable in a country where police forces rarely acknowledge operational strain publicly.

    The thread didn’t really argue over whether the shortage is real — it split over whether policing itself is a fair deal. Some posters framed the job as uniquely brutal (long hours, hostile public interactions, harsh internal hierarchy) worse even than firefighting; others mocked it as low-effort work like lurking near a stop sign, suggesting the “brutal job” framing is exaggerated or unevenly true depending on assignment.

    What’s likely to be missed: this isn’t a police-specific crisis but part of a broader shrinking applicant pool for all Japanese civil-service jobs, driven by demographics and the private sector’s better pay for less rigid hierarchy. One poster’s claim that Japan’s population decline explains the shortfall was also directly rebutted in the thread — Tokyo’s population is actually rising even as the national figure falls, meaning demand for services (and thus policing) is growing precisely where staffing is weakest.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “Tokyo Police Short ‘3,000’ Officers — Recruiting Troubles May Be Hitting Public Safety”.