Latest from Japan

Rain fell again in central Tokyo on the 29th, marking 34 consecutive days — the longest single streak in the Japan Meteorological Agency’s recorded history. On 5channel’s News Speed+ forum, reactions ranged from real complaints about laundry that won’t dry, to questions about whether the measurement point really represents “all of central Tokyo,” to comparisons with the heavy rain of 2019. A number of posts making tasteless jokes tying the story to a politician’s resignation have been left out of this roundup.

Tue, 9/29, 5:51 AM JST

TV Asahi (ANN)

Central Tokyo saw rain again on the 29th, making it 34 consecutive days of rain — the longest single streak in the Japan Meteorological Agency’s records.

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

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (News Speed+) thread “[☔] Central Tokyo Sees 34 Straight Days of Rain — New Record in Meteorological History.”

On September 28, the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) determined that two design-consulting firms and 40 renovation contractors — 42 companies in total — had repeatedly engaged in bid-rigging in violation of the Antitrust Act (unreasonable restraint of trade) over large-scale renovation work ordered by condominium management unions in the Kanto region. The commission issued cease-and-desist orders to 38 of the companies and ordered the contractors that won the work to pay a combined total of roughly ¥1.638 billion in surcharges. So that residents can check whether their own building is affected, the JFTC published the names of 171 buildings across Tokyo and six surrounding prefectures on its website. On the thread, users swapped stories of management-union board chairmen colluding with contractors, voiced frustration that antitrust violations don’t lead to arrests, and argued over the claim that “if every contractor charges a high price, isn’t that just the going rate?”

9/28 (Mon) 15:30

Yomiuri Shimbun

The Japan Fair Trade Commission announced on the 28th that it had found two design-consulting firms and 40 renovation contractors in violation of the Antitrust Act (unreasonable restraint of trade) over repeated bid-rigging on large-scale renovation work ordered by condominium management unions in the Kanto region, issuing cease-and-desist orders demanding prevention of recurrence to 38 of the companies. It also ordered the renovation contractors that won the work to pay a combined ¥1.638 billion in surcharges.

Source: topics.smt.docomo.ne.jp / Original article here

*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5channel (News Express+) thread “Bid-rigging in condo renovation contracts: 42 companies found in violation of Antitrust Act… the structure behind residents’ “increased burden” — FTC publishes names of 171 condos across Tokyo and 6 prefectures.”

On September 28, Kura Sushi announced that it had discovered misconduct by an employee during its “Chiikawa” collaboration campaign, which had been running since August. The company said it would cancel the campaign, pursue legal action, and overhaul its prize management and distribution systems entirely. The problem of prizes leaking onto flea-market apps like Mercari had already been flagged before this collaboration. On the thread, opinions clashed: some called for the offending employee’s name to be made public, others took a cooler view (“even if they publish it, employees will just close ranks and cover for each other”), and still others argued that “it’s Mercari, not Kura Sushi, that needs to fix this.”

On September 28, Kura Sushi posted a notice on its official website titled “On Strengthening Management Systems During Collaboration Campaigns.”

Regarding the “Chiikawa” collaboration campaign it had been running since August, Kura Sushi stated that “misconduct by an employee has come to light” and cancelled the campaign. The company said it would take strict legal action against those involved while carrying out a fundamental review of its internal management systems.

According to the announcement, the company will thoroughly review the entire process for managing prizes during collaboration campaigns — including in-store management and operations as well as logistics and distribution — in order to build a strict system that prevents any improper handling going forward.

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

137AnonymousSep 28, 2026 23:31

This blew up because of the Chiikawa collab,
but it was already a mess before that —
even sushi covers like these were being listed all over the stolen-goods marketplace known as Mercari.

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “Kura Sushi Strengthens Management of Collaboration Campaign Prizes.”

According to the Nikkei, the University of Tokyo announced on September 28 that it had selected Professor Yuko Fujigaki as its 32nd president, succeeding outgoing president Teruo Fujii. Her six-year term begins in April 2027, making her the university’s first-ever female president. A 5ch thread drew attention to the fact that another candidate reportedly won the internal preference poll by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, only for that result to be overturned by the selection committee. Discussion centered on the fact that the preference poll is, by design, merely a “survey of intent” with no binding power, as well as comparisons to the academic backgrounds of past presidents.

University of Tokyo Selects Yuko Fujigaki as President, First Woman to Hold the Post, Overturning In-House Vote – Nikkei

September 28, 2026, 10:17 PM

On the 28th, the University of Tokyo held a presidential selection committee meeting following the end of President Teruo Fujii’s term, and selected Professor Yuko Fujigaki as its 32nd president. Her term runs six years starting in April 2027. She is the first woman to serve as president at the University of Tokyo.

Source: nikkei.com / Original article here

*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “University of Tokyo Selects Yuko Fujigaki as President, First Woman, Overturning In-House Vote.”