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House Foods Group Corporation is considering selling Ichibanya, the operator of “Curry House CoCo Ichibanya,” Nikkei reported on August 31. House Foods brought Ichibanya under its umbrella as a subsidiary in 2015 and the two companies have since worked together on things like ingredient sourcing, but House Foods is now moving to overhaul its business portfolio and unwind the parent-subsidiary listing arrangement. Several investment funds are reportedly already showing interest in an acquisition. On 5ch, opinions were split: some pointed to a breakdown in the balance between price and taste, or argued that soaring rice prices had hurt profitability, while others pushed back on the idea that CoCo Ichi has raised prices too often, citing data showing the chain hasn’t raised prices since August 2024.

It was learned on the 31st that House Foods Group Corporation is considering selling Ichibanya, operator of “Curry House CoCo Ichibanya.” Ichibanya became a subsidiary in 2015 and the two firms have cooperated on ingredient procurement and other areas since, but House Foods is now reviewing its business portfolio to pursue new growth. It is also moving to end the parent-subsidiary listing structure in order to improve capital efficiency.

Both House Foods Group and Ichibanya have selected financial advisors for the sale. Multiple investment funds have already come forward with interest in acquiring the company… (remaining 463 characters available in the paid edition)

Nikkei, August 31, 2026, 9:05 AM

Source: nikkei.com / Original article here

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “[CoCo Ichi] Parent company House Foods Group considers sale, aims to end parent-subsidiary listing.”

Starting September 1, 2026, the Kobe City Board of Education is launching “Kobe-Katsu,” a program that abolishes school-run club activities at municipal junior high schools and shifts them entirely to community-run clubs. Driven by teachers’ long working hours and shrinking club rosters from the falling birthrate, Kobe becomes the first government-designated city to fully implement the nationally promoted “community transition” policy, including on weekdays. On 5ch’s Breaking News+ board, many posters welcomed the relief for teachers, who get little to no overtime pay for supervising clubs—though others pointed to reports that teachers are still ending up as advisors even after the handover, and voiced concern about the future of clubs with more complex setups, like brass bands.

Starting September 1, the Kobe City Board of Education is rolling out “Kobe-Katsu,” an initiative that abolishes club activities at municipal junior high schools and hands them over to private clubs. Amid overworked teachers and declining student numbers from the falling birthrate, the national government has been promoting the community expansion of school clubs (the “community transition”). This push is underway nationwide, but Kobe is the first government-designated city to go fully community-run, including on weekdays. With concerns still lingering over issues like safety, how this unfolds is expected to draw close attention.

“So what are you going to talk about this time?” “My new obsession—baking bread.” In August, at an internet radio station in Kobe’s Chuo Ward, junior high schoolers were cheerfully recording a segment. It’s the work of the “Kids’ Editorial Department,” a group that produces articles and radio programs. The organization running it accepts students who opt in as an alternative to traditional club activities.

According to the city’s Board of Education, around 1,000 organizations—including sports clubs and universities—have also registered under Kobe-Katsu. Students can join regardless of where they live. With many school clubs being suspended or disbanded for lack of members, the board says the expanded options are a clear benefit.

Source: 47news.jp / Read the original article here

※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “[Junior High Clubs Abolished] Shift to Community Management — Kobe City First Among Government-Designated Cities.”

As Japan’s tuition waiver for high schools expands, more and more families are putting private high schools down as their “first choice,” leaving public (prefectural) high schools increasingly unable to fill their enrollment quotas — a phenomenon known as “teiin-ware” (under-enrollment). A Yomiuri Shimbun report highlighted a case where even one of the prefecture’s top-tier prep schools failed to meet its quota in the general admissions round. On the 5ch discussion thread, opinions split between posters who suspect the waiver’s benefits are simply being absorbed by private schools hiking tuition and lining owners’ pockets, and posters debating whether public funds should be going to public schools or private ones in the first place.

Tuition waiver drives rise in “private school first choice,” as prefectural high schools see repeated under-enrollment… How can struggling public schools fight back? Even Nagata, one of the prefecture’s top prep schools, fell short of its quota in general admissions

Sun, 8/30, 11:10 AM JST

Yomiuri Shimbun Online

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

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “Tuition waiver drives rise in “private school first choice,” as prefectural schools see repeated under-enrollment… How can struggling public schools fight back? Even one of the prefecture’s top prep schools fell short of quota in general admissions.”