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While in Japan last week, I got an invitation to attend Tokyo Comic Con. When my friends found out, they asked if I’d go in cosplay. First, I was on vacation and, not having attended a Comic Con before, never thought to have a costume handy. Secondly, the original design of the outfit I was inclined to wear was more than 91 kilograms of urethane, bamboo and cotton and required an oxygen tube because it was so hot inside. That would be the Godzilla suit that Toho Co. ordered up for the first of 33 movies starring the king of all monsters. (It was also sprayed in concrete for a striated scaly look.) Eventually, the get-up became lighter, though still not featherweight: The actors playing Godzilla were always terrified of falling face-forward in the giant pond they stomped through for ocean scenes, as the costume could fill up with water and potentially drown them. I said I’d go to the convention in civilian clothing but fantasize about being … well, having a secret identity. In any case, you don’t travel to Comic Con in costume in Japan. You need to purchase a special ticket that gives you access to gender-specific changing rooms where you can transform into the superhero or fabulous entity of your fantasies. As long as you don’t expose certain parts of your anatomy, wear underwear (even under a swimsuit) and can’t weaponize your props, you’re fine. The same general rules operate in San Diego, the site of the biggest Comic Con in the U.S. But in California, you can travel to the gathering while dressed as your near-omnipotent alter ego: Just don’t show off by making a flying entrance. There were certainly enough people in cosplay at the enormous Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba City, which is an hour by train from Tokyo Station in the center of Japan’s capital. Among them: lots of Deadpools as well as young women (and some men) in variations of French maid costumes; a Santa Vader; a very tall Din Grogu (colloquially known as Baby Yoda); a huge number of characters inspired by anime and manga that I’d never heard of; and a bizarre WrestleMania-like production of weirdly dressed grapplers in obviously choreographed fights. Source link

LONDON/DUBAI – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have tightened their grip on the country’s oil industry and control up to half the exports that generate most of Tehran’s revenue and fund its proxies across the Middle East, according to Western officials, security sources and Iranian insiders. All aspects of the oil business have come under the growing influence of the Guards, from the shadow fleet of tankers that secretively ship sanctioned crude, to logistics and the front companies selling the oil, mostly to China, according to more than a dozen people interviewed. The extent of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) control over oil exports has not previously been reported. Source link

Many people in the amateur sumo world were caught by surprise last week when it was announced that the 15th edition of the Hakuho Cup would take place in February next year. While there had been no official cancellation, it was widely assumed that the tournament — one of the largest and most prestigious events on the junior sumo calendar — would be put on hiatus in the wake of an abuse scandal earlier this year that resulted in the retirement of Hakuho’s protege, Hokuseiho, and the shuttering of his Miyagino stable. Indeed, in a statement released to the media, Miyagino, as he is now known, wrote that he also “thought that it might not be appropriate for me to continue with the Hakuho Cup at this point in time.” Source link

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks silenced the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half to win the second edition of the NBA Cup with a 97-81 victory in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP, delivered a triple-double of 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists along with two steals and three blocked shots for the Bucks, who drilled 17 shots from beyond the arc to complete an unbeaten run and follow in the footsteps of the Los Angeles Lakers as in-season tournament champions. Damian Lillard scored 23 points for the Bucks, who held the potentially explosive Thunder offense to 31 points in the second half. Source link

Authorities are intensifying their search for a suspect who fatally stabbed a junior high school girl and injured her male classmate at a McDonald’s restaurant in Kitakyushu on Saturday night. Here’s what we know so far. At around 8 p.m. on Saturday, 15-year-old Saaya Nakashima and another student, also 15, entered the McDonald’s Tokuriki 322 store in Kokuraminami Ward together on their way home after attending a cram school session. After securing a table, they joined the line at the counter behind two or three other customers. Source link

Japan’s exports posted another gain in November as the yen’s weakness helped exporters, although the underlying trend in trade remained lackluster ahead of this week’s Bank of Japan meeting. Exports measured in value rose 3.8% from a year ago led by chipmaking machinery and nonferrous metals, while cars dragged on shipments, the Finance Ministry reported Wednesday. That beat the consensus estimate of a 2.5% increase. Imports fell 3.8% led by crude oil, but still left a negative trade balance of ¥117.6 billion ($765 million). While the value of exports rose, trade is giving limited support overall to the economy. Demand in the United States and Europe continued to wane, while it rose in China, where the government is trying to support growth with aggressive stimulus measures. Measured in volume, exports were barely changed. Source link

Tokyo-based startup Space One’s bid to become the first private Japanese company to place a satellite into orbit failed for a second time Wednesday, in a setback for Japan’s space development aspirations. The 18-meter, 23-ton solid-fuel Kairos No. 2 rocket was launched at around 11 a.m. from a newly established space facility in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. However, a malfunction during the ascent led to the launch failure. The company is looking into the details. The failure follows two postponements for the launch and the failure of its first rocket, which burst into flames just seconds after liftoff in the spring. Initially delayed due to strong winds on its scheduled launch date Saturday, the attempt was rescheduled for Sunday but was again postponed, with strong winds cited as the reason for both delays. The rocket was carrying five small satellites, including ones from Taiwan’s space agency, a startup based in Kyoto and even high school students at Hiroo Gakuen in Tokyo. Source link

Memory-chip maker Kioxia Holdings rose in its debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday, underscoring decent investor demand for new shares in Japan. After initially dropping, the company traded at ¥1,493, compared with its initial public offering (IPO) price of ¥1,455. That valued the firm at ¥807.5 billion ($5.3 billion), a fraction of the $18 billion that a Bain Capital-led consortium paid in 2018. The world’s No.3 NAND maker is listing after years of complex and wide-ranging negotiations that involved Bain Capital, SK, Western Digital and the Japanese government. The company last week priced its stock at ¥1,455, at the middle of the price range it proposed before the IPO. Most deals in Japan this year that gave a price range ended up debuting above the upper limit, Japan Exchange Group data show. IPOs in Japan have raised about ¥938 billion this year, the largest amount since 2018. While large listings including subway operator Tokyo Metro and X-ray device manufacturer Rigaku Holdings attracted investor attention, the number of deals has fallen to a decade low, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Source link

In Japan, Christmas Eve is considered akin to Valentine’s Day, a romantic holiday when couples, especially those still dating, are all but expected to go somewhere fancy for a festive night on the town. The palpable pressure to have a picture-perfect date has gradually been easing over time, but if you’ve got a partner this holiday season, you may still want to know how Japanese couples plan their dates on this all-important evening. Japan’s Christmas is much less religious than in other countries, and attending a church service isn’t common. Similarly, big home parties are rarely found because Dec. 25 is not a national holiday. Unless the calendar aligns with weekends — which, unfortunately, isn’t the case this year  — most  people will work as usual and celebrate modestly on Dec. 24, often with fried or roasted chicken from KFC instead of turkey. Strawberry shortcakes are also a popular dessert choice on Christmas, though fruit cakes like stollen are common, too. Source link

Honda Motor and Nissan Motor are preparing to start negotiations on a possible merger, which ultimately could be expanded to include Mitsubishi Motors, Japan’s Nikkei reported Tuesday. Such a deal would create an automotive rival to Toyota Motor that would effectively consolidate the Japanese auto industry into two camps. It would also provide Honda and Nissan with more resources to compete with larger peers after downsizing long-held global partnerships with other carmakers: France’s Renault SA for Nissan and General Motors for Honda. The move toward a merger would follow a decision by the two companies earlier this year to work together on electric vehicle batteries and software. At that time, Honda Chief Executive Officer Toshihiro Mibe floated the possibility of a capital tie-up with Nissan. Source link