Japan was unable to overcome defending champion France in the mixed team judo final at the Paris Olympics; Japan, silver when the event was held for the first time in Tokyo in 2021, fell 4-3 in a new come-from-behind win by host France

Overnight visitors in Kyoto reached a record 16,59 million, with overseas travelers increasing by 14% and making up almost half of all stays; domestic overnight guests (-8%) may be choosing to stay outside the city due to rising prices

Tokyo’s life-size Unicorn Gundam statue in Odaiba will be removed at the end of this August; The iconic 19,7 meter mecha outside DiverCity Tokyo Plaza was installed in 2017 and features transformations from "Unicorn" to "Destroy" mode at set times

Rruling Liberal Democratic Party proposed reducing the consumption tax rate on food and beverages from the current 8% to 1% for two years starting April 2027; in the last general election campaign it pledged cutting it to zero

The company making "Monster Wolf" - an animatronic scarecrow with flashing eyes that howls and growls to scare away wild animals - is submersed by orders of the ferocious-looking robot after record numbers of fatal bear attacks on humans last summer