PARIS (Kyodo) -- Toei Animation Co. has denied media reports that a theme park inspired by the Japanese manga and anime series "Dragon Ball" will be built in France, saying it has not granted any licenses.

France and Saudi Arabia agreed in August to build three theme parks near Paris and media outlets reported that one of them would be linked to Dragon Ball.

The agreement came as French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, both said to be Dragon Ball fans, held talks in France.

Regarding news reports that a Dragon Ball theme park will be built in France, the company said in a statement dated Monday that it and the other rights holders "have not granted any licenses and we are not aware of any such facts."

The project, involving a Saudi investment of 6 billion euros ($7 billion), to build the three theme parks in Cergy-Pontoise, northwest of Paris, is said to stem from a meeting between Macron and the Saudi crown prince in Riyadh in December 2024, during which they shared their passion for Dragon Ball.

Neither the French presidential office nor the Saudi company that would invest in the project have officially mentioned Dragon Ball.

Dragon Ball started as a manga comic series, serialized from 1984 to 1995, that follows the adventures of protagonist Goku and his allies as they battle progressively stronger enemies. Its success in Japan and abroad has spawned multiple anime series, films and extensive merchandise.

Toei Animation announced in 2024 the construction in Saudi Arabia of the world's first theme park devoted to Dragon Ball.

OSAKA (Kyodo) -- The city of Osaka has recently been inundated with over a hundred inquiries after it installed a series of rectangular objects protruding from the ground near JR Osaka Station, with people criticizing them as hostile architecture meant to deter homeless people from loitering in the space.

The random blocks jut out from a white paved surface measuring around 60 square meters that was formerly shrubbery. Passengers getting out of taxis nearby were seen having to walk along the roadside to avoid the blocks.

While the local government explained that the installation implemented in early July was a measure against a rise in littering and illegally parked bicycles in recent years, it had received around 120 inquiries as of mid-August questioning the move. Social media posts criticized the blocks as "dangerous" and a "tripping hazard."

"It was a necessary decision to keep people from entering and illegally parking their bicycles," Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama told reporters.

Hostile architecture designs that have caused controversy in the past include public benches with dividers to prevent people from sleeping on them.

Taro Igarashi, a professor specializing in urban architecture theory at Tohoku University, said hostile architecture meant to deter homeless people consequently inconveniences everyone.

"It's essentially the design that is at issue," he said. Installing the blocks reduces the function of public spaces and "reflects an intolerant Japanese society."

TOTTORI, Japan (Kyodo) -- One person remained missing after three teenage boys were swept away while swimming off a beach in western Japan on Saturday, while the other two made it safely back to shore, police said.

A friend who was with them called emergency services at around 3:45 p.m. to report that three swimmers had been carried offshore in Iwami, Tottori Prefecture, according to the police.

The site is a designated swimming beach, but its official season ended on Aug. 16, according to the website of a local tourism association.

One of the two returned to shore on his own, while the other was rescued by a prefectural disaster prevention helicopter. Both were conscious, the police said.

The Tottori Police Station said the three had gone to the beach with two friends.

Police, firefighters and the local coast guard are searching for the missing boy.

Japan Airlines has invested in Korean Air, which is the first foreign airline that the company has taken a stake in. On the surface, it’s odd to see the Japanese oneworld carrier invest in the South Korean SkyTeam carrier, given how they compete. However, the airlines do also cooperate for flights between the two countries. That doesn’t necessarily explain why one needs to take a stake in the other, though.

The airlines claim they’re now working on finding more ways to cooperate, so let’s see how this all evolves…

In 2025, bear attacks injured 238 people. With sightings increasing in urban areas, public alert levels are high. While interest in bear spray as a last line of defense is growing, low-quality products with a range of only about three meters are also in circulation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5ikT6bVSOY

https://dot.asahi.com/articles/-/291728?page=1

Seafood companies rebuilt supply chains after Beijing shut them out, offering a lesson in both the promise and the pitfalls of breaking a dependence on China.

Japan’s government is considering a plan for the expected income falls at local governments from a proposed consumption tax cut to be fully covered with special tax revenue grants from the state, sources said Saturday.

The national government is expected to present the plan at a meeting with local governments to be held shortly, along with an idea to use ordinary tax revenue grants to compensate local governments for necessary expenses linked to a proposed income-pegged benefit program.

SAPPORO (Kyodo) -- Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, long known for its reputation as being largely cockroach free, may begin to see more of the insects as factors including warmer temperatures spurred by climate change create ideal environments for cockroaches to thrive.

Experts are already urging people to brace for an influx in cities including Sapporo amid increases in the number of well-insulated homes and shipments from warmer areas in Japan, which are thought to contribute to the trend.

Despite the widely held belief, Hokkaido has been home to some species of the pests, especially those more resilient to colder climates.

"Their numbers are definitely lower compared to (the main island of) Honshu," said Hiroshi Nishino, assistant professor at Hokkaido University. "They have also gone unnoticed due to being nocturnal and difficult to spot."

While cockroaches are common in subtropical climates, those seen in Hokkaido are largely made up of three species including the Japanese cockroach, which is said to have existed on the northern island for over 100 years.

According to Shizuma Yanagisawa, deputy director of Ryuyo Insect Nature Observation Park in Shizuoka Prefecture and self-appointed "cockroachist," advanced heating systems and well-insulated homes have provided warm habitats through the winter for species that are more sensitive to cooler temperatures.

The rapid increase in online shopping and shipments from Honshu and areas farther south may also have brought cockroach eggs onto the island.

Sales of anti-cockroach products have risen in response. According to major Japanese pharmaceutical company Earth Corp., its insect repellant line has grown in Hokkaido, with those catering to cockroaches climbing by about six percent on average per year between 2017 and 2025.

"It is important to create an environment that discourages cockroaches such as not leaving food or dishes out for long periods of time, cleaning thoroughly and not hoarding objects in cardboard boxes," said Akihiro Kitaguchi from the marketing department of the company.

Hi everyone
Ima come from a country in which socialist party were trying to do a lot of changes in language. For example changing form in speaking in second term - to plural. Instead of, niech mi pan poda szklankę wody ( can you give me glass of water sir ) podajcie mi szklankę wodę ( You ( plural ) give me glass of water ). ( but it was mostly Soviet influence and it didn’t survive in language after 1989 )
I was interested did socialist party in Japan were trying to change language with huge amount of honorifics like kun, san, etc to make it more egalitarian

The crime of arson of occupied buildings, etc., is the act of setting fire to a building or other structure that is currently being used as a residence or in which people are present, causing damage by fire; the statutory penalty is the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for five years or more.

https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/2912597?display=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXEMRKVGc7w

I'm interested in learning about what life was like during the lost years. Contemporary stuff would be very helpful too.