The Imperial Household Agency has released uncut footage of Princess Kiko, Princess Aiko and Prince Akishino offering greetings to invited guests at the 2025 autumn Garden Party, marking the first time that their spoken exchanges have been officially recorded through microphones and made fully public. (News On Japan)

Rakuten Mobile continues to draw attention every earnings season, and while its losses have been narrowing, the pain it inflicts on the Rakuten Group’s overall performance has not fundamentally changed. Even so, chair Hiroshi Mikitani describes the mobile business as contributing “more than expected,” and insists the company will maintain its stance of keeping low-price, unlimited data plans even as other carriers move to raise fees. (News On Japan)

The Fair Trade Commission issued a warning to four livestreamer management agencies after finding that performers on the Pococha streaming app were bound by contracts that restricted their activities, including clauses requiring them to refrain from livestreaming for a certain period after leaving their agency. (News On Japan)

A Kyoto school has apologized after confirming that a group of its students appeared in a widely circulated social media video showing boys speaking Japanese and placing clothing items into their bags at what is believed to be a shop in Bali, Indonesia, during a study trip on December 4th. (News On Japan)

The most popular baby names of 2025 were led by Minato for boys and Sui for girls, according to rankings released by Meiji Yasuda Life, which highlighted continued enthusiasm for certain kanji characters and showed how naming trends have evolved since the survey began in the first year of the Taisho era. (News On Japan)

The appeal trial of Sudo, the former wife accused of killing the wealthy businessman known as the Kishu Don Juan, began on December 8th and concluded on the same day after prosecutors sought to overturn the lower court’s acquittal but all requested witness examinations and newly submitted evidence were rejected. (News On Japan)