In this week’s news, Kaori Sakamoto bids farewell to competitive figure skating with a silver medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, while 17-year-old Ami Nakai earns bronze. Japan now has 24 medals, including a record-equaling five golds at these Games. Elsewhere, Sanae Takaichi is re-elected as Prime Minister. In Osaka, a stabbing incident leaves one teenager dead and two injured. A rare Pikachu Illustrator Pokemon card sells for a world-record $16.492 million, and the abandoned baby monkey Punch begins making friends at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture.
Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai Secure Medals as Alysa Liu Wins Gold
America’s Alysa Liu was crowned Olympic champion in women’s figure skating on Thursday to deny Japan a clean podium sweep. Performing third-from-last to the tune of “MacArthur Park Suite” by Donna Summer, she scored 150.20 in the free skate, giving her a total of 226.79. Kaori Sakamoto was up next, skating to “Hymne à l’amour” by Édith Piaf. In her final Olympic appearance, the three-time world champion executed her routine with poise, but made an error on her triple-toe loop attempt. That ultimately cost her gold as her total of 224.90 wasn’t enough to topple Liu.
All eyes then turned to teenage sensation Ami Nakai, who led after the short skate. Performing to Lexi Walker & The Piano’s arrangement of “What a Wonderful World,” she successfully completed the rare triple axel, thrilling the crowd. The 17-year-old was marked down, however, for only completing a double on the triple-toe loop attempt. Nakai scored 140.45, giving her an overall total of 219.16 and earning bronze behind Liu and Sakamoto. It meant her compatriot, Mone Chiba, just missed out on a medal. She finished fourth with 217.88 after an error-free performance.
Japan Shatters Medal Milestone at Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
Sakamoto and Nakai’s medals were Japan’s 23rd and 24th of the Games, already surpassing the previous record of 18 set at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The nation’s five golds match its all-time high from the 1998 Nagano Games, with four of those coming in snowboarding. Last week, Kira Kimura and Kokomo Murase triumphed in the men’s and women’s big air events before Yuto Totsuka added a third in the men’s halfpipe event, while Ryusei Yamada claimed bronze. The fourth gold came from Mari Fukada in women’s slopestyle, with Murase finishing third. Taiga Hasegawa won silver in the men’s event.
Japan’s other gold came from Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara in pairs figure skating, while Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato both claimed podium finishes in men’s singles figure skating. Miho Takagi, the country’s most decorated Winter Olympian, added bronze in the 500 meters and team pursuit to the 1,000 meters medal she won last week. She will aim for a fourth in the 1,500 meters. Ikuma Horishima followed up his individual moguls bronze with a silver in duals moguls. And ski jumper Ren Nikaido earned his third medal of the Games with silver in the men’s individual large hill.
Image via Wikimedia | Edits TW
Takaichi Re-elected as Japanese Prime Minister
Sanae Takaichi was re-elected as Japan’s prime minister during a special session of the Diet on Wednesday. She received overwhelming majority support in the Lower House, with 354 votes. The Upper House also held an election, with Takaichi failing to secure a majority in the first round of voting. She then defeated Junya Ogawa, leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, in the runoff. Later that night, Takaichi formed a new Cabinet, retaining all previous ministers. “I have no intention of treating this as a blank check,” the prime minister said at a press conference following her re-election.
With firm control of the Lower House and a united Cabinet behind her, Takaichi is unquestionably in a stronger position than many of her recent predecessors. That consolidation of power helps explain why The Economist recently described her as “The World’s Most Powerful Woman.” According to the article in the British magazine, the nation’s first female prime minister has been presented with a “historic chance” to transform Japan. For that to happen, though, the 64-year-old politician “needs to think bigger and broader.” It added, “She must be a leader for all of Japan, not only for her rightwing loyalists.”
Three Teenagers Stabbed in Osaka; One Dead
A 21-year-old man was arrested in Osaka on Sunday on suspicion of murder. Police apprehended Ryoga Iwasaki after three teenagers were stabbed in Osaka’s popular Dotonbori district. Ryunosuke Kamada, 17, a resident of Tawaramoto, Nara Prefecture, died from stab wounds to the chest and other areas. The two other victims, also aged 17, were stabbed in the upper body and taken to hospital. The suspect told the police, “I had no intent to kill. I was just going to intimidate them with a knife, but a man came at me and I stabbed him in the chest.”
He reportedly knew the three teens. The suspect and the victims had frequented the promenade commonly known as Gurishita near the famous Glico sign before allegedly getting into a dispute. According to investigative sources, Iwasaki had been harassing a woman at the scene prior to the incident. The teens then confronted him about it. They were stabbed near the entrance of a commercial building located in an area with many restaurants. At the time, seven or eight people were present. An emergency call was made to the police at around 11:55 p.m. on Saturday.
Image via Logan Paul Instagram
Logan Paul Sells ‘Holy Grail’ of Pokemon Cards for World Record $16.5 Million
In 2021, Logan Paul set a world record when he bought a rare Pikachu Illustrator Pokemon card for $5.275 million. Earlier this year, he put it up for auction and on Monday it was sold for just under $16.5 million. Another world record. Along with the “holy grail” of Pokemon cards, the social media influencer and wrestler also threw in a diamond necklace he wore at WrestleMania 38. It features a red and black Poke Ball, embellished with 6.5 carats of diamonds. The card was attached to the necklace at the event.
Reacting to the sale, Paul said, “Oh my gosh, this is crazy.” Guinness World Records adjudicator Sarah Casson confirmed that it was the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction. It was bought by venture capitalist AJ Scaramucci, son of financier and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci. He described it as the first purchase in his “planetary treasure hunt.” Scaramucci told Paul he is “on a quest to buy a T. rex dinosaur fossil.” He added, “I’m going to buy the Declaration of Independence, and I’m not stopping there. This was only the beginning.”
Punch the baby macaque with his stuffed orangutan toy | Screengrab via Youtube @zoo-at-home
Abandoned Baby Monkey Punch Making New Friends at Chiba Zoo
A six-month-old macaque has become an internet sensation after various people shared videos and photos of him clinging to a stuffed orangutan plushie for comfort following his mother’s rejection. The adorable baby monkey, Punch, was abandoned shortly after his birth in July 2025. Since then, staff at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture have devoted themselves to his care, feeding him around the clock, while also providing blankets and soft toys to ease his anxiety. Among these items was the stuffed orangutan, which quickly became his constant companion, providing him with a sense of security.
The images of him hugging the toy tightly as he sleeps and dragging it across the enclosure he shares with a small group of other macaques have captivated audiences online. Netizens have been touched by the evident comfort he gains from the plushie. The zoo reports that he has slowly begun integrating, forming tentative bonds, exploring his surroundings and interacting more with his peers each day. In a video shared this week, Punch can be seen briefly setting aside his soft companion to play with the other macaques. It’s a sign that he’s beginning to form real social connections.
