In this week’s news roundup, we report on Kozo Tashima’s bid to unseat Gianni Infantino as FIFA president. A stolen Audemars Piguet watch is returned to the shop it was taken from with an apology note. Tokyo watches nervously after Donald Trump’s crushing defeat in the US midterm elections, amid concerns over the implications for Japan’s security relationship with Washington.
Japan records its first rise in births in 11 years, offering a rare bright spot in the country’s demographic picture. A North Macedonian film takes the top prize at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. And Hajime Moriyasu is set to leave his role as Japan coach at the end of the year following the Asian Cup postponement.
Japan’s Kozo Tashima Sets Sights on FIFA Presidency
On Thursday, Japan Football Association honorary president Kozo Tashima announced his plan to challenge Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency. He is the second challenger to enter the race following former Swiss defender Ramon Vega. However, it remains unclear whether Vega has secured the required backing from five member associations, whereas Tashima is understood to have UEFA’s blessing to secure nominations.
“It’s not about winning or losing but about conveying to the world the honest, sound and upright attitude that Japanese football has built,” former international footballer and coach Tashima told Sports Nippon. “What Fifa needs now are these values that we have protected. I have decided to run in order to make this appeal to the world.”
The “Royal Oak” model stolen had a retail value of $290,000
Stolen ¥46 Million Audemars Piguet Watch Returned With an Apology
On Sunday, Kamekichi Nakano Honten, a watch shop in the famed Nakano Broadway shopping complex, received an unexpected parcel. Inside was an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch worth around ¥46 million. Alongside it was a handwritten apology. Investigators believe the parcel was sent from Aichi Prefecture.
Three days earlier, a male customer entered the store and asked an employee if he could try on the timepiece. Once it was on his left wrist, he quickly fled the premises, sprinting from the scene. Along with the apology, the parcel also bore a name and address, though police suspect these were fictitious.
Image: Shutterstock
Tokyo on Edge After Trump’s Midterm Defeat
Tokyo is watching nervously following Donald Trump’s crushing defeat in the US midterm elections. In a historic political shift, the Democrats seized control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, potentially constraining Trump’s domestic agenda. However, concerns exist that the setback could encourage him to adopt a harder line in foreign policy.
The Japanese government, for its part, has been keen to stress that the election result will not alter the fundamentals of the US-Japan alliance. “Regardless of the outcome of this election, the Japan-US alliance remains the cornerstone of Japan’s foreign and security policy,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara. Behind the reassurances, though, unease remains in Tokyo.
Japan Sees First Rise in Births in 11 Years
For the first time in 11 years, the number of babies born to Japanese nationals in Japan has increased, according to government data released on Wednesday. The figure rose 0.4% from a year earlier to 320,458 in the first half of 2026. The slight increase comes as Japan continues to grapple with an aging population and a shrinking workforce.
Despite the uptick, the figures offer little indication of a demographic turnaround. Japan recorded 766,746 deaths in the first half of 2026, more than twice the number of births. Deaths outnumbered births in all 47 prefectures. However, the pace of increase in deaths has slowed, with monthly figures below 2025 levels throughout the first half of the year.
North Macedonian Dark Comedy Wins Grand Prix at Tokyo Film Festival
Sister Brother Manhole Cover, a film set in North Macedonia directed by Milcho Manchevski, was awarded the top prize at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. A dark comedy about siblings who make a living stealing and selling bronze statues and manhole covers, it is a sharp social commentary on economic inequality.
The Audience Award went to Teodora Ana Mihai’s Heysel 85, a fictional recreation of the tragic events that occurred at the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus in Brussels, which claimed 39 lives. Japan’s Ryo Narita, meanwhile, won the Best Actor gong for his role in Yukiko Mishima’s Two Cigarettes, Three Nights.
JAPAN HEAD COACH HAJIME MORIYASU | IMAGE BY FEELPHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Asian Cup Postponement Brings Moriyasu’s Departure Forward
The 2027 AFC Asian Cup, scheduled to take place from January 7 to February 5 next year in Saudi Arabia, has been postponed by nearly a year due to a series of deadly attacks on the country. It is now set to start on December 23, with the final scheduled for January 21, 2028.
The tournament was supposed to be Hajime Moriyasu’s swansong as Japan national team coach. He was originally contracted to step down after the competition and be replaced by Japan U-23 coach Go Oiwa. He will now leave the role at the end of 2026. “I just accept reality and do my best in the job right in front of me,” said Moriyasu.
