In this week’s news roundup we report on the new Evangelion short film set to be screened next February. A husband and wife are killed after a fire breaks out at a sauna facility in central Tokyo. Maki Takubo, the former mayor of Ito city, loses her reelection bid. Akira Ogawa announces that she will be running in the upcoming Maebashi mayoral election. And Japan’s last pandas are set to leave Ueno Zoo.

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Evangelion Short Film To Be Screened for Three Days on Giant LED Screen 

On Thursday, it was announced that a new Evangelion short film will premiere in February 2026. The 13-minute movie, written and supervised by Hideaki Anno, will be shown at the Evangelion:30+ Festival in Yokohama, a three-day fan celebration event mixing music, art and performance that’s scheduled to begin on February 21 next year. Naoyuki Asano is the director, while veterans like Kazuya Tsurumaki are also contributing.

The film will be screened daily on a giant LED screen for ticket holders. Details regarding the story and characters have yet to be revealed. It’s all part of the franchise’s 30-year anniversary celebrations. The series Neon Genesis Evangelion aired for the first time on TV Tokyo on October 4, 1995. The most recent installment was Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, released in 2021.

Emergency Alarm System Turned Off During Fire at Sauna Facility in Tokyo

On Monday, a fire broke out in a private room at a sauna facility in the Akasaka district of Tokyo’s Minato ward, killing two people. A married couple, identified as Masanari Matsuda, 36, and Yoko Matsuda, 37, were found unconscious lying on top of each other near the entrance of the room. They were rushed to the hospital where their deaths were confirmed. 

An employee at the facility told investigators that the power to the receiver panel connected to emergency buttons in each sauna room was turned off at the time of the incident. According to staff members, they hadn’t turned on the power since 2023. It was also discovered that the inside and outside handles of the room’s wooden doorknob had come off and fallen to the floor.

Livestream Image from the Vote of No Confidence | SBS

Maki Takubo Loses Her Reelection Bid

On Sunday, Maki Takubo, the former mayor of Ito city in Shizuoka Prefecture, lost her reelection bid to independent newcomer Kazuya Sugimoto. Nine candidates ran in the mayoral election, which was necessitated by the removal from office of Takubo after it was discovered that her statement about graduating from Toyo University was false. She still refused to resign. However, the city assembly passed a no-confidence motion against her. 

Takubo finished in third place, receiving 4,131 votes. Sugimoto, who was endorsed by the Democratic Party for the People, won with 13,522 votes. “I will move the stalled city administration forward,” said Sugimoto. He added, “I will show that I can change Ito city.” Tatsuya Ono, who Takubo replaced as mayor in May, finished second with 10,962 votes. She was endorsed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). 

Akira Ogawa To Run Again for Maebashi Mayor Despite Rendezvous Scandal With City Official 

Akira Ogawa, another mayor forced to quit this year, announced this week that she will be running in the upcoming Maebashi mayoral election. She stepped down in November after weeks of controversy over repeated visits to love hotels with a married employee. The city assembly had been putting pressure on Ogawa to quit. It was also planning to adopt a motion of no confidence against her.

The weekly magazine website News Post Seven broke the story about her love hotel visits in September. Following the revelations, Ogawa held a press conference to deny reports that she was having an affair with the employee. She did, however, admit to visiting hotels with the man on several occasions. Ogawa will find out if her bid to be reelected is successful on January 12, 2026. 

Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo | Wikimedia

Finland Prime Minister Apologizes to People in China, Japan and South Korea 

On Wednesday, Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo released a statement apologizing to the people of China, Japan and South Korea after politicians from his country posted photos and videos on social media making a slanted-eyes gesture, commonly viewed as a racist symbol targeting Asians. The politicians belong to the nation’s right-wing Finns Party, a member of the four-party ruling coalition. 

“These posts do not reflect Finland’s values of equality and inclusion,” said Orpo. “Our message in Finland and to all our friends abroad is that the government takes racism seriously and is committed to combatting the issue.” The politicians said they posted the images in support of Sarah Dzafce, who was stripped of her Miss Finland title last week after she uploaded a picture of herself making a slanted-eyes gesture.

The Panda cubs Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei will return to China in 2026 | Image via Ueno Zoo Gardens on X

Japan’s Last Pandas Are Leaving Ueno Zoo

On Monday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced that Japan’s last remaining pandas, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, will leave the country at the end of January. The final data visitors can see them at Ueno Zoo is on January 25, 2026. As they prepare for their journeys back to China, crowds are expected to flock to the zoo for a final glimpse and a bittersweet farewell.

The twins were born to Ri Ri and Shin Shin, who arrived in Japan in 2011 and returned to China in September 2024. Their older sister, Xiang Xiang, was sent back in February 2023. Earlier this year, four pandas at Adventure World in Wakayama Prefecture were returned to China. Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei’s departure will leave Japan without any pandas for the first time since 1972. 

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Updated On December 19, 2025