In this week’s news, we report on the debate over shorts in the office. Two Americans are arrested over a prank at Ichikawa City Zoo’s monkey enclosure. Reikado Hall on Mount Misen becomes the latest religious building in Japan to burn down in 2026. The Office of Government Ethics reveals shares in Kura Sushi USA were purchased on Donald Trump’s behalf. A lecture by Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya at the University of Tokyo is canceled following a bomb threat. And Hajime Moriyasu names Japan’s 26-man World Cup squad.
Tokyo’s ‘Cool Biz’ Office Shorts Policy Sparks Debate
Summer seems to arrive earlier every year, and several parts of Japan have already experienced warmer-than-usual temperatures in mid-May, including Tokyo, which recorded a high of 30.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday. In an attempt to combat the heat, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike expanded the capital’s “Cool Biz” campaign in April, allowing metropolitan government employees to wear shorts and sneakers to work. The move has divided opinion.
While supporters praised the policy as a practical response to extreme heat, many younger people have responded with derision, calling older men in shorts at work “kimoi” (“gross” or “creepy”) on social media. Several women interviewed on Abema News on Sunday shared similar views. On X, internet entrepreneur Hiroyuki Nishimura criticized the reaction, writing, “If they can air something like, ‘That middle-aged woman’s miniskirt is gross,’ then I guess that’s fair, right?”
Two Americans Arrested After Crypto Stunt in Punch the Monkey’s Zoo Enclosure
Shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday, an American man dressed in an emoji costume promoting cryptocurrency trespassed into the monkey enclosure at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture. The man illegally scaled the safety fences of the “monkey mountain” exhibit, home to Punch, the popular baby Japanese macaque known for hugging and carrying around a stuffed orangutan plushie. No monkeys were injured during the incident.
The sudden appearance of the intruder, however, panicked the animals, sending them fleeing to the top of the artificial mountain. Employees reacted quickly, apprehending the trespasser. He was subsequently handed over to police along with a second man who filmed the stunt. One of the men allegedly told officers they carried out the prank after losing a soccer bet. The zoo is now considering banning photography at the enclosure.
Sacred ‘Eternal Flame’ Hall Destroyed in Miyajima Blaze
Amid a growing number of fires involving historic religious sites across Japan this year, the revered Reikado Hall on Mount Misen on Miyajima Island was destroyed in a blaze on Wednesday morning. According to the fire service, a report came in around 8:30 a.m. stating that the hall was on fire. Firefighters eventually contained the flames after they spread to nearby woodland. No injuries were reported.
Reikado Hall, part of Daishoin — a main temple of the Omuro School of Shingon Buddhism — was best known for its “Kiezu-no-hi” (“Eternal Flame”), said to have burned continuously for nearly 1,200 years. According to tradition, the flame was lit by the Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi (Kukai) in 806. It later became one of the source flames for the Flame of Peace at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
Image and logo: Wikimedia
Bomb Threat Cancels Sanseito Party Leader’s Lecture at University of Tokyo
At a press conference on Monday, Sohei Kamiya expressed anger after his scheduled lecture at the University of Tokyo was canceled due to a bomb threat. The Sanseito leader was expected to deliver a speech and take part in a debate with members of a politics club on Saturday. However, thousands of attendees were forced to evacuate the Hongo Campus following the threat.
A message stating that bombs would be set off because “Representative Kamiya is coming” was reportedly posted to the university’s public inquiry form around 10:45 a.m. on Saturday. The organizing committee and Ugonoshu — the political student circle hosting the lecture — both received emails stating that bombs had been “planted in various locations on the Hongo and Yayoi campuses and would be detonated.”
Trump Revealed To Have Invested Millions in Kura Sushi USA as Shares Jump Over 5%
Shares in Kura Sushi USA jumped more than 5% Monday after it was revealed that President Donald Trump purchased somewhere between $1 million and $5 million worth of the company’s stock in February. The sushi chain was among thousands of trades conducted on Trump’s behalf in the first quarter. Other trades revealed by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) included Nvidia, Amazon.com and Apple.
The independent agency monitors conflicts of interest and other misconduct by US government officials. Trump was found to have conducted around 3,700 securities transactions between January and March. It has been reported that the transactions totaled between $220 million and $750 million for the three-month period. According to the Trump organization, all of his assets are managed independently by third-party financial institutions responsible for all investment decisions.
© JFA via X @jfa_samuraiblue
Mitoma Misses Out on Japan’s World Cup Squad
Hajime Moriyasu named Japan’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday. As expected, Kaoru Mitoma and Takumi Minamino both missed out due to injury. Other notable absentees included midfielders Kodai Sano, Joel Chima Fujita and Hidemasa Morita, who is expected to leave Sporting CP this summer. Captain Wataru Endo made the 26-man squad despite not having played since February.
Daizen Maeda, who also made the squad, was the hero as Celtic secured their 56th Scottish Premiership title.. He scored in the 87th minute to give the Hoops a 2-1 lead over Hearts, who had led the race going into the final day. Callum Osmand added a third in injury time with a breakaway goal to secure the victory, leading to a pitch invasion from Celtic fans.
