In this week’s news roundup, we report on the world’s first Undertale Museum as tickets go on sale. An American is rearrested in Okinawa for attempted murder and arson after allegedly setting fire to a hotel. Shukan Bunshun accuses Kimi Onoda of illegally operating a second campaign office. Original Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba is set to open a new restaurant at 95. In football, Ayase Ueda and Keito Nakamura join Lille and Lyon. Plus, we pay our respects to Japan’s first person in space, Toyohiro Akiyama, who died aged 84.

List of Contents:

 A First Look at the Undertale Museum

On Thursday, organizers officially announced ticket details and pricing for the Undertale Museum, sparking excitement ahead of the advance ticket lottery, which opens today at noon. Alongside the ticketing schedule, they also unveiled a brand-new key visual illustrated by series artist Temmie Chang. The artwork features the game’s main characters, including Frisk, Flowey and Sans, gathered around a central wooden picture frame. Undertale creator Toby Fox also revealed that he made his own quirky contributions to the exhibition, including a joke display of “donated dog hair.”

Released in 2015, Undertale is an acclaimed role-playing game that follows a human child named Frisk, who falls into an underground world inhabited by monsters and must find a way home. Players can choose between fighting monsters or resolving encounters peacefully, leading to different endings. General admission for the exhibition, to be held at Sunshine City’s Exhibition Hall A in the World Import Mart Building, is ¥2,500. It will take place next year from February 19 to March 10. The advance ticket lottery lasts until September 14, 2026.

australian grandma arrested for drug smuggling love scandal

American Tourist Arrested on Suspicion of Trying To Kill 18 People in Okinawa Hotel Fire

An American tourist has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and arson after allegedly setting fire to a hotel in Okinawa where he was staying, with 18 other guests inside. Posedion Roberson is accused of deliberately starting the blaze at Hotel Hamby Resort in Chatan at around 3:30 a.m. on August 15. He was initially detained on August 21 and rearrested on Tuesday. Police allege that the 32-year-old knew other guests were inside and set the fire intending to kill them. 

A 55-year-old man from Osaka was found unconscious after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning and airway burns. He was initially hospitalized in critical condition but has since regained consciousness and is reportedly recovering. Others escaped with help from people at the scene, including US Marine Lance Cpl. Marshall Martinez, who was walking nearby when he saw the fire and entered the hotel to wake sleeping guests. Police have not disclosed how the fire started, what evidence led to them identifying Roberson or whether he has admitted or denied the allegations.

Kimi Onoda Faces Allegations of Illegally Operating a Second Campaign Office

Japan’s Economic Security Minister Kimi Onoda is at the center of an election-law controversy after weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun reported that an undeclared office in Setouchi, Okayama Prefecture, may have been used to coordinate her 2022 House of Councillors election campaign. The report cites expenses, social-media posts and testimony from local assembly members as evidence. The magazine article claims that Onoda’s campaign paid ¥61,275 in rent to a company in Setouchi on June 23, 2022, the day after the election was officially announced.

It also pointed to a video posted on Onoda’s social media page that same day showing a campaign kickoff event at what was described as the “Setouchi Office.” Additionally, the magazine interviewed sitting Setouchi city assembly members who had participated in the campaign. Onoda’s office denied the allegations, stating, “There is no fact that the office in question was a campaign office.” Candidates in Okayama were only permitted to have one campaign office. Violations of the rule can potentially carry a fine of up to ¥300,000.

Akiyama (left) pictured with fellow astronauts Viktor Afanasyev and Musa Manarov, before their 1990 Soyuz mission launch | Image: Moscow City Archives

Toyohiro Akiyama, the ‘First Antihero in Space,’ Dies at 84

Toyohiro Akiyama, a former journalist and university lecturer who in 1990 became the first Japanese person to travel into space, died on August 26 from lower gastrointestinal bleeding. He was 84. News of his death was announced Tuesday. His funeral was held privately, with his wife, Reiko, serving as the chief mourner. Akiyama is fondly remembered for his daily broadcasts from the Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. They became a pop-culture phenomenon because they lacked the polished tone of traditional space missions, earning him the nickname “the first antihero in space.”

A TV correspondent for TBS, Akiyama was chosen to board a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in 1990 as part of a company project. He was a chain smoker with no background in science or engineering, hardly the profile of an obvious candidate to become Japan’s first person in space. Training for more than a year, he lost more than 15 kilograms and also gave up his four-pack-a-day cigarette habit. Asked what he looked forward to most on his return, he said, “I can’t wait to have a smoke.”

original iron chef opens new restaurant in tokyo

Original Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba Is Still Opening Restaurants at 95

At 95, legendary Japanese chef Rokusaburo Michiba is still stepping into the kitchen, knife in hand. Now, the original “Japanese Iron Chef” is adding a new chapter to his decades-long culinary career with the announcement of Hibiya Rokusantei, due to open on September 11. The new restaurant brings together Michiba’s distinctive approach to Japanese cuisine with the soba-making expertise of renowned chef Masataka Kamiya, whose restaurant Sobagami previously occupied the space. Lunch options include kakiage with cold seiro soba and duck with grilled green onion and hot soba. 

Located inside Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, home to one of Japan’s largest cinema complexes, the restaurant is also near Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre and Theatre Creation. It was created for diners seeking high-quality Japanese cuisine before a movie or performance. At lunchtime, guests can enjoy a 60-minute course or individual soba dishes, with Sobagami’s carefully honed techniques carried forward rather than lost. In the evening, the focus shifts to soba-mae, a traditional Edo custom of enjoying small dishes and drinks while waiting for soba, with an à la carte menu.

Keito Nakamura and Ayase Ueda Head to Ligue 1 

Several Japanese players finalized moves to new teams this week before the major European transfer window closed on Tuesday. Keito Nakamura moved up from Ligue 2 to Ligue 1, leaving FC Reims for Olympique Lyon. He will be joined in the French top flight by striker Ayase Ueda, who finished top scorer in the Eredivisie last season. Ueda departed Feyenoord for Lille, who will compete in the UEFA Champions League this season. He scored his first goal for his new club against Toulouse on Thursday. 

Joining England’s second-tier Championship are midfielders Reo Hatate, who signed for Burnley from Scottish champions Celtic, and Atsuki Ito, who moved from Belgian Pro League side KAA Gent to Bolton Wanderers. Leaving the Championship, on loan at least, is full-back Yukinari Sugawara. He joined Serie A side Cagliari for a season. The Italian team has an option to buy once the loan is over. Another player heading out on loan is Kota Takai. The 22-year-old Tottenham Hotspur defender will link up with seven other Japanese players at STVV.

Related Posts

Updated On September 4, 2026