A survey found 20 prefectures had signed their own foreign-worker recruitment pacts with overseas governments, landing amid an Ikebukuro robbery case and the arrest of a mayoral hopeful of Chinese nationality. The mix hardened distrust of admission policy, though no established link ties the crimes to the pacts.
Nagasaki placed Taiwan's representative outside the diplomatic-mission seating at its atomic-bombing ceremony. Taiwan protested and downgraded its attendance, and Japanese netizens split between fury at perceived deference to China and calls to check the facts.
Hyogo Governor Saito's plan to shut the prefecture's overseas offices in the US, France and Hong Kong by fiscal 2028 was cheered online as overdue fiscal reform. A separate global deal between Disney and TikTok, sending fan-made TikTok videos to Disney+, drew a cooler, anti-China response.