Ancient lives, modern infrastructure and the imagination of Edo Japan.
A fossil discovery in Fukui leads a balanced edition spanning the economy, scientific research, communities, sport and culture. Also inside: ten verified news briefs, our Art Choice on Soga Shōhaku and six selected reports from November 12.
Sixteen Young Inside a 120-Million-Year-Old Shell: The Snails That Rewrote Fukui’s Dinosaur-Era Story
Embryos in 240 fossil shells, clues to an ancient menu, and the surprising possibility that wildfire ash helped preserve it all. A dinosaur quarry reveals the everyday biology of deep time.
Original AI editorial illustration inspired by Soga Shōhaku (1730–1781); not a photograph of the fossil.
Read the lead story →Friday, November 13, 2026 · JST · JAPAN.co.jp
Four Featured Reports
Business · Sport · Culture
News Briefs: Ten Developments
Ten concise, sourced developments selected from the remaining editorial candidates, with links to supporting reports and announcements.
Read News Briefs →Business & Economy
Nov. 13 · 3 reportsFujikura’s AI Boom: The Century-Old Japanese Company Behind a 161% Profit Surge
AI infrastructure is a story about more than chips. Fujikura’s towering profits reveal the value—and risks—of the fiber connections that make modern computing possible.
SoftBank’s ¥1.1 Trillion AI-Era Loss: When the Data Center Power Bill Comes Due
A trillion-yen quarterly loss, a ¥597 billion data-center equipment charge and huge financing flows reveal the physical cost of betting on artificial intelligence.
Japan’s Construction Orders Rise, but Prime Contracts Fall: The Investment Divide Inside a ¥12 Trillion Market
Orders topped ¥12 trillion, but the headline conceals weakening prime contracts, soaring subcontract orders and a 25-month surge in equipment installation. What is Japan really building?
Science & Technology
Nov. 13 · 3 reportsSixteen Young Inside a 120-Million-Year-Old Shell: The Snails That Rewrote Fukui’s Dinosaur-Era Story
Embryos in 240 fossil shells, clues to an ancient menu, and the surprising possibility that wildfire ash helped preserve it all. A dinosaur quarry reveals the everyday biology of deep time.
The Liquid Inside the Crystal: Japan Finds a Way to Carve Fragile MOFs at Room Temperature
Tokyo University of Science researchers filled porous crystals with ionic liquid, protecting them during room-temperature ion-beam patterning. The precision is impressive; the road to production remains long.
Reading Spins with Light: Japan’s Porous Crystal Opens a Door to Quantum Sensing
A peer-reviewed demonstration of optical spin readout in a metal–organic framework at 77 K, examined through physics, MOF history and the limits of proposed quantum chemical sensing.
Communities
Nov. 13 · 3 reports
Evacuating With Pets in Japan: The Shelter-Door Questions Behind a National Rethink
Japan is reviewing pet evacuation guidance after lessons from Noto. What shelters actually allow, why definitions matter, and what households should prepare before the next emergency.
The Ibis Returns. Can Rural Japan Keep Its Fields Alive?
From Sado’s wild-born chicks to Noto’s 18 released birds, Japan’s ibis comeback now tests the future of rice farming, habitat and rural livelihoods.
The Dam That Was Never Built: Niu’s ¥61.7 Billion Legacy and the Villages Left Waiting
A planned 145-meter dam was canceled after families had already moved. As a council meets on November 13, official records reveal what was spent, what has been rebuilt and what remains unproven.
Sports
Nov. 13 · 3 reportsJapan–Korea at Tokyo Dome: A Rivalry, a New Generation and the Stakes of November 13
The November 13 clash gives emerging Japanese and Korean pros a compressed international test. The verified rosters, 2023 final, tournament rules and tactical questions behind a charged Tokyo Dome night.
Japan Faces Brazil Again: The Tactical Test Behind Singapore’s November Showdown
After a famous 2025 win and a 2026 World Cup loss, Japan meets Brazil again in Singapore. A deep preview of Moriyasu’s squad, Ancelotti’s attack and the tactical questions that matter.
Kyushu Sumo’s Opening Shock: A Yokozuna Falls, Atamifuji Surges and Tamawashi Makes History
Through Day 3, a young challenger has upset a yokozuna, an unbeaten sekiwake has emerged, and a 41-year-old veteran has reached a remarkable milestone. Here is what the first week actually tells us.
Culture
Nov. 13 · 3 reportsMariko Mori’s Return: From Tokyo Cyborgs to the Light of the Cosmos
Forty works, three decades and a return to Japan’s major museum stage: how Mariko Mori moved from cyborg self-portraits to brainwave installations, cosmic light and art in nature.
How Chinese Bronzes Became Japanese Tea Treasures: The 3,000-Year Journey of Karamono
A Tokyo exhibition traces the ancient Chinese bronzes, reconstructed flower vessels, medieval collectors and shifting tastes that helped shape Japanese chanoyu across three millennia.
A Theater in a Box: MUTTONI’s Mechanical Worlds Return to Hachioji
Ahead of its November 14 opening, Hachioji’s sixth MUTTONI exhibition reveals more than 20 mechanical theaters, a newly debuted work and four decades of invention.
Art Choice · Soga Shōhaku
1730–1781 · Edo Period
The Wild Imagination of Soga Shōhaku: Dragons, Demons and Tigers
A storm-driven dragon, a comic demon-queller and an unforgettable tiger reveal the emotional range of Edo painting’s great eccentric.
Read Art Choice →The cover art is an AI-generated editorial interpretation, not a reproduction of Shōhaku’s historical works.
From November 12 · Six More Stories
Published November 12, 2026
Six distinct reports selected from the November 12 edition. These are previously published stories, not fresh November 13 reporting.
Mitsui Chemicals’ ¥1.84 Trillion JSR Acquisition: The Promise and Financing Risks of Semiconductor Materials
An examination of the announced JSR deal, its semiconductor-materials strategy and the financial obligations that accompany such a large acquisition.
A Parkinson’s-Linked Protein May Protect the Aging Blood–Brain Barrier
New cell and animal research suggests alpha-synuclein has a protective role in brain blood vessels, a finding that is not yet a human treatment.
Hokkaido University Measures the Promise of Alpha-Gallium Oxide Semiconductors
Researchers investigate electrical and thermal properties of alpha-gallium oxide thin films and the challenges facing next-generation power devices.
Yuto Horigome and Momiji Nishiya Take Japanese Skateboarding Titles
The Olympic gold medalists won national street titles in Fukuoka, underscoring Japan’s depth of competitive skateboarding talent.
Sixty Miniature Handlooms Return to Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
An exhibition brings textile-machine models back after 21 years and traces regional weaving techniques and Japan’s industrial heritage.
Tokyo University of the Arts Brings Painting Conservation Into the Present
An exhibition by Japanese-painting conservation researchers reveals how traditional techniques inform the preservation and creation of art.
Weather and Horoscope
November 13–15
November 13 news illustrations are AI-generated interpretations inspired by Soga Shōhaku (1730–1781); they are not documentary photographs or paintings by the artist.
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