Business & Economy
01 Japan’s business growth cools while inflation pressure stays high
S&P Global’s flash Composite Output Index fell to 52.5 in September from 53.5 in August, remaining above the 50 line that signals expansion. Supplier delays and rising selling prices persisted, leaving Japan with a combination of resilient third-quarter activity and continued inflation pressure.
Source: S&P Global
Science & Technology
02 Osaka team recreates antibody-refining B cells in the laboratory
Osaka University researchers generated germinal-center-like B cells from human blood by delivering three signals—CD40L, IL-4 and IL-21—in a carefully controlled sequence. Because true human germinal-center B cells are difficult to obtain, the method could make studies of antibody maturation, vaccines and autoimmune disease more accessible.
Source: Osaka University CiDER
Communities
03 Oku-Noto’s first reconstruction public housing begins taking residents
Anamizu’s Kirari Uwano complex, the first reconstruction public housing completed in the Oku-Noto area after the 2024 earthquake, began accepting residents from September 8. Its 50 units are accompanied by a community building with solar power and batteries that can serve as a disaster-response base; the town plans 232 units across nine sites by fiscal 2028.
Source: Ishikawa Prefecture
Sports
04 Japan Open qualifying begins September 28 at Ariake
The Kinoshita Group Japan Open starts qualifying at Ariake on September 28–29 before the ATP 500 main draw runs September 30–October 6. The tournament uses a 32-player singles draw and 16-team doubles field, with the official entry list headed by Carlos Alcaraz.
Source: Official tournament site
Culture
05 Shizuoka traces how Renoir became one of Japan’s most familiar Western painters
Shizuoka City Museum of Art’s exhibition “Our Renoir: The Painter of Happiness Loved by Japan” brings together 39 Renoir works held in Japan within a display of roughly 80 works. Magazines, advertisements and calendars help trace how a once-distant French painter became unusually familiar to Japanese audiences. The exhibition runs through November 15.
Source: Shizuoka City
