Tokyo International News Agency

Nippon Professional Baseball's Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters are moving swiftly to reinforce their coaching staff for the upcoming season. In an effort to address significant defensive struggles that plagued the club this past year, reports indicate that the Fighters plan to hire Tsuyoshi Nishioka—a former Major Leaguer who starred for the Chiba Lotte Marines and Hanshin Tigers—as their new infield defense and baserunning coach. The news has quickly garnered widespread attention across the baseball community. While the Fighters enjoyed a breakthrough campaign driven by an energetic and productive offense, their defense frequently faltered. The team recorded a Pacific League-worst 88 errors, with lapses in the field directly impacting the outcome of several key contests. Nishioka, who earned Golden Glove awards at both shortstop and second base during his active career and is renowned for his exceptional baserunning skills and deep baseball acumen, has emerged as the prime candidate ...

Social media lit up with the program's official hashtag following the broadcast of FM NACK5's radio show Seibu Railway presents Hikaru Iwamoto's May I Pour the Löyly? (broadcast every Saturday at 7:30 a.m.), hosted by Hikaru Iwamoto of the popular idol group Snow Man. Known as a devoted sauna enthusiast, Iwamoto delivers a soothing weekend morning talk show designed to refresh and comfort listeners. During a recent episode, he referred to his listeners as 'Tonttu'—named after the mythical Nordic elves that protect saunas. This unexpected moniker sparked joyful reactions online, with fans excitedly posting, 'I guess I became a Tonttu today!' and 'I never thought I’d debut as a fairy this morning!' Listeners also showered praise on the broadcast as Iwamoto discussed official hashtag ideas suggested by the audience and warmly read through fan letters. Fans flooded social media with glowing feedback such as 'The ultimate morning healing session'...

On October 17, the qualifying race for the 103rd Tokyo-Hakone Round-Trip College Ekiden Race (Hakone Ekiden) took place, where collegiate powerhouse Toyo University captured first place overall in dominant fashion, finishing more than two minutes ahead of the second-place team. The driving force behind their commanding victory was runner Miyazaki, who crossed the finish line as the top Japanese collegiate athlete and fourth overall. His passionate yet composed performance captured the hearts of fans, sending \"Miyazaki-kun\" trending across social media. Despite competing without several key regular runners, Toyo University maintained a stable pace right from the start. Miyazaki spearheaded the squad, pulling away from the chase pack with a commanding stride to finish as the fastest Japanese collegiate competitor. Akira Aizawa, an alumnus of Toyo University and a member of the Japanese national track and field team, promptly celebrated the result on social media. Fans were eq...

The qualifying race for the 103rd Hakone Ekiden took place on October 17, and Musashino Gakuin University captured the spotlight across the ekiden community with an extraordinary performance, finishing in a school-record 12th place. Making a stunning leap from 26th place in the previous edition, the university outran several established powerhouses, including Rikkyo University, Meiji University, and Tokyo International University. Musashino Gakuin displayed remarkable tenacity throughout the race, unleashing a blistering charge from the 15-kilometer mark through to the finish. Overtaking rival after rival in the closing stretch, they pushed their way up to 12th place. Although they fell just short of the coveted top-10 cutoff required to qualify for the main event, the performance substantially broke the university's all-time record. When the final standings were announced, tears of relief and triumphant fist pumps erupted among the runners and staff—a joyful celebration of achievi...

A radio show hosted by Hikaru Iwamoto, the leader of the popular male idol group Snow Man, has sparked a major buzz online, sending the word “Tonttu” trending across social media platforms. The trend originated from an episode of his FM NACK5 radio program, Seibu Railway presents Iwamoto Hikaru no Loyly Shitemo Ii desu ka? (May I Pour the Loyly?). Renowned in the Japanese entertainment industry as a passionate sauna connoisseur, Iwamoto coined the endearing nickname “Hikaru’s Tonttu” for his listeners. Explaining his affectionate reasoning, he shared that “everyone tuning in is like a little fairy to me, and I want to cherish them.” In Nordic folklore, particularly in Finland, a “Tonttu” is a mythical, elf-like creature traditionally revered as the protective guardian spirit of the sauna, watching over its safety and cleanliness. The unique and heartfelt moniker was a natural reflection of Iwamoto's deep knowledge and love of sauna ...

A miraculous collaboration between the hit anime series 'Detective Pretty Cure!' and the quintessential Heisei-era magical girl franchise 'Ojamajo Doremi' was announced on the 16th. In episode 39, scheduled to broadcast on October 25, the series protagonists will reveal a special look dressed in witch apprentice attire. According to the announcement, the four members of the story's 'Cure-at Detective Agency' will don the iconic witch apprentice costumes from 'Ojamajo Doremi' as Halloween disguises. Accompanying character reference art showcases the heroines dressed in the beloved witch apprentice outfits, immediately stirring up massive excitement among fans. Behind this dream crossover lies a shared link to the year 1999. While 'Detective Pretty Cure!' takes place in a setting based in 1999, 'Ojamajo Doremi' originally premiered on television that very same year. Through this temporal setting, two generational flagship series that he...

Fuji Television’s long-running omnibus horror special Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi (commonly known as Honkowa , translated as "True Horror Stories") is set to air this year on Halloween night, October 31, during the network's prime-time "Saturday Premium" slot from 9:00 p.m. to 11:10 p.m. Long cherished by Japanese audiences as a quintessential "summer tradition," the announcement of its autumn broadcast has sparked a wave of surprise and celebration across social media. Goro Inagaki will reprise his role as the show’s beloved "Club Leader." Serving as the spooky anthology's storyteller for over two decades since its inception in 2004, Inagaki’s steady presence drew warm reactions from longtime fans, with many noting his ageless consistency as "the biggest surprise of all" and praising the "reassuring comfort" he brings to the screen. This year’s installment will feature a total of seven shorts: one brand-new productio...