Space Race: Japan’s JAXA successfully tested its experimental reusable rocket, RV-X, with a short lift-off, hover, horizontal move, and safe landing—an early step toward lower-cost launches to rival SpaceX. Food & Health: Japan’s farm ministry is pushing rice flour as demand shifts, promoting sweets made with rice flour (including gluten-free benefits) and aiming to double rice-flour demand to 130,000 tonnes. Public Welfare: Osaka’s children’s hospice model is expanding via a new consultation service, aiming to make short stays and family support more available for kids with life-limiting illnesses. Local Environment: Municipalities across Japan are stepping up eradication of the red-necked longhorn beetle, including reward programs in Tokyo and Saitama. Travel Watch: Japan’s summer outbound travel is projected to drop 8.8% as the weak yen and higher costs bite, with nearby destinations like South Korea and Taiwan holding up better. Politics: PM Sanae Takaichi shelved an initial plan to cut lower-house seats after a rare opposition boycott, but the standoff may not be over. Culture & Memory: A Manila exhibit is showing WWII diary sketches by Japanese POW Shinichi Komatsu for the first time outside Japan. Weather: Typhoon Bavi hit eastern China after battering Japan’s remote islands and Taiwan, with nearly two million evacuated.