G1 company, Inc. brought KATARIBE, an AI tourism guide engine that turns interviews with local guides into location-linked guidance data, to the Travel Solution Exhibition 2026 inside Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 at Tokyo Big Sight on September 24 and 25. About 200 visitors came to the booth over two days. A demonstration with the Shin-Kamigoto Town Tourism and Products Association has run since April 2026.
The five-member group Kachou Fuugetsu will hold its first fan meeting on October 18, 2026 at Karaoke Manekineko Shibuya Main Store, with additional seats and tickets now on sale at Ticket Pia. The roughly two-hour program includes an advance screening of the pilot anime IDOL:UnderCode "Itsuka ni Tsunagaru Kyou," the announcement of the group's debut song, member talks, a 2-minute 1to1 Talk session, cheki photo shoots, and goods sales. Members are Akane Kirishima, Airi Shinonome, Hiyori Hanamura, Matsuri Asahina, and Saya Sakakibara.
Microsoft has changed the storage for Microsoft 365 Family and Premium from an individual allocation of 1TB per person to a shared pool used by up to six people. New subscriptions started on or after October 8, and subscriptions repurchased after expiration, get the 2TB shared storage from the start, down from the previous maximum of 6TB.
Shibuya Ward elementary and junior high schools are again paired with companies for an environmental culture festival. The event runs October 15 and 16, 2026, at the Shibuya Station East Exit Underground Plaza. Each school works with one company or local government across three outreach classes on themes like resource circulation and biodiversity, presenting the results through panels, quizzes, and games. Junior high schools join for the first time, bringing the total to eight teams.
Banpresto's prize lineup adds "New PANTY & STOCKING with GARTERBELT Monitor Top Figure ~Panty & Stocking Angel ver.~," scheduled to appear sequentially starting Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The set has two types, each about 12 cm, released by BANDAI SPIRITS under the Banpresto brand. Each comes with a base carrying the work's logo design. The molds are reused from the June 2026 Panty & Stocking monitor top figure release.
Ge-saku, the studio behind the horror adventure game H9:ORIGIN, is developing To 666 Deliver or Die, a 2D food delivery horror game set in a Showa-era housing complex overrun by vines, rubble, talismans, and apparitions. Director Chika Nagai is developing it alone. A pre-alpha demo was exhibited for the first time at OSAKA INDIE GAMES SUMMIT 2026, where the trial play ended after the player was assigned Room 666.
A media preview for Battlefield 6 season 5, "Siege of Las Vegas," ran the two phase one maps and a new REDSEC mode. Vegas Strip covers a neon casino district with multi-floor hotels and tunnels. Area 51 spans desert surface to deep underground, and the G-point tower can be destroyed mid-match. Rapid Royale settles in around 12 to 15 minutes. Season 5 opens October 13 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Platz will ship two aircraft assembly kits in December 2026: a 1/72 F/A-18E Super Hornet carrying VFA-137 Kestrels 2025 CAG markings, and a 1/48 Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero Fighter Model 21 in Tainan Naval Air Group livery. The Super Hornet kit is about 253mm long and costs 5,940 yen; the Zero Fighter uses Eduard-made parts, measures about 190mm, and costs 6,380 yen.
Cosplay Mania 2026 ran October 2 to 4 in Manila with more guest VTubers than the previous year. Féileacán Cú of the independent scene appeared before Philippines fans, most of HOLOSTARS English was invited, and Ayunda Risu and Momosuzu Nene performed at the JAM Concert in their 3D models. Indie VTubers met fans through the 6-Seven and Releum booths.
Hello Kitty and the fashion brand PAUL & JOE ACCESSOIRES have a collaboration collection going on sale from October 14. The designs place Hello Kitty with the brand's icon cats, Gipsy and Nounette, under a fantasy motif that turns the brand's Chrysanthemum symbol into clouds. Eight items are listed: Print Handkerchief at 2,970 yen, Towel Handkerchief at 1,430 yen, Microfiber Handkerchief at 1,650 yen, Drawstring Pouch at 3,520 yen, Pouch at 4,400 yen, Vanity Pouch at 5,280 yen, Eco Bag at 5,500 yen, and Plush Charm at 3,960 yen.
Game Spark's Weekly Spalang for October 2 to 8, 2026 lists its five most-read articles. Fifth is the SYNDUALITY Noir production committee's memorial statement after animator Kenichiro Katsura died on September 30 at 59. Fourth is a column on why Front Mission is seen overseas as a finished series. Third covers an Aion 2 character creator slider. Second covers a Forza Horizon 6 developer statement amid an itasha controversy.
Sentinel 6, an Afro-futurist sci-fi adventure anime, is in development with Michael Carter-Williams and Jamaal Williams on board as executive producers, alongside independent talent manager Sam Goff. LeSean Thomas wrote the pilot and is a consulting producer. Pat Stout and the late Asa Palmer created the series in 2019 under their company Sable Kudzu; it is set in 2429, after the Great Phoenix War, and runs 11 to 12 thirty-minute episodes. Creative Freaks won the production bid.
STARZ 2026 will be held on December 29, 2026 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, with doors at 13:00 and a 14:00 start. The event combines a hip-hop live show with the RAPSTAR 2026 FINALS, the deciding stage of ABEMA's rapper audition. The fastest advance ticket lottery runs October 10 to 19 on Lawson Ticket.
Gohgo, who writes, composes, and directs the total stage production for the virtual artist duo HIMEHINA at Studio LaRa, told PANORA in an interview that he handled Nico Nico Cho Party stage direction from 2012 to 2016. He said viewers of HIMEHINA's October 4 grand finale compared its glass-break staging to a 2015 Cho Party moment he made with an MMD team.
REJECT announced "Oji League vs Streamer Army," a Street Fighter 6 showdown between Oji League participants and popular streamers, for Saturday, October 24. Koku-nii and SHAKA traded trash talk in a video released with the announcement, trading lines like "Bring it on, kid" and "Fine by me, old man." Silhouettes believed to be participants appear alongside epithets in the video's latter half, including "Teisei," "Goketsu," and SHAKA's "Legendary Battlefield King Sniper." Format and rules are not yet clear.
Bandai Namco Experience said on October 9 that member information on the Wangan Midnight Arcade Portal for the arcade racing game Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 6RR PLUS may have been leaked after unauthorized external access at operation contractor Commune. Exposed data could include email addresses, nicknames, account names, self-introductions, profile items, affiliated groups, points, and last active dates. No unauthorized use has been confirmed, and users are being urged to change passwords and watch for suspicious emails.
Brasil Game Show 2026 opened on October 9 at Distrito Anhembi in Sao Paulo and runs four days through the 12th. Nintendo brought Switch 2 demo stations for Mario Kart World, Pokemon Pokopia, and corners for Super Mario Galaxy and Star Fox. Sega built a gothic stonework booth with corners for Alien: Isolation 2, Crazy Taxi: World Tour, Persona 4 Revival, and Stranger Than Heaven.
Kashitaro Ito's solo concert "Live Classics 2026 〜re:verse〜" is set for Saturday, December 5, 2026 at Ebisu The Garden Hall, with doors at 16:00 and a 17:00 start. Official advance applications opened October 8 at 18:00 on e+. All seats are reserved at 9,800 yen, plus a separate drink fee, and preschool children are not admitted.
YTE will sell Detective Conan goods built on a newly drawn "Blue Butterfly Forest" visual early at Anime Japan Girls Festival 2026, held November 7 and 8 at Ikebukuro Sunshine City. The lineup includes a clear file with Conan, Haibara, Amuro, and Kid, an aurora acrylic stand, trading foil-embossed cards, can badges, and a hard card case. Deformed pop-up book style goods of Ran, Shinichi, Akai, and Chihaya follow.
Premium Bandai will re-release two Super Robot Wars OG kits in its SMP line on October 11. The first is the Astranagant, a black machine standing about 283mm tall when completed, priced at 22,000 yen. It ships with a long Z.O. Sword, weapon and effect parts, and a Gun Familiar with a stored-to-deployed transformation gimmick. A base, support pillar, and dedicated effect parts let buyers recreate the Axion Cannon and Infinity Cylinder attacks. The second is the R-GUN Rivale and Wildschwein set, priced at 27,940 yen. The R-GUN Rivale measures about 330mm including wings; the Wildschwein is about 180mm. The set includes two head options for the R-GUN Rivale, a setting-art head as a bonus, Roche Blade parts that detach to show the firing state, and a Gun Slave that transforms between Charge and Discharge modes. Both are assembly kits with soda-flavor gum. Pre-orders open at 13:00 on October 11.
TIFFCOM 2026, running October 28 to 30 alongside the Tokyo International Film Festival, will hold pitch sessions for Tokyo IP Market and Tokyo Gap-Financing Market. Eight companies with Japan-originated IP present on October 28, among them Shochiku's Otoko wa Tsurai yo series and Takara Tomy's BEYBLADE. TGFM's open pitch covers 10 of 24 selected projects, including two Japan-originated animation projects and international co-productions.
Battlefield 6 Season 5 begins October 13 with new Nevada content across three phases. Phase 1 adds the Vegas Strip and Area 51 maps, four infantry weapons, and a Rapid Royale mode for the free-to-play Battlefield REDSEC. A Dead Space collaboration runs October 20 to November 7. Phase 2 and Phase 3 follow on November 10 and December 8.
SIGNING Inc. will stage Window of Tomorrow at Roppongi Hills Rose Garden and 66 Plaza during Roppongi Art Night 2026, running from Saturday, October 31 to Sunday, November 1, 2026. The immersive performance and spatial installation uses the night sky as its set. Aoi Tsuki performs in Moon at the date change, and ATSUSHI performs in Sun at sunrise. Architect Naoyuki Kunikiyo handles architecture and Nao'ymt handles music.
The Yumeshima New Industry and Urban Creation Organization is running an art exhibition at Sennyu-ji, the head temple of the Shingon sect Sennyu-ji school, from October 9 to 15, 2026, with doors open 9:00 to 16:30 and the final day ending in the morning. Held under the theme "Innovation" in the Shueisho assembly hall, it features five artists: Maki Oi, Taishi Hatayama, Naoko Murata, Ko Taniguchi, and Moe Ishibashi.
Bandai has posted product specifications for the CSM Kabuto Zecter & Hyper Zecter ver.2 on Premium Bandai, with pre-orders open until December 2, 2026. The Kabuto Zecter ver.2 adds a wing-swap gimmick, 12 BGM tracks, and linked sound effects, so activating Clock Up on the Clock Up Side Buckle plays the in-show sequence through the Zecter, ending in Clock Over when the Rider Kick sound fires.
Game & Co., a Brave group company, will sell the high-end model of Pico-can, a can badge-style digital device, on Amazon in November 2026 at 5,980 yen including tax. D1-Lab, also part of Brave group, develops the dedicated iOS and Android app. The unit has a 1.73-inch AMOLED screen at 466x466 pixels, 128MB of storage, a 480mAh battery, and touch controls. Some app functions are patent pending.
Microsoft Japan will release the PlayStation 5 version of Forza Horizon 6 on January 27, 2027, with early access from January 21 for Premium Edition buyers and above. The Standard Edition starts at 9,800 yen, and a packaged version is planned. Anyone who pre-orders through the PlayStation Store gets a tuned Ferrari J50 added to their garage. Development of the PS5 port was handled by Panic Button, which also worked on the PlayStation 5 version of Forza Horizon 5. The release was originally slated for 2026, but the date slipped after no new information appeared at gamescom in August or Tokyo Game Show in September. The game itself launched on Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 19, set in Japan with more than 550 real cars and a map that rotates through the four seasons every real-world week. The first of two planned paid expansions will roll out starting January 21.
The roundup lists 11 corporate-booth cosplayers from Tokyo Game Show 2026, held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, with four of them credited to South Korean teams. It names Jomi as Demiurge and Yona as Midsummer Police Delta, both from Outerplane, Leeloo Reel as Maid and Hangah Han-a as Black Mage from RED STONE, and Nene as Nao and Ichihashi as Morley from Mabinogi Mobile.
The Yaoyorozu Festival Executive Committee will hold YAOYOROZU FESTIVAL 26 on November 6 and 7, 2026, at the Kyuhoji Ryokuchi Athletics Stadium in Yao City, Osaka Prefecture. The event combines a VTuber and utaite live stage, a Kansai sake area covering beer, Japanese sake, whiskey, wine and cocktails, and a local food market. Amazari Hirai and Kasuga Nozomi handle MC duties.
A new music video for the Hatsune Miku song "Like a Shooting Star" was released on the official 39ch (Miku Channel) YouTube account on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. The track is by Crusher, a music creator mainly active in the United States, and was written as a commemorative song for the singing voice synthesis software Hatsune Miku V6, released Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Crusher, Heremija, Narase, and YZYX are credited.
A 10-minute hands-on with Earth Defense Force 6.2 INVADERS FROM ANOTHER WORLD at Tokyo Game Show 2026 focused on weapon customization. Rifles accept parts across bullets, magazine, sight, barrel, underbarrel, muzzle, receiver, grip, and stock, with more than 10 ammo types including incendiary, panic, and plague rounds. Stacking parts on a grenade launcher changed it into a different weapon entirely. The preview flagged one concern: the customization screen shows performance changes only as text.
MSI Computer Japan will start selling the limited-edition Crosshair A16 HX MLG Edition E8W gaming laptop from October 14 at open price. The package pairs a Stella White chassis with a white mouse, mouse pad, and headset. Inside are an AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX with 16 cores and 32 threads, 32GB of DDR5 memory, and either the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 or RTX 5060 Laptop GPU.
Anthropic released Claude Haiku 5.5 on October 7, 2026, the Haiku tier's first update in a year. It scores higher than Claude Haiku 4.5 on benchmarks and surpasses GPT-6 Luna. Artificial Analysis measured its Intelligence Index v4.3.2 score at 43, up from 17 for Haiku 4.5. It is available on all plans, including free, and via API.
Microsoft detailed nine titles for Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass between October 8 and October 16, 2026, seven of them day-one releases. Echo Weaver and Annapurna Interactive's Forever Ago arrive October 8, Deep Dish Dungeon on October 13, alongside Valor Mortis, Bluey's Happy Snap, Chained Beasts and Beyond These Stars. Battlefield 6 joins through EA Play and Neon Abyss 2 hits its official release.
ASUS has opened global preorders for its ProArt P14 and P16 creator laptops built around NVIDIA's RTX Spark chip, announced at IFA 2026. US pricing runs from about $2,600 (roughly 410,000 yen) for a 14-inch 18-core model to about $7,000 (roughly 1.11 million yen) for a 16-inch 128GB configuration. Shipping starts October 16. Japanese availability is announced without pricing yet.
At Anime Expo 2026, the Tokyo Revengers panel brought out Yuki Shin (Takemichi), Yuu Hayashi (Mikey), and Masaya Fukunishi (Draken) in Tokyo Manji Gang jackets. The three discussed how their characters evolved across the series. Hayashi said the next season shows a darker Mikey without hesitation, and Shin said Takemichi would find true strength in the upcoming season.
The first Japan Oshikatsu Awards ceremony was held on October 7, 2026, at Tokyo Big Sight South Exhibition Hall, alongside the sixth Oshikatsu EXPO [Autumn]. Six recipients were recognized: Kento Nakajima (Male Idol), AKB48 (Female Idol), Shoko Nakagawa (Talent), Kizuna AI (VTuber), Pompompurin (Character), and Kimi Onoda (Politics). Winners were chosen by a survey of people in the oshikatsu industry. Organizer RX Japan says the market has grown beyond 4 trillion yen.
The XG Mobile Promotion Forum, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and ARIB, will hold an international workshop on October 14 and 15, 2026 under the theme "The Future Society Created by 6G x AI." Eight sessions run across the two days, covering communication growth in the AI era, AI-Native 6G networks, NTN connectivity, autonomous driving mobility, Generation Z perspectives, and oshi-katsu at live venues. Entry is free with advance online registration.
Real Sound Anime has published scene photos from Episode 2 of the original TV anime Blue Legend - Welsh & Shedar, titled Cheese-Flavored Omelet. The episode follows Welsh and the others after their village is attacked, and a new encounter awaits the group as they seek help for the injured Welsh. Ankama, the French company behind Dofus, presents the adventure fantasy, with animation production by Studio Musket and direction by Naoki Horiuchi.
Sunny Side Up will release Happy Kuji "DISNEY Christmas Ornament Kuji 2026" at FamilyMart stores starting at 10:00 on November 7, 2026. Each draw costs 880 yen including tax. The theme for the 2026 edition is "Christmas Dress Up," and the lineup centers on Mickey and Friends in party outfits, red dresses and tuxedos, drawn for the project. Characters from film titles join them. The set has four prize tiers plus a Last Prize. A new Year Ornament Prize debuts, with one type showing Mickey Mouse beside a tree carrying the year 2026. The Figure Ornament Prize covers 25 characters, the most for the tier. All figure ornaments include a base, so they work as room figures besides tree decorations. The Special Complete BOX Prize has six types grouped by series. The Acrylic Ornament Prize returns with 10 types, glitter included. The Last Prize is a BIG! Standing Plush of Mickey Mouse in a newly drawn outfit, about 65 cm tall. Availability varies by store, so the Happy Kuji official website carries the details.
Playground Games published a statement on October 6 through its official X account about Forza Horizon 6, saying it had not communicated sufficiently with players and that it is considering changes to in-game content and to how it shares information. The statement does not name the feedback that prompted this or any measures or timing. Players who shared itasha designs reported deletions and account suspensions in September.
Metamars ran TikTok Shop live streams with game creators at TikTok for Gaming GG Festival 2026, held August 11 at Tokyo Big Sight West Hall 3. The company drew on the creator network of its MetaGalaxy brand, which has more than 250 game creators and streamers registered, and combined creator posts, live streaming, short video production, and e-commerce operations. The event recorded roughly 405 million total exposure, about 1.1 million cumulative official live viewership, and about 2,100 visitors.
MSI Computer Japan will release two gaming notebook models in anniversary packages from October 14. The Crosshair 16 Max HX E2WGK-2740JP pairs an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 290HX Plus with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU and a 16-inch WQXGA OLED display at 165Hz. The Stealth 16 AI+ B3WI-2741JP uses a Core Ultra 9 processor 386H with an RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, 240Hz OLED, and up to roughly 13 hours of battery life. Both are open-price and ship with a commemorative gift box, gaming mouse, and backpack.
Piranha Games released the Ashes & Ascension DLC for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries on October 7, 2026, for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and Xbox One. The paid expansion adds an 18-mission story campaign set in the Inner Sphere between 3058 and 3060, 13 new Clan mechs, new Inner Sphere OmniMechs and variants, 11 weapon systems, five Career Mode starting factions, and an updated faction map. Free updates rework pilot traits and the interface.
The Digital Media Association will hold AMD Symposium 2026 on November 10, 2026, a hybrid event on the overseas expansion of Japan-originated content. Speakers include Megumi Onouchi of Human Media, Mari Tanaka of JETRO, and Akihiko Iwasaki of PwC Consulting. A second-half panel, moderated by Takeshi Natsuno, adds JETRO's Yoshiharu Nakazawa. Venue seats are limited to members; the online stream is free with advance registration.
Reiwa AI Inc. will exhibit at Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2026, held at Makuhari Messe over four days from October 13 to 16, 2026. The company develops AI solution businesses including automatic generation of ladder diagrams using generative AI. At the booth, in ZONE3, it will present a Ladder Diagram Generation AI developed jointly with OGN Inc. Admission registration is shared with CEATEC 2026.
The itasha festival Odaiba Itasha Tengoku 2026 Autumn will be held on November 8, 2026, at the Odaiba outdoor special venue, the Aomi temporary parking lot, from 9:30 to 16:00. About 1,000 itasha cars from across Japan are expected, along with cosplayers. Advance tickets are 1,500 yen, same-day tickets 1,800 yen, with a 500 yen cosplay registration fee and a 1,000 yen photographer fee.
Anique will run a booth at the 2026 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A11 Japan Exhibition at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Taipei Xinyi Place A11 6F in Taiwan from October 15 to November 3, 2026. The booth carries eight IPs and sells goods on site, including a Blue Lock KINOKOS self-standing plush figure line themed on a waitress cafe and omurice. Blue Lock products sell until October 23.
A collaboration between the music special program Best Hit Kayosai 2026 and the TV anime Detective Conan has been announced, and voting has begun for Everyone's Choice: Detective Conan Best Hit OP & ED. Fans pick from all 138 opening and ending songs produced over the 30 years since the anime began airing, and the ranking will be announced during the Best Hit Kayosai 2026 broadcast. Broadcast date, performing artists, and songs will be announced later.
Ankama's original adventure fantasy Aoki Denshou - Welsh & Shedar began broadcasting on October 2, 2026 on TOKYO MX, with Episode 1 titled Mushroom Pie. Director Naoki Horiuchi leads the production at Studio Musket. Rikuya Yasuda voices Welsh, Yuki Kaji plays Shedar, and Yuko Kaida voices Zabel. Streaming starts October 2 on d Anime Store and U-NEXT.