Shinkansen Upgrade: JR Central and JR West will roll out the new “Supreme Class” private rooms on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines this fall, adding single- and two-person bookable spaces with reclining seats, Wi‑Fi, and route-linked perks. Education & AI Skills: Japan’s education ministry proposes nearly doubling junior high “Information and Technology” class hours, aiming to boost students’ information literacy for the generative AI era. Corporate Earnings: Seven & i Holdings posted a 61% jump in first-quarter operating profit and lifted its full-year outlook, citing yen weakness and energy-driven margin swings. Markets & Rates: Japan’s 10-year government bond yield surged to around 2.9%, the highest since 1996, as Middle East-driven oil price fears and fiscal worries rattled investors. Stablecoin Push: Sony Bank received conditional U.S. OCC approval to set up Connectia Trust, paving the way for a dollar-backed stablecoin tied to Sony’s digital ecosystem. Space & Moon Logistics: ispace plans a lower-cost lunar cargo service using SpaceX Starship, targeting a Moon arrival by 2030 with shared customer payloads. Robotics Race: SKF is moving into humanoid robotics components via a China venture, while Booster Robotics said its humanoids swept all RoboCup 2026 titles. Food Tech: Tokyo’s Plantx opened a world-first fully sealed vertical-farming facility, designed to cut resource use and automate production. Trade & Supply Chains: China’s rare-earth export curbs are pushing domestic firms up the value chain as Japanese supply chains face pressure.