July 26, 2026 · 3:21 PM CDT / July 27, 2026 · 5:21 AM JST

image style: Impressionist (random JP scene)

A Sunday afternoon across Japan, and the headlines read like a sampler plate. There’s pop culture still thriving decades after the air date — Evangelion figures filling the Wonder Festival floor — alongside quiet agricultural science about saving fruit blossoms with ice. Trade and mobility news leans global: USTR tariffs rippling toward Japan, a Brazilian eVTOL player lining up Florida pilots, and Tokyo Stock Exchange reshuffling listings. The MONOist pieces round it out with Japan’s quiet pivot from "DX" to "AX" — letting AI agents actually act, not just assist — and a major polyolefin consolidation among the country’s biggest chemical names. Soft power, hard industry, and a stock market in motion, all in one feed.

• 30年以上前の「使徒、襲来」から人気が衰えない「エヴァンゲリオン」シリーズの作品をワンフェス2026[夏]会場でピックアップ (GIGAZINE) (In Japanese Language) — More than 30 years after the original "Angel, Attack" broadcast, Evangelion remains a fan magnet. Wonder Festival 2026 [Summer] (held July 26) surfaced a fresh wave of figures and items from both the TV anime and the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, which wrapped with "Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time" in 2021.
• 氷点下で植物を枯らさずに「氷で守る」技術とは？ (GIGAZINE) (In Japanese Language) — Fruit orchards sometimes deliberately coat blossoms in ice to protect them from freezing damage. The science YouTube channel The Action Lab walks through the counterintuitive mechanism behind this "ice shield" technique, with real experiments to show how it works.
• 米USTR、強制労働産品の輸入禁止措置を巡り、日本含む60カ国・地域に301条関税賦課を最終決定 (ジェトロ ビジネス短信) (In Japanese Language) — Feed summary not provided; click through to read the details on the USTR’s final Section 301 tariff decision targeting forced-labor-linked goods, with Japan among roughly 60 countries and regions affected.
• ブラジルのEVEが米フロリダ州運輸局と提携、次世代エアモビリティーの商業運航に向け環境を整備 (ジェトロ ビジネス短信) (In Japanese Language) — Feed summary not provided; click through for details on Brazilian eVTOL maker Eve’s partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation, aimed at preparing the regulatory environment for next-generation air mobility commercial operations.
• [東証]上場廃止等の決定：昭和ホールディングス(株) (JPX マーケットニュース) (In Japanese Language) — The Tokyo Stock Exchange has issued a delisting decision for Showa Holdings. Feed summary not provided; click through for the official notice.
• [東証]TOKYO PRO Marketへの上場申請：(株)数理技研 (JPX マーケットニュース) (In Japanese Language) — TOKYO PRO Market has received a listing application from Suri Giken Co., Ltd. Feed summary not provided; click through for the filing details.
• さらばDX、「AX」時代へ――NECやソニーセミコン描くAI自律化最前線 (MONOist 最新記事一覧) (In Japanese Language) — Farewell to "DX," welcome to "AX" — a roundup from MONOist’s editors covering articles published July 21–24, 2026, looking at how NEC and Sony Semiconductor Solutions are pushing into AI agent autonomy on the manufacturing and enterprise floor.
• 国内ポリオレフィン事業の統合を開始 (MONOist 最新記事一覧) (In Japanese Language) — Sumitomo Chemical announced that its domestic polyolefin business integration with Mitsui Chemicals, Idemitsu Kosan, and Prime Polymer became effective July 1, 2026, covering the business integration agreement, joint venture contract, and absorption-type split contract.

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Scout, MiniMax M3 / Venice