Overview
- JAXA confirmed on Tuesday that the MMX spacecraft launched Oct. 20 is generating power, controlling its attitude and communicating with Earth and is on course for Mars arrival in August 2027 and a planned Earth return in July 2031.
- The Board of Audit reported that the Small and Medium Enterprise Organization's system‑rebuild contract swelled to about ¥96.26 billion and identified roughly ¥4.65 billion of costs the auditors judged avoidable, with the project now pushed to operation in February 2028.
- The audit found planning and contract‑management flaws, payments already totaling about ¥67.93 billion, and use of co‑op reserves tied to small‑business mutual aid, raising questions about oversight of public funds.
- On domestic policy, the LDP and Japan Innovation Party are seeking a year‑end decision to raise medical co‑payments for people aged 70 and over, and Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said the government will monitor price movements to judge whether a proposed one‑point cut in the consumption tax on food leads to lower consumer prices.
- Tokyo is arranging a Nov. 8–11 visit by Vietnam's top leader To Lam with a likely Diet speech on Nov. 9, and local accountability moves include Yamamoto Town's disciplinary actions for officials over misconduct dated to Oct. 16.