Overview
- U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth announced that U.S. forces conducted a nighttime strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel on the Caribbean high seas, killing six in the first operation of its kind conducted at night.
- Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito moved to end the party’s roughly 25-year cooperation with the Liberal Democratic Party, with internal frustration and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s rise described as key drivers.
- New Agriculture Minister Norikazu Suzuki said rice output policy must track actual demand, signaling emphasis on demand-aligned production over blanket increases.
- Sapporo City executed Hokkaido’s first emergency gun hunt in a Nishi-ku park, removing two bears that had been repeatedly sighted up to the previous day.
- Sports update: The World Series opened in Toronto with Shohei Ohtani starting as the Dodgers’ leadoff designated hitter and going hitless through five innings, Sporting News announced its MLB player of the year without selecting Ohtani, and the Lakers’ Rui Hachimura scored 23 in a win over the Timberwolves.