Fujimi Model announced two new plastic kits in its 1/24 Car NEXT Series: the Honda S660 early model α grade in Carnival Yellow II and Premium Star White Pearl. Both kits feature all-new molds, snap-fit assembly, molded colors, and an adjustable suspension system. The Yellow kit is priced at 4,950 yen and releases October 29, 2026; the White kit with decals is 5,170 yen and releases October 30, 2026.
Hasegawa announced a new 1/32 scale car model series called e moke that requires no glue or paint. The kits use snap-fit assembly and color-coded parts with stickers, making them ideal for beginners. The first release is a Toyota Celica LB 1600GT, available in four colors: Civilian Purple, Casual Turquoise, Social Silver, and White Spirit. Each kit is priced at 2,420 yen and releases on August 1, 2026.
FRACTO Co., Ltd. received the Excellence Award at the Digital Signage Awards 2026 for its 'Wonder Box 360' immersive LED experience at Noboribetsu Marine Park Nixe. The award was announced on June 10, 2026. This marks FRACTO's third consecutive win at the awards, following previous wins in 2024 and 2025.
Matrix's escape game The 60-Second Syndrome, where players must escape a room within 60 seconds per loop, won the Sponsor Award and Popular Selection Award at BitSummit PUNCH. The demo features a time loop mechanic where knowledge persists across deaths, and the developer Matrix is a five-person team using Unreal Engine.
Matrix Co., Ltd. released a free demo of its horror escape game 'The 60-Second Syndrome' on Steam on May 29, 2026. The full game is scheduled for a fall 2026 release. The single-player title follows a man trapped in a 60-second time loop who must escape a locked room. Each death resets the loop, and players observe recurring phenomena-a ringing phone, a television turning on, a clock chiming-to gather clues while fleeing an unknown entity. The game won two awards at the indie event BitSummit PUNCH, held May 22-24 in Kyoto: the sponsor ID@Xbox Award and the visitor-voted Popular Selection Award. The demo includes the content that was playable at the event. The game is published under the Matrix Creators brand and supports Japanese, English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese at launch.
Yen Press announced on May 15 that it has licensed 11 manga and six light novel series for release in November 2026. The manga slate includes "Moscow 2160," a near-future story by Kumo Kagyu with art by Kōtarō Sekine; "Love at the City's Edge on a Moonlit Night" by Sakuhiro, about an onmyoji and a demon; "Terrarium in a Drawer," a collection of 33 short stories by Ryōko Kui of "Delicious in Dungeon" fame; "He Was My Brother" by Minoru Matsuda; "egg: I'm Your Child" by Sino Torino; "After-School Duty" by Meiji and Gakuto Coda; "Contract Sisters" by Hijiki; "Izumi and the Dragon Encyclopedia" by Nagimiso; "My Girlfriend Is a Colossal Cutie" by sanorin; "Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom: The Dragon Is the Bride" by Hyōgo Amagasa and sugino; and "Witch and Hound" by Rainy Kamitsuki and Minori Tsukahara. The light novel licenses are "Argonaut: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Tales of Heroes" by Fujino Ōmori; "The Story of the Moon Waiting for the Evening" by Akumi Agitogi; "Valkyrie Bullet" by Yomu Mishima; "On the Way Home After Defeating the Demon King" by Ichiro Sakaki; "Rise of the Lowborn" by Kosaka Hanane; and "The Demon King Seems to Have Infiltrated the Hero's Party" by Kamaseinuesu. Yen Press also plans an audiobook for Keiichi Hikami's "Elden Ring"-themed novel "See You at That Site of Grace After Work."