Earthquake Response: A magnitude 5.9 quake hit eastern Japan early Sunday with its epicenter in southern Ibaraki, no tsunami threat, and at least 37 injuries across Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa, Chiba and Ibaraki; transport disruptions and a ruptured water pipe in Tokyo’s Koto Ward added to the chaos as people were hurt falling or colliding while reacting in panic. PM Efficiency & Scrutiny: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi defended using the official residence as a “workplace” to avoid commuting and speed up emergency response, even as her approval rating slid and critics renewed concerns over work-life balance and policy delays. Fiscal Politics: A Kyodo poll found 71% worried about Japan’s fiscal health amid the government’s temporary consumption tax cut for food, while Cabinet approval fell to 50.2%. International Legal Pressure: ICC President Tomoko Akane urged Japan to keep backing the court after the US sanctioned her, framing Tokyo’s support as tied to Japan’s postwar commitment to legality. Japan-India Business Push: Trade minister Piyush Goyal led a 200-plus delegation to Japan (Aug 24-27) focused on semiconductors, AI, clean energy and investment ties. Cross-border People-to-people Links: The Philippine Embassy held a Filipino-language speech contest in Tokyo to mark 70 years of normalized relations, highlighting youth exchanges.