Nissan formally withdrew from merger talks with Honda, rejecting the subsidiary proposal that would have created Japan's largest automaker. The news dominated financial coverage, with Nissan's trading suspended while Honda's shares surged.
The season's strongest cold wave hit northern Japan, with Hokkaido reporting 217 school closures and 105 train cancellations. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of rapid snow accumulation in Hokuriku and southern Tohoku.
Trump's proposal for US ownership of Gaza and mass population transfer generated extensive coverage across all media. Toyota revised its profit forecast upward to ¥4.5 trillion despite operating profit declining 13.2% in Q3. The Ministry of Agriculture countered viral misinformation about the new Food Supply Crisis Law, while investigators identified the dismembered body in Higashi-Osaka as a 52-year-old transportation ministry official.