The day was dominated by a fire that destroyed the Meirin shopping arcade near Ise Grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture. The blaze broke out in the morning and quickly spread through the dense, old wooden buildings, prompting evacuation orders. No injuries were reported, but the arcade, known as the birthplace of baseball pitcher Eiji Sawamura, was almost entirely consumed. Coverage was extensive across NHK, TBS, Chunichi, Asahi, and Yomiuri, with live updates and video. The fire overshadowed other stories, including the government's formal proposal to select Hitachiomiya, Ibaraki, as a candidate site for nuclear waste disposal, and the collapse of the centrist opposition merger between Chudo and Komeito. The Nikkei's plunge of over 1,500 points due to US rate hike fears also drew attention, but the fire remained the top editorial priority.