Matsui “Godzilla” Hideki got a hit and an RBI in his first at-bat for the NY Yankees. It was his only contribution to the Yankees’ 8-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays but the consensus in Japan was that he was off to a good start. Though the game aired from 8:30am on a weekday in Japan, one in three TV viewers in the Kanto area tuned in, a very high number.
• Okinawa pop group Speed are to get back together and play a series of concerts for the “Save The Children” charity. Since breaking up in 2000, the four members have pursued solo careers, playing together just once, also for charity in 2001.
• A cafe and gallery owned by minor personality Kawashima Amiru (25) was destroyed in a fire which broke out in a neighboring restaurant in Osaka. One woman died in the fire.