Kingdom Seawall Sets Guinness Record & TV Asahi Acquires NJPW [Weekly Oshikatsu News: May 29, 2026]

Here is our roundup of the most notable corporate oshikatsu (fan support activities) marketing and fan business news from the week of May 22 to May 28, 2026.

This Week’s Highlights

This was a week in which companies moved from “borrowing” intellectual property (IP) to “owning” it.

The music information media platform UtaTen conducted a survey of 3,414 users of junior high school age and younger. When asked about their number-one favorite (sai-oshi) genre, “manga and anime” ranked first (954 responses), followed by “streamers” in second place (739 responses) and “VTubers” in third place (703 responses). Among the fan activities they regularly engage in, “buying merchandise” (2,377 responses) and “watching streams” (2,289 responses) stood out far above the rest. Monthly oshikatsu budgets centered on “up to 5,000 yen” (1,039 responses) and “up to 1,000 yen” (1,031 responses). As for how they gather information, “YouTube” accounted for an overwhelming majority with 3,022 responses.

On the corporate side, meanwhile, companies advanced their relationships with IP from one-off collaborations to capital ties. TV Asahi decided to acquire additional shares in the professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling for approximately 1.216 billion yen, making it a consolidated subsidiary. Brave group, which operates a VTuber business, began discussions toward a strategic partnership with SBI Holdings, keeping future capital participation in view. Mitsui Fudosan also teamed up with Canada’s Moment Factory to enter the Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) business, featuring Pokémon as its first project.

There were also examples where fan enthusiasm showed up in concrete numbers. The “Kingdom Read-Through Seawall” (Kingdom Dokuha-tei), a collaboration between Saga Prefecture and the manga Kingdom, was certified as a Guinness World Record. Total attendance across related campaign events reached roughly 160,000 people over two months. In addition, ahead of the scheduled “graduation” (retirement) of JR East’s “Suica’s Penguin” mascot at the end of fiscal 2026, a wave of last-minute collaboration campaigns continued to spread.

DIAGRAMKey Figures from UtaTen's Survey of Users Junior High Age and Younger (n = 3,414)

3,022: Users citing YouTube for information gathering
2,377: Users citing merchandise purchases
954: Top favorite genre: Manga & Anime
1,039: Monthly budget up to 5,000 yen

Source: Compiled by The Oshi Lab from UtaTen survey figures cited in the article

Food and Beverage Makers Embedded Fan Touchpoints Directly into Products

Isaac Toast x SEVENTEEN’s MINGYU — Japan Pre-Launch of a Sauce Unsold at Retail in South Korea

Isaac Toast, a toast specialty chain operating roughly 900 stores in South Korea, launched products for home use in Japan starting May 12. The lineup consists of “Isaac Toast Sauce” and three varieties of jam (apple, peach, and kiwi). The brand appointed MINGYU of SEVENTEEN as its brand model and held a fan event in Odaiba, Tokyo, on May 21. The sauce has long been the core product supporting the flavor of the chain’s stores. To protect the sales of its franchise store owners, the company had kept the sauce off retail shelves as a not-for-sale item in its home market of South Korea. The launch in Japan marked the first time the sauce was sold at retail overseas (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: The special appeal of an item that cannot even be bought at retail in its home country serves as the very reason for its launch in Japan. The constraint of not selling the sauce in South Korea in order to protect franchise stores conversely heightens its scarcity value for fans in Japan. Combined with the casting of the talent, the campaign is designed around the single axis of “only available to buy here.” When cross-border brands create touchpoints with fans in the Japanese market, this serves as a reproducible model that can be applied elsewhere.

Ajinomoto Blendy x Pompompurin — Expanding Portion Coffee Demand with an Experiential Cafe

Starting May 21, Ajinomoto AGF held a four-day experiential pop-up called “Pompom Portion CAFÉ” in collaboration with Sanrio’s “Pompompurin,” who is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut. The company also began airing a TV commercial titled the “Let’s Portion Pompompurin” edition. Built around a premise in which Pompompurin serves as the cafe manager, the pop-up served iced drinks made with “Blendy” portion liquid concentrates. In fiscal 2025, the sales value of the Blendy Portion series had grown to approximately 160% year-on-year (excluding home delivery and mail-order sales). Keisuke Nohara of the Fan Marketing Promotion Department cited expanding awareness through user-generated content (UGC) on social media as the aim of the campaign (The Japan Food Journal News WEB (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: What catches the eye here is that the company is deliberately pairing a character with a product category that is already growing. Rather than explaining the flavor, the experience of “Pompompurin serving as the store manager” spreads much more easily on social media. How they chose the timing to pair an IP with an expanding product line is also a helpful reference when thinking about how to design a collaboration cafe.

Nongshim Japan’s “Shin Ramyun Rose Cup” — Commercializing an Official Recipe Popular with Modisumers

On May 18, Nongshim Japan launched the “Shin Ramyun Rose Cup” at 7-Eleven stores nationwide. The product turns an official custom recipe that became a hot topic among “modisumers” (consumers who modify and customize products to their own tastes) into a ready-to-eat cup noodle. The release followed the momentum of “Shin Ramyun Toomba,” which launched in 2025 and became a hit primarily among young women. Saki Onuma of the marketing team stated that the company hopes to turn social media buzz into intentional, name-specific purchases (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: A defining feature here is that the starting point for product development lay in custom recipe posts shared by fans. The progression of taking a recipe that users spread voluntarily and adopting it as an official product reflects an attitude of treating fan creations as an asset. Communications from the brand side are kept to the role of giving a follow-up boost to a topic that has already spread. Rather than broad awareness expansion, this design aims to convert people who are already interested into deliberate, by-name buyers.

Commercial Facilities and Stadiums Became Devices for Gathering Fans

Mitsui Fudosan x Pokémon — Launching in Europe as the First Entry into the LBE Business

On May 27, Mitsui Fudosan announced that it had begun a partnership with Canada’s Moment Factory in the Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) sector. For its first project, it will collaborate with The Pokémon Company International. The companies plan to launch an immersive entertainment experience in Europe in spring 2027 where visitors can go on adventures as Pokémon Trainers. A touring rollout across multiple regions is also planned. For Mitsui Fudosan, which advocates evolving into an “industry developer,” this initiative represents its first step into the LBE business (Travel Watch (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: The reason a real estate developer chose Pokémon for its very first LBE project is likely because its crowd-drawing power is predictable. When the physical venue and the content are held by separate companies, starting by teaming up with a proven IP makes it easier to forecast a return on investment. The more a company owns its own physical spaces, the more directly its decision of which IP to “invite” ties into its business plan itself, and how it selects that first project shapes everything that follows.

Tokyo Joypolis — Opening a New XR-Integrated Facility in Odaiba in July

Tokyo Joypolis opened a new facility integrating XR (extended reality) technology called “Joypolis Sports X.” The opening was set for July 2026. It is located on the fifth floor of the Island Mall at Decks Tokyo Beach. The “X” in the facility’s name carries three meanings: extreme excitement, unknown possibilities, and transformation. The policy was to combine the fun of the existing “Joypolis Sports” format with XR technology to provide experiences where the digital and physical intersect (Mogura VR (in Japanese), GAME Watch (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Tokyo Joypolis is incorporating XR by renewing an existing business format, which is a steady, grounded approach. Rather than drawing customers from scratch, updating the experience in a location like Odaiba—where visitor foot traffic paths already exist—keeps initial launch risks down. Updating an existing facility serves as a way to generate buzz while keeping the scale of investment in check. It is a way of thinking that can also be applied to other commercial facilities struggling with stagnant foot traffic.

Kirin — Staging Japan National Soccer Team Matches with a 50,000-Person Cheering Chant

Kirin Holdings launched a cheering project for the Japan National Soccer Team called the “‘Becoming One Makes Us Stronger’ Action” (“Hitotsu ni Naru kara Tsuyoku Naru.” Action). The company announced that it would roll out advertisements featuring head coach Hajime Moriyasu across television and digital platforms starting May 31. It also announced that at the venue for the “Kirin Challenge Cup 2026” on the same day, it would hold a “50,000-Person Cheering Chant” gathering the voices of 50,000 fans, along with a “KIRIN Wall” displaying messages of support from supporters nationwide. Kirin has continued to support the Japan Football Association for roughly half a century since 1978 (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: The way Kirin connects its advertising and its in-stadium initiatives with the exact same message is carefully crafted. Because the company goes so far as to prepare a mechanism where supporters who saw the ads on TV can actually deliver their own voices at the venue, the cheering does not end as a one-way street. Precisely because Kirin has roughly half a century of accumulated support behind it, it can build a design premised on a long-term campaign rather than relying on one-off advertisements. As a result, it can build up the excitement of cheering year after year.

A Transit IC Card Character Staged Both a Graduation and a New Horizon

Chiharu Sakazaki’s Penguin Designs — “Changing Jobs” from Suica to Haneda Airport

On May 22, Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd. released Haneda Airport-exclusive penguin merchandise illustrated by Chiharu Sakazaki. The lineup features items themed around the sky, travel, and Japan, including tote bags and keychains. On social media, the release became a hot topic described as “changing jobs from railways to the sky.” Sakazaki is also well known for designing “Suica’s Penguin,” which JR East had previously announced would “graduate” (retire from its role) at the end of fiscal 2026. Sakazaki’s announcement post gathered over 30,000 likes (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: This is a rare case where attention converged not just on the character itself, but on the artist who draws it. It shows that what fans were sad to part with was not so much a specific company’s mascot as it was Sakazaki’s art style itself. While a company lets go of an IP, the relationship with fans through the individual artist continues. This dynamic is an easily overlooked point when structuring character contracts, and it offers food for thought on how rights should be divided.

JR East Group — Final-Year Sales Campaigns Ahead of the Penguin’s Graduation

Ahead of the graduation of “Suica’s Penguin” at the end of fiscal 2026, JR East opened a special “Penguin Years” website in March 2026. Through November 30, the company is running a campaign where users who pass through ticket gates at designated stations on the Yamanote Line using Mobile Suica linked by ID to JRE WALLET can earn limited-edition digital images. In parallel, the gift shop chain “BIRTHDAY BAR” released limited collaboration items on March 12. Following a response that exceeded expectations, the shop announced it would expand the rollout to all of its stores. “Kinokuniya,” a supermarket chain under the JR East umbrella, also released three types of collaboration tote bags in April (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Triggered by the graduation announcement, a wave of last-minute demand has emerged. The fact that BIRTHDAY BAR expanded its store rollout due to a “response exceeding expectations” demonstrates that the more clearly an IP’s end is in sight, the easier it is to generate short-term sales. Initiatives themed around graduation have room to be applied in other industries as a design that turns the feeling of parting into consumer action.

Media Companies and Local Governments Mobilized IP as Business Assets

TV Asahi x New Japan Pro-Wrestling — Making NJPW a Consolidated Subsidiary for Roughly 1.2 Billion Yen

On May 27, TV Asahi Holdings announced that it would acquire additional shares in New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co., Ltd. (NJPW) and make it a consolidated subsidiary. The acquisition price is approximately 1.216 billion yen. Previously, Bushiroad held a 70.0% stake. It was announced that all of those shares would be transferred to TV Asahi and CyberAgent. Both companies will hold an identical 46.3% share of voting rights. In its management plan, TV Asahi Holdings had announced that it aims to reach the top of the “IP development” and “events” sectors, setting a strategic investment quota of 100 billion yen over four years (CNET Japan (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: The reason a television broadcaster is making a professional wrestling promotion into a subsidiary is that it views not only the broadcast program content, but the live event business itself as an asset. It is moving to capture a revenue structure that includes venue gate receipts and merchandise earnings, which cannot be obtained through broadcasting rights alone. This move to acquire even the businesses “surrounding” an IP serves as a reference for other media companies crafting IP strategies, demonstrating the importance of a mindset that does not separate content from live events.

Saga Prefecture x Kingdom — “Read-Through Seawall” Certified as a Guinness World Record

A collaboration project between Saga Prefecture’s information dissemination project “Sagaprise!” and the manga Kingdom recorded a cumulative total of approximately 160,000 participants over roughly two months from its launch in January 2026 through late March. It had been decided that the campaign would continue until September 30. The “Kingdom Read-Through Seawall” (Kingdom Dokuha-tei), which displayed every single page from Volumes 1 through 78 of the comic (16,290 pages in total) along a seawall bordering the Ariake Sea, was certified as a Guinness World Record. In addition, through initiatives such as decorating “Saga Kingdom Airport” and running a sightseeing rally campaign at Furuyu Onsen, the project pairs tourism resources across the prefecture with the world of the series (PR TIMES (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: By securing a third-party record in the form of Guinness World Record certification, the buzz has remained long-lasting. The positive reception and requests from visitors supported extending the campaign through the end of September, before the Guinness certification. Even in municipal tourism initiatives, leaving results behind as an objective record serves as persuasive material for next fiscal year’s budget and leads to the continuation of the rollout. It also helps fulfill accountability to local residents and the prefectural assembly.

DIAGRAMShifting From Borrowing IP to Building Long-Term IP Assets

Capital & Business Integration

TV Asahi Holdings: Acquires additional shares in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (~1.216 billion yen) to capture live event and merchandise revenue alongside broadcasts
Brave group x SBI Holdings: Enters strategic partnership talks with potential capital ties in view to stabilize capital structure and access overseas networks
Mitsui Fudosan x Moment Factory: Enters the Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) business with a touring European Pokémon project set for spring 2027

Measurable & Community-Driven Momentum

Saga Prefecture x Kingdom: 16,290 manga pages displayed on a seawall earn a Guinness World Record; the overall project records ~160,000 cumulative participations in two months
Suica's Penguin: Final-year 'Penguin Years' campaign and BIRTHDAY BAR goods spark rush demand ahead of fiscal 2026 graduation
AIAI Platform & Shizuma Rei: Zero-upfront-cost live event support and organic VTuber video mentions lower barriers to real-world fan touchpoints

Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of announcements covered in this issue

The VTuber Industry Expanded in Both Capital Ties and Real-World Touchpoints

Brave group x SBI Holdings — Beginning Discussions Toward a Strategic Partnership

On May 19, Brave group announced that it had started discussions and deliberations toward a strategic partnership with SBI Holdings. Centered on its VTuber business, Brave group has been operating across three areas: IP Production, IP Platform, and IP Solution. Future capital participation is also in view, with stabilizing its capital structure cited as one of the objectives. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, SBI has partnered with South Korean IP production companies and holds a group encompassing more than 20 domestic entertainment companies in Japan. The two companies also planned to establish a working group in the VTuber and esports sectors (Mogura VR (in Japanese), RTB SQUARE (in Japanese), Otaku Soken (in Japanese), PANORA (in Japanese), Brave group (in Japanese), KAI-YOU (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Behind a VTuber company seeking the capital of a financial group lies the challenge of overseas expansion, which is difficult to advance through content production capabilities alone. By utilizing the connections SBI holds with South Korean IP production companies, Brave group can reach overseas customers faster than if it were to pioneer those markets on its own. Discussions toward a strategic partnership serve not only to expand scale, but also as a means of gaining routes overseas.

AIAI — Trial Operation Begins for a Real-World Event Support Platform for VTubers

On May 23, Bootstrap and Activ8 began trial operations of “AIAI,” a real-world event platform for VTubers and streamers. AIAI supports everything from matching venues and technical staff to ticket sales and day-of event operations. Its defining feature is that events can be held with a minimum scale of just five people and zero upfront payment. Trial operations were being carried out based at “KAIWAI Hatsudai” in Shibuya, Tokyo, with an official release scheduled for summer 2026 (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: The condition of zero upfront payment lowers the barrier to entry for real-world events. Paying venue fees and operating costs in advance can make it difficult for talents to hold in-person events. Through a mechanism that settles income and expenses together with ticket sales, AIAI has expanded opportunities to host events even to smaller-scale independent talents. This can be read as an investment in infrastructure that widens touchpoints with fans. The expertise of Activ8, which has a track record of managing Kizuna AI, is also being put to good use here.

Rei Shizuma x Karin Fruit Juice Bar — Collaboration Drinks Across 85 AEON Mall Stores

A collaboration was finalized between VTuber Rei Shizuma—who had surpassed 110,000 subscribers with videos strolling through and explaining AEON Mall locations—and the fruit juice bar chain “Kajukoubou Karin.” From June 1 to August 31, a total of three limited-time drinks were sold on a monthly rotating basis across 85 participating stores inside AEON Malls nationwide. Shizuma’s introduction of the juice bar in her videos as a “water station” (kyusuijo) became a hot topic on social media, leading to the official collaboration (Mogura VR (in Japanese), Real Sound (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: What is important here is that the catalyst was the VTuber’s own introductory video. The store side picked up the phrase “water station,” which fans had spread voluntarily, and turned it into an official collaboration. Observing natural mentions on social media and acting quickly to turn them into official collaborations afterward is increasingly shaping the customer-drawing power of commercial facilities. This is a practical example of attracting customers without relying on advertising spend.

Apparel Brands Built Characters into Their Standard Product Lines

Uniqlo x Snoopy — Back-to-Back Second and Third UT Waves in July

Uniqlo announced that the second wave of its collaboration UT (graphic T-shirt) line with “Snoopy (PEANUTS)” is scheduled for release in early July, followed by a third wave in late July. The second wave consists of four men’s designs, and the third wave consists of two men’s designs. All items are priced at 1,990 yen each (tax included), with sizes ranging from XS to 4XL. Rather than ending a single collaboration after one release, Uniqlo has been dividing it into multiple waves for a continuous rollout (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: By dividing the same collaboration into multiple waves, the rollout is designed to keep store assortments fresh. Introducing new designs every few weeks continues to create reasons to visit the store more effectively than releasing every design at once. When pairing staple items with characters, intentionally staggering the release timing leads to both long-term sales and continuous buzz on social media.

Shimamura x Sanrio Characters — Simultaneous Rollout of Cooling Fabrics and Birth-Month Goods

Shimamura released new “Sanrio Characters” merchandise on May 27. The company prepared kids’ apparel made with contact-cooling fabrics featuring characters such as Hello Kitty and Cinnamoroll. Furthermore, to celebrate the birthdays of May-born characters “Tuxedosam,” “Sugarbunnies,” and “Marroncream,” Shimamura rolled out bags, planner pouches, and socks (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Simultaneously using two “only right now” reasons—the season (cooling fabrics) and the characters’ birth month—is a clever approach. Either one on its own can serve as a reason to buy, but layering them together increases the appeal on the sales floor. Putting together celebratory rollouts for the same characters in the same month every year serves as a mechanism to make store visits a habit, while also greatly reducing the effort required for planning in subsequent years.

GU x Puppet Sunsun — A 15-Item Ice Cream-Themed Collection

GU announced that it will release a collaboration collection with “Puppet Sunsun” on June 19. The theme is “Sunsun and Friends with Ice Cream.” The company announced a lineup of 15 items in total, including women’s graphic T-shirts (1,490 yen each), cotton pajamas (2,490 yen each), and kids’ T-shirts (990 yen each). Adult sizes range from XS to 3XL, and kids’ sizes range from 100 to 160 cm (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: By assembling a 15-item lineup that includes pajamas and pouches, GU is aiming for a ripple effect that reaches customer segments who did not come specifically for the character. Stocking everyday lifestyle goods in addition to T-shirts creates a motive for family members who are not existing fans to buy items alongside them. Designing a collaboration with a wide entryway not only raises average spending per customer, but also serves as an indicator for measuring spillover effects beyond existing fans of the IP.

A Long-Established Publisher Expanded Reader Touchpoints with T-Shirts

Iwanami Shoten — Responding to Readers with “Conceptual Iwanami” Design T-Shirts

On May 19, Iwanami Shoten announced on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Iwanami Bunko Editorial Department the release of T-shirts themed after its “Iwanami Bunko,” “Iwanami Shinsho,” and “Iwanami Junior Shinsho” book imprints. Sales are handled through the print-on-demand store “pTa.shop.” The designs adopt the five cover colors and arabesque (karakusa) border pattern for Iwanami Bunko; the red, blue, and yellow editions for Iwanami Shinsho; and the characters “Jeppy and Friends” for Iwanami Junior Shinsho. Momoka Takeda of the Sales Division explained, “We deliberately went with a simple design that leaves out book titles.” Following the announcement, a stream of reactions saying “I want one” appeared on social media (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: The decision to leave out book titles and create a design that is “recognizable as Iwanami Bunko” through colors and motifs alone works well here. Even without displaying a large logo, the colors and visual motifs that readers have grown familiar with over many years have become brand assets in their own right. The longer a company’s history, the more likely it is to have dormant assets inside the company that can be turned into merchandise without needing to create a brand-new character.

This Week’s Reflections

This week was a week in which companies reframed their relationships with fans as something to hold as an owned asset.

The primary moves were TV Asahi making New Japan Pro-Wrestling a subsidiary, the discussions toward a strategic partnership between Brave group and SBI Holdings, and Mitsui Fudosan’s entry into the LBE business. Every one of these is a move to incorporate IP and fan communities directly into the company through equity shares or business investment, rather than borrowing them temporarily. Meanwhile, the final-year sales campaigns for Suica’s Penguin and the cumulative total of roughly 160,000 participants in Saga Prefecture’s Kingdom project were examples where fan enthusiasm exceeded corporate expectations.

As UtaTen’s survey indicates, the generation of junior high school age and younger has already made oshikatsu centered on buying merchandise and watching streams part of everyday life. When this generation gains disposable income a few years from now, just how effective will the mindset of “IP as an asset” that we saw this week prove to be? Alongside the market size of oshikatsu and Gen Z consumer behavior, this is a trend worth watching from a long-term perspective.

Weekly Oshikatsu News brings you a weekly roundup of oshikatsu and business news. You can browse past issues in the Oshikatsu x News category.