HORSENS, April 30 — Malaysian top shuttler Lee Zii Jia maintained his 100 per cent record at the BWF Thomas Cup Finals on Tuesday, but his victory was a mere consolation as the national team fell 3-2 to Japan in their final group-stage tie.

Lee defeated Koki Watanabe 21-13, 21-19, in a match that was effectively a dead rubber. Japan had already secured the tie and top spot in Group B by establishing a 3-1 lead.

With the pressure off, the 28-year-old Malaysian showcased his class, cruising past Watanabe in a match that lasted just 41 minutes, according to the Olympic Games.

The win marks his first career victory over the Japanese opponent and ensures he has yet to drop a single game in this year's world men’s team championships.

Malaysia's campaign against the formidable Japanese side began on a shaky note when Leong Jun Hao lost the opening singles match to Kodai Naraoka.

However, top doubles pair Aaron Chia and Tee Kai Wun quickly levelled the score, delivering a crucial point for Malaysia.

Japan then regained the lead through second singles player Yushi Tanaka.

The victory for Japan was sealed when their second doubles pair, Takumi Nomura and Yuichi Shimogami, delivered a clinical performance to defeat Nur Izzuddin and Wooi Yik Soh, giving Japan its decisive third point.

Despite the overall defeat, Malaysia will advance to the quarter-finals as runners-up of Group B.

When Photokina collapsed in 2020, it was a major blow to the photography industry, adding to the sense of dread that the whole market was coming tumbling down. But now, after multiple years of growth, Japan's CP+ Show is living proof that photography is not just surviving: it's thriving.

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FUEFUKI (Japan), April 29 — A worn-out Pikachu plushie, tired teddy bear or stained stuffed animal can all get a new lease on life at a Japanese laundry service making beloved toys squeaky clean again.

Masakazu Shimura, a cleaning professional with three decades of experience, gave one stuffed Pokemon already in good condition a steam shower, carefully brushing it after a gentle bubble scrub, almost as if caring for a newborn baby.

Videos of the meticulous care the cuddly toys receive at his workplace, Cleaning Yonmarusan, have mesmerised plushy fans on social media, awarding the high-end fabric care viral fame and attracting customers from around the world.

Relying on his expertise and experience cleaning everything from dress shirts to camping tents, Shimura washes and restores the delicate fabric of soft toys.

Masakazu Shimura brushes a soft toy during the cleaning process. — AFP pic

“While hand-washing, I carefully feel what kind of material it is and assess the condition of the material and so on, gently massaging it with my hands as I wash it,” he told AFP.

Shimura is among a dozen certified cleaning professionals at Yonmarusan, a regional chain in Yamanashi, west of Tokyo.

While the firm has been cleaning soft toys for decades, business has boomed thanks to viral social media posts in recent years on the back of a Gen Z adoration for plushies and Japan’s love for everything cute and cuddly.

Today, the service cleans more than 10,000 soft toys every year, compared to roughly 1,200 annually a decade ago.

A worn-out Pikachu plushie, tired teddy bear or stained stuffed animal can all get a new lease on life at a Japanese laundry service making beloved toys squeaky clean again. — AFP pic

And some people even “come to Japan specifically for the purpose of having their soft toys cleaned”, said Hisako Mori, the firm’s public relations manager.

“While the cleaning is being done, they enjoy travelling around Japan. At the end of their trip, they pick up their stuffed animals before heading home.”

Shimura said some clients wish to keep specific scratches or scribbles on their toys, as those marks sometimes carry precious memories.

“These items hold special memories. That’s true for clothing as well, but even more so for stuffed animals, which we recognise our customers see as members of the family,” he said.

“It’s a process where we truly cannot let our guard down... When our customers are happy with the results, that’s really the moment when we feel a strong sense of fulfilment.” — AFP

Soft toys are seen at the facility of Cleaning Yonmarusan in Fuefuki city of Yamanashi Prefecture. — AFP pic