Podcast 'News Connect' Launches Evening Edition on June 2nd; Novelist Keiya Iwai and Economic Anchor Manami Sasaki Named New Personalities

Podcast production label 'Podcast Studio Chronicle' (Representative: Takafumi Nomura) announced that it will begin distributing an 'Evening Edition' of its program 'News Connect: 5 Minutes Connecting You to the Economy' starting Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

News Connect is a podcast program that explains key global trends, focusing on international politics and overseas business. On weekdays, it delivers one topic per day in a 5-minute format.

On Saturdays, Takafumi Nomura hosts video podcast interviews with leaders in business, culture, and academia. On Sundays, he reviews the week's news with Makoto Shiono, CEO of Industrial Growth Platform, Inc. (IGPI), operating on a 7-day update schedule. Starting in June, the new Evening Edition will air every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:00 PM, featuring long-form interviews with two new personalities.

■ Deepening the Modern Era through 'International' and 'Culture' perspectives.

If the weekday edition is about 'grasping what you need to know today in 5 minutes,' the Evening Edition aims to provide 'time to carefully consider the questions that lie beyond.'

Through one-on-one talks between the host and guests, the show will explore contemporary society from the dual axes of culture and international affairs. On Tuesdays, economic anchor Manami Sasaki will use her extensive overseas experience to break down international news structures. On Thursdays, novelist Keiya Iwai will explore the 'human heart' in the age of AI, starting from the creative theories of artists.