Japan Financial News

Xi Jinping is making China’s presence more felt across the Indo-Pacific region by testing US allies on sensitive issues, as Donald Trump’s attention is taken up elsewhere. From sending warships off Australia’s coast for unprecedented shooting drills to flying a record number of “grey zone” balloons around Taiwan, and putting pressure on Thailand over human rights issues, Beijing is ramping up efforts to project power in the region. China also issued a strongly worded warning on Taiwan to Tokyo — which doesn’t officially recognize Taipei — against “colluding” with separatists. Trump’s sudden embrace of Russia, skepticism of NATO allies and tariffs that punish friendly nations have fueled concerns about the US as a reliable security partner in Asia, where Washington has for decades provided a buffer to Beijing.

US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday 25 percent tariffs «on all cars that are not made in the United States» effective 12:01 am eastern time on April 3. «We have to think about appropriate measures following this announcement. Naturally, we will consider all options,» Ishiba told parliament. «Japan has made significant investments and significant job creation, which doesn't apply to all countries… We are the number one (country) in investment in the United States,» Ishiba added. «The US president's understanding on this is significantly deepening. However, various things are happening, so we are considering all kinds of countermeasures, and those exist as our options.»

OpenAI is close to finalizing a $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank Group — with investors including Magnetar Capital, Coatue Management, Founders Fund and Altimeter Capital Management in talks to participate, according to people familiar with the matter. Magnetar Capital — an Evanston, Illinois-based hedge fund — could contribute up to $1 billion, according to multiple people, all of whom asked not to be identified because the information is private. Representatives for OpenAI, Magnetar and Founders Fund declined to comment on the funding round. Coatue and Altimeter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Indian benchmark indices fell almost 1% on Wednesday, snapping their seven-day winning streak, as traders found the pace of the recent run-up in the market excessive. NSE's Nifty fell 181.8 points, or 0.77%, to close at 23,486. BSE's Sensex declined 728.6 points, or 0.93%, to end at 77,288.

QatarEnergy LNG for its North Field Production Sustainability Offshore Compression Project. The order is estimated at around $4 billion (about ₹34,000) crore), according to people familiar with the matter, It surpasses the ₹25,000 crore order won last year by the Railway Strategic Business Group of L&T Construction from an authorised Japanese agency to construct 508 route km of high-speed electrification system works for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Bullet Train Project. The infrastructure firm, in its statement, referred to the project awarded to its offshore hydrocarbon business as an «ultra-mega» project, a term it uses for projects above ₹15,000 crore, without mentioning the order value. Doha-based QatarEnergy is a state-owned petroleum company and one of the largest gas companies in the world.

The season officially began this year with the games played between Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs on March 18 and 19 at Japan's Tokyo Dome.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A new U.S. missile system deployed in the Philippines puts key Chinese military and commercial hubs within striking distance and hands President Trump an early test of his commitment to deterring Chinese aggression against American allies in Asia.

Ashok Leyland Limited on Wednesday refuted recent media reports claiming that the company was in advanced negotiations to acquire the promoter's stake in SML Isuzu from Japan's Sumitomo Corporation. In an exchange filing, the company denied the news as «factually incorrect». The reports, which had circulated within media outlets, suggested that Ashok Leyland was nearing a deal to take over the stake of the promoter, Sumitomo Corporation, in SML Isuzu. However, Ashok Leyland clarified that there was no truth to these claims. «The Company would like to outrightly deny this news as factually incorrect. Kindly take the above on record and disregard any misleading information that may have been circulated in the media,» the auto maker said in its statement.

JSW Steel has become the world’s most valuable steelmaker after the Sajjan Jindal-led company crossed a market capitalisation of over $30 billion on Tuesday. The strong stock market performance of JSW Steel reflects a broader rally among Indian steelmakers after a government body recently recommended measures to protect the domestic industry from a surge in cheap steel imports.

Mobility solutions and financial services provider ORIX Corporation India on Tuesday said it has secured Rs 300 crore in equity investment from its Japanese parent firm ORIX Corporation for growth and expansion. The strategic investment reinforces the group's long-term commitment to India's rapidly growing mobility and financial services sectors to further strengthen its footprint in the domestic market and accelerate the expansion of ORIX India's leasing, mobility, and financial services businesses, a statement said. The growth capital will help ORIX India scale its leasing and mobility solutions businesses under ORIX Corporation India Ltd while also driving the growth of its financial services portfolio under ORIX Leasing and Financial Services (OLFS), the wholly-owned subsidiary of ORIX Corporation India Ltd, it said. The investment will also support key initiatives including digital transformation, infrastructure enhancement and sustainability-driven initiatives such as green mobility and EV leasing, the company said.

Vietnam, which has now emerged as the fastest-growing tourism destination in Southeast Asia. Now, Vietnam has emerged as the third-most-visited country in the region, with 17.5 million international arrivals in 2024, edging ahead of Singapore. It follows Malaysia, which had 25 million visitors, and Thailand, which remains at the top with 35 million. The numbers also make Vietnam, also referred to as the Land of the Ascending Dragon, the regional leader in tourism recovery. Five years after the Covid-19 pandemic brought global travel to a halt, Vietnam has regained 98% of its pre-pandemic tourism business, outpacing all its neighbours, including Thailand (87.5%) and Singapore (86%). The momentum shows no signs of slowing down. Nearly four million international tourists arrived in Vietnam in January and February this year, a 30.2% increase from the same period last year, according to figures from the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

Bank of Japan policymakers discussed the pace of raising interest rates further after deciding to hike short-term interest rates to the highest in 17 years, minutes of their January meeting showed on Tuesday. «Some members shared the recognition that real interest rates were expected to remain significantly negative even if the BOJ decided to raise the policy interest rate at this meeting, and that accommodative financial conditions would be maintained,» the minutes said.

President Donald Trump said not all of his threatened levies would be imposed on April 2 and some countries may get breaks, which helped the dollar and the mood on Wall Street overnight by soothing some fears about a slowdown in U.S growth.

U.S. appeals court judge said on Monday that Nazis were given more rights to contest their removal from the United States during World War Two than Venezuelan migrants deported by the Trump administration. In a contentious hearing, U.S. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett questioned government lawyer Drew Ensign on whether Venezuelans targeted for removal under a little-used 18th-century law had time to contest the Trump administration's assertion that they were members of the Tren de Aragua gang before they were put on planes and deported to El Salvador. «Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemies Act than has happened here,» Millett said, to which Ensign responded, «We certainly dispute the Nazi analogy.» Prior to the Trump administration's invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, the law had been used three times in U.S. history, most recently to intern and remove Japanese, German and Italian immigrants during World War Two. The Trump administration was asking the appeals court to halt Washington-based U.S. District Judge James Boasberg's two-week ban, imposed on March 15, on the use of the law to justify deportation of alleged Tren de Aragua members without final removal orders from immigration judges.

Asian stocks rose early Tuesday after US equities enjoyed one of their best sessions of the year, fueled by signs that President Donald Trump’s trade sanctions will be narrower than feared. Indexes in Australia and Japan advanced after Wall Street’s risk-on bid lifted shares of nearly all stripes in a rebound from a sharp selloff that has challenged the notion of US exceptionalism. The Nasdaq 100 added 2.2%. Hong Kong stocks were poised to drop at the open. Treasuries were little changed in Asian trading following a nine basis point climb in the 10-year yield to 4.33% on Monday.

foreign selling. The rebound on the heels of a prolonged period of gloom has helped the main indices erase all their 2025 losses. The rupee advanced to 85.63, its strongest this year against the dollar, rising for the ninth day in a row. The NSE Nifty rose 307.95 points or 1.32% to close at 23,658.35. The BSE Sensex rose 1,078.87 points or 1.4% to end at 77,984.38. Both indices are up 5.1% in the six trading sessions. «Monday's upside was due to a combination of short covering, and expectations of some relaxation or less punitive tariffs which were supposed to be implemented on April 2,» said Pankaj Pandey, head of retail research at ICICI Direct.

My Hero Academia follows Izuku Midoriya and his classmates at U.A. High School as they train to become professional heroes. They use their abilities, known as Quirks, to protect society from villains. The final season will conclude the story with a major battle.

Nick Jonas might be making his presence felt on Broadway with his play The Last Five Years, but the Jonas Brothers member feels his coolest self when he’s with his daughter- Malti Marie Chopra Jonas. The singer, who is married to Indian actor Priyanka Chopra, revealed in a recent interview how Malti Marie makes him «feel on top of the world”.

Emma Raducanu had nothing but kind words for her opponent McCartney Kessler after the American tennis star was forced to retire from the Miami Open. Kessler stepped back from the game after she sustained an injury in the second set. Kessler’s decision meant that Emma made it through to the tournament’s round of 16. The British tennis player will compete against world No. 6 Amanda Anisimova on Monday, March 24.

US stock-index futures climbed in early Asia trading on signs that the next round of President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs could be more measured than had previously been suggested. S&P 500 futures rose, Japanese shares fluctuated between gains and losses in early trade, while Australia’s market fell. The dollar was softer against major peers, while the 10-year US Treasury yield advanced.

debt markets last week to raise up to $1.25 billion between them through US dollar bonds as global investors seek exposure to India's growth. Renewable energy firm Greenko Energy Holdings raised around $1 billion from investors, while Muthoot Finance raised $250 million. Greenko's bond was priced at 7.25%, tighter than the initial 7.62% target. The bond, issued under a dual Reg S and Reg S 144A structure, is backed by Greenko Wind Projects (Mauritius) and drew over $3 billion in investor interest. However, the company opted to retain $1 billion, according to two sources.