News

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, facing the challenge of a weakened LDP-Komeito coalition in the Diet, signaled a strategic shift in the government's approach to the draft budget for fiscal year 2025. In a move aimed at securing the crucial support of the opposition Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), Ishiba indicated a willingness to revise the budget proposal, specifically addressing Nippon Ishin's key policy priorities.

Alimentation Couche-Tard is considering revising its $47 billion offer for Seven & i Holdings if the Japanese company becomes more cooperative and provides greater financial transparency. The Canadian convenience store giant is facing resistance from Seven & i's board and potential U.S. antitrust hurdles, but remains committed to the deal and is seeking a more proactive approach to address these challenges.

Japan has launched ABCI 3.0, the country's most advanced public supercomputer dedicated to artificial intelligence research and development, at AIST's Kashiwa campus. With seven times the computing capacity of its predecessor, ABCI 2.0, this new supercomputer will support advanced AI projects and multimodal generative AI development.

Narita Airport is preparing for a major expansion to accommodate growing demand, aiming to increase its annual takeoff and landing capacity to 500,000. However, the airport faces challenges such as human resource shortages, safety concerns, and noise pollution, which it needs to address to ensure a successful expansion.

Japan, the United States, and South Korea agreed to stand united against regional threats from China and North Korea, and to strengthen energy security by tapping supplies of U.S. liquefied natural gas. The three countries also reaffirmed their commitment to North Korea's complete denuclearization and expressed their serious concerns over its growing military cooperation with Russia.