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Japan's ruling coalition and Nippon Ishin have reached an agreement regarding revisions in the draft budget for fiscal 2025, aiming to eliminate income-based restrictions on financial aid for high school education. This marks the first time in nearly three decades that Japan’s budget is revised through bipartisan negotiations, signaling the ruling coalition’s effort to ensure passage amid a lost majority in the Lower House.

Japan's ruling coalition has struck an agreement with the opposition Nippon Ishin party to secure passage of the fiscal 2025 budget by implementing free senior high school education and reducing social insurance premiums. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to formally announce this bipartisan agreement next week.

Nissan is actively developing self-driving technology, aiming to catch up with global leaders like Google's Waymo. Their driverless technology utilizes 14 cameras, nine radars, and six LiDAR sensors to navigate city streets, highlighting Japan's growing commitment to catching up in the global autonomous driving race.

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son aims to borrow $16 billion, potentially increasing to $24 billion, to fund significant AI investments, including backing projects like OpenAI and Stargate. These ventures, involving partnerships with Oracle and OpenAI, are intended to enhance U.S. competitiveness in the global AI industry.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called for unity within the LDP and pledged to "sacrifice himself" to win two key elections this summer, the Upper House election and the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election. The LDP faces an uphill battle to restore its strength after losing its Lower House majority in October due to a political fund scandal.