Global Scans · Japan · Weekly Summary

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WHAT'S NEXT?: The latest sign of weakness in Japan's economy will likely add to mounting skepticism about the prime minister's expansionary policies. His coalition government has just achieved the supermajority it needs to amend the constitution which many are worried that Japan is about to remove the mask of pacificism and convert its "Self-Defense Force" into the military threat it really is.

• [New] The yen is on a downtrend as financial markets expect the wide interest rate differential between Japan and the United States to remain. Kyodo News+
• [New] Japan's tech sector, led by companies including Fujitsu, NEC, Toshiba and Hitachi, has prioritised quantum annealing and simulation approaches - it says - creating a particular opportunity for UK companies offering gate-based alternatives. Electronics Weekly
• [New] The Comprehensive Investment and Policy Plan, led by the United States and Japan, will provide $20 billion in funding for Indonesia's Just Energy Transition Partnership. oilprice.com
• [New] Japan needs to ensure that all productive forces in Japan are fully deployed, such as strengthening policies from the administration of late prime minister Shinzo Abe, which opened up more opportunities for women in the workplace. CNA
• [New] Japan's March CPI figure will be anticipated for guidance amid speculation that the Bank of Japan may raise rates in the near-term. IHS markit
• [New] Germany will remain among the world's top ten steel-consuming regions together with China, India, United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Turkey, Mexico and Brazil. EUROMETAL
• [New] The first of two cables, called Proa, will connect Japan to Guam via the CNMI, and derives its name from a type of traditional sailing canoe used in the Marianas. Yahoo Tech
• [New] In an armed conflict between Tokyo and Beijing, the United States should expect to be drawn in to help preserve Japan's Self-Defense Force, restore Japanese territorial integrity, and gain control of key air and maritime areas to enable Japanese Self-Defense Force operations. US Army War College - Strategic Studies Institute
• [New] In 2024, the United States, China, and Japan are expected to contribute two-thirds of near-term industry growth in medtech. AlphaSense
• [New] The United States and Japan plan to also collaborate on JAXA's Next-generation Solar-observing Satellite, SOLAR-C, which is intended to investigate the mysteries of solar atmospheres by conducting spectroscopic observations of UV radiations from the Sun. The White House
• [New] By 2040, the collective GDP of the BRICs would overtake that of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• [New] The leaders of the United States and Japan this week will commit to modernizing their military alliance, with the aim of eventually creating a truly operational hub for the most consequential defence partnership in the Pacific. Washington Post
• We expect Pacific unit revenues to be in line with the prior year on 30% growth in capacity driven by strong demand for Korea and Japan, offsetting lower unit revenues in China. Yahoo Finance
• The United States and Japan intend to explore opportunities to promote Open RAN commercialization in third countries, including Indo-Pacific countries. The White House
• Reducing AI Risks and Harms from Synthetic Content: The United States and Japan pledge to cooperate on reducing risks and harms of AI-generated content. The White House
• Google plans to invest $1 billion in digital connectivity for North Pacific Connect, which expands the Pacific Connect Initiative, with NEC, to improve digital communications infrastructure between the United States, Japan, and Pacific Island Nations. The White House
• Japan will provide and maintain a pressurized rover to support astronauts living and working on the Moon, while the United States will allocate two astronaut flight opportunities to the lunar surface for Japan on future Artemis missions. The White House
• The United States and Japan plan to establish a working group of relevant experts to develop an action plan on achieving mutual recognition on cybersecurity labelling schemes for Internet of Things. The White House
• The United States and Japan plan to explore the possibility of conducting maintenance and repair on engines of Japan-based U.S. Air Force aircrafts including fourth generation fighters. The White House
• In current forecasts made in January, the Bank of Japan expects inflation, as measured by an index excluding fresh food and fuel, to hit 1.9% in both fiscal 2024 and 2025. RTE
• Data regarding European algae consumption is very limited but is expected to be significantly lower than in Asian countries, where the average daily intake of, for instance, seaweed by adults ranges from 4 to 8.5 g (Japan, China, and South Korea, in ascending order) [163, 164]. PubMed Central (PMC)
• While more growth is expected in the US and Japan, it is providing less of a boost to the demand in Asia-Pacific than in the past. The Business Times

Last updated: 20 April 2024