Japan

• Japan is facing logistical failures including delayed welcome ceremonies and missing hotel rooms ahead of the Asian Games opening this Saturday. • The organizational issues have affected multiple delegations, including those from South Korea, China, Qatar, Thailand, and the host nation. • These errors damage Japan's global reputation for precision and efficiency in managing large-scale international events.

• The India women's cricket team defeated Japan by eight wickets on Friday to advance to the Asian Games 2026 semifinals. • India secured the victory in the quarter-final match by chasing down the target in only five overs. • This win ensures India a spot in the next round of the women's cricket competition in Nisshin.

• Asian stock markets rose recently as a Bank of Japan interest rate hike boosted Japanese equities and falling oil prices reduced inflation pressure. • Regional performance varied, with India’s Nifty 50 rising 0.2% and Thailand’s SET gaining 0.3%, while the Philippines’ PSEi fell 1.2%. • These shifts indicate that investors are reacting to central bank policy changes and fluctuating energy costs that impact corporate profitability.

• India's women's cricket team defeated Japan by 8 wickets in the Asian Games quarter-final on Friday. • Shafali Verma powered the victory for the Indian side, which entered the tournament as the highest-ranked team in the eight-team competition. • The win keeps the defending champions on track for a medal run following their record eighth Women's Asia Cup title.

• The Indian women's cricket team will face hosts Japan in a quarterfinal match this Friday at Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin, Aichi. • Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the Indian squad against Japan's team, which is captained by Mai Yanagida. • This match marks the beginning of India's attempt to defend its Asian Games title in the fourth and final quarterfinal of the competition.

• Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea are seeing accelerated hotel performance driven by record growth in international visitor arrivals. • Japan recorded 21.08 million arrivals during the first half of 2026, with June seeing record-breaking results from travelers from India, the United States, Korea, and Taiwan. • This surge in tourism is increasing hotel demand and raising RevPAR, which is the revenue generated per available room.

• The European Union is developing new laws to restrict how social media platforms interact with children to protect their physical and mental wellbeing. • The proposed regulations would ban addictive platform features and disable push notifications during the hours children are sleeping. • These rules aim to reduce the negative impact of social media on youth health by limiting the psychological triggers used to keep users engaged.

• Asian stock markets rose recently as a Bank of Japan interest rate hike boosted Japanese equities and falling oil prices reduced inflation pressure. • Regional performance varied, with India’s Nifty 50 rising 0.2% and Thailand’s SET gaining 0.3%, while the Philippines’ PSEi dropped 1.2%. • These shifts indicate that investors are reacting to central bank policy changes and fluctuating energy costs that impact corporate profitability.

• India's women's cricket team defeated Japan in the Asian Games 2026 quarter-final to qualify for the semi-finals. • Shafali Verma and Shree Charani led the Indian scoring effort during the match held at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. • This victory allows India to advance in the tournament while Japan established a historic performance by challenging a top-tier cricket nation.

• Shafali Verma led the Indian women's cricket team to a victory over Japan on Friday to secure a spot in the Asian Games 2026 semifinals. • Verma contributed an unbeaten 40 runs and took two wickets to drive the win. • India will now compete against Bangladesh in the semifinal round for a chance to reach the finals.

At least one person dead as stormy weather causes severe flooding in Barcelona and Valencia Intense and slow-moving thunderstorms broke out on Wednesday afternoon across parts of eastern Spain, bringing some severe flooding and killing at least one person.Storms first struck over the Castilla-La Mancha regionduring the afternoon before passing over Spain’s east coast, becoming very slow-moving and continuing overnight. Torrential rainfall, strong winds and large hail were reported in Valencia and Barcelona, causing widespread flooding in both cities. Weather stations west of Barcelona recorded some of the highest totals with more than 100mm (4in) of rain falling in the space of a few hours, and locally 70mm in just 30 minutes in the early hours of Thursday morning. Cars and roads were submerged, and flights were cancelled across the region. Continue reading...

Increase from 1% to 1.25% follows US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank tightening monetary policyBusiness live – latest updatesJapan’s central bank has increased interest rates to a fresh 31-year high as it attempts to combat high global inflation linked to the war in Iran.The Bank of Japan voted to raise its target interest rate from 1% to 1.25%, the highest level since 1995. Continue reading...

• Indian rowing and shooting athletes arrived in Japan for the 2026 Asian Games but faced immediate organizational failures upon landing. • A majority of the rowing squad was left stranded without accommodation, and several athletes were missing from the official accreditation system. • These logistical errors jeopardize the preparation and mental state of the athletes before their competitions begin.

• The Japanese drama 'Vivant' became the first Japanese series to top Asia's streaming chart in August. • The show reached 15.6 million viewers, with 10.2 million of those watching via the free broadcast platform TVer. • This performance places 'Vivant' among only three titles to ever draw 10 million viewers on a single platform in one market within a month.

• The United States and China are racing to develop increasingly powerful artificial intelligence models as global debates over technology risks intensify. • Chinese leaders have ordered the acceleration of AI development to achieve technological self-reliance despite the U.S. currently leading in research and model capabilities. • The ability of models like OpenAI's GPT and Anthropic's Claude to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities allows certain nations to execute complex hacking tasks.

• The Japanese drama 'Vivant' became the first Japanese series to top Asia's streaming chart in August. • The show reached 15.6 million total viewers, with 10.2 million of those watching via the free broadcast platform TVer. • This performance places the series among only three titles to ever pull 10 million viewers on a single platform in one market within a month.

The currency has now reached its highest level against the US and Australian dollars in six monthsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIn the unpredictable world of global currency markets, there has been one safe bet: that the Japanese yen would continue its relentless decline.In recent weeks, that trade has started to unravel after Tokyo and Washington intervened to support the longsuffering Japanese currency. Continue reading...

Iran war and turbulent global bond markets add to pressure as rate decisions loom this week in major western economiesEconomics viewpoint: perilous UK economic conditions trace back to TrumpCentral bankers in economies including the US, Japan and the UK will face a moment of truth this week, as surging inflation raises the prospect of higher interest rates.Policymakers in all three countries will set rates in the next seven days against the backdrop of turbulent global bond markets. Continue reading...

• The Alternative for Germany party won a state election, signaling a rise in far-right political support across Europe. • Voters chose the party as a way to express discontent over issues including affordability, Russian aggression, and trade disputes with China and the United States. • This victory puts pressure on mainstream political leaders to address systemic crises to prevent further losses of power to right-wing movements.

The new ‘true-scale’ map shrinks Europe and North America while enlarging Africa – and depicts the disputed Kuril islands as ruled by MoscowJapan has asked for the revision of a new world map adopted by the UN because it said it made the disputed Kuril islands appear to belong to Russia.The UN general assembly voted on Friday to adopt the new map, which makes the African continent larger while also shrinking North America and Europe, drawing condemnation from the US. Continue reading...

• India defeated Japan 7-0 in their third Elite Pool match of the Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2026 on Tuesday. • The victory maintained India's perfect run in the tournament through three matches. • This dominant win secures India's standing and momentum within the Elite Pool competition.

• The Indian Junior Women’s hockey team defeated Japan 7-0 on Tuesday, September 8, during the Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2026 in Moqi, China. • India secured its place in the quarterfinals after winning three straight Elite Pool matches against Korea, Malaysia, and Japan. • This victory maintains a perfect tournament record for the team following previous scores of 4-1 and 11-1.

• Institutional investors and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are increasing their capital allocations to precious metals. • This shift follows an earlier bull market driven primarily by Asian physical demand and central bank purchases. • Rising ETF holdings translate financial-market demand into direct demand for underlying metals, which can reinforce price increases.

UK band will play 16 shows across Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, as well as five shows in SaitamaRadiohead will return to Australia to play 16 shows across three cities next year, marking the band’s first tour of the country in 15 years.On Monday afternoon, the British rock band unveiled the itinerary for its May 2027 tour, which also include five shows in Japan. Continue reading...

• The Indian junior men’s hockey team played to a 3-3 draw against Japan during their second Pool A match of the Junior Asia Cup in Moqi on Sunday. • India opened the scoring in the fourth minute of the game via a penalty stroke following a foul. • This result follows a dominant 14-0 victory over Indonesia in the team's opening pool match.

• The Japanese yen has rallied sharply against the US dollar as financial markets increase their expectations for a Bank of Japan (BoJ) interest rate hike. • Market pricing now indicates that a rate increase this month is nearly fully anticipated by investors. • This shift reflects a growing belief that the BoJ will pivot away from its ultra-loose monetary policy to combat inflation or stabilize the currency.

Jump lifts currency to highest level against dollar in a month, while global markets remain jitteryThe Japanese yen has soared by more than 1.7% against the dollar amid speculation the Bank of Japan is set to raise interest rates.The latest jump on Thursday lifted the yen to its highest level against the dollar in a month, at 155.85, and followed a 0.9% move the previous day. Continue reading...

• Keppel DC Reit and Keppel announced on September 1 that they have agreed to collectively acquire 90% stakes in two freehold data centres in Tokyo, known as Tokyo Data Centre 4 and Tokyo Data Centre 5. • The acquisition is valued at approximately 171 billion yen (US$1.1 billion) and is expected to be accretive to the REIT's distribution per unit. • To fund the expansion, the manager plans to raise at least S$600 million through a private placement.