Philippines–Japan Energy Push: President Marcos met former PM Fumio Kishida on Tokyo’s $10bn POWERR Asia plan, aiming to boost renewable energy, low-carbon tech and long-term energy resilience under the AZEC framework. Diplomacy Meets Industry: Marcos also used his National Diet address to spotlight security and energy cooperation, including progress toward GSOMIA and deeper cross-border ties. Tax & Trade Facilitation: Manila and Tokyo signed a double taxation convention plus new cooperation arrangements spanning agriculture, healthcare, AI, space, energy security and supply-chain resilience. Energy Security Build-Out: The Philippines moves to create its first strategic petroleum reserve program, with Japan set to send technical experts for feasibility work under POWERR Asia. Energy Transition Backlash: Iran-war disruptions are reviving coal use across parts of Asia, with Japan and South Korea easing coal power limits to protect electricity supply. Foreign Investment Screening: Japan enacted a revised law to tighten foreign investment checks, expanding prescreening for national-security-linked sectors and adding a U.S.-style cross-ministerial panel. Market Watch: Japan’s yen remains near intervention-trigger levels, while Japan’s Nikkei climbed toward records on Middle East peace hopes and AI optimism. Industrial Materials: AGC completed UL 2809 third-party verification for recycled fluorine allocation in AFLAS™ FFKM used in semiconductor manufacturing. Food Inflation Pressure: Japan expects June price hikes on 1,078 food and beverage items as naphtha supply strain from the Middle East crisis feeds through to costs. Auto Collaboration: Mitsubishi and Nissan plan joint pickup production in North America and shared development/production of Kei-class cars in Japan. Crypto Compliance Tech: Coinbase said TRUST network expanded with TRUSThub and BNY joined, aiming to improve cross-border Travel Rule connectivity for VASPs.