Semiconductors & AI Supply Chain: Micron broke ground on a ¥1.5 trillion ($9.3bn) Higashihiroshima expansion to make AI high-bandwidth memory, with shipments due around summer 2028 and up to ¥500bn in Japanese subsidies backing the project. Auto Manufacturing Reshoring: Toyota plans a $3.6bn San Antonio investment to shift Tacoma production from Mexico to Texas, adding a second assembly line and lifting capacity to 350,000 vehicles by 2030. Robotics & Industrial Automation: SKF is partnering with Leaderdrive to build a China venture making high-precision transmission components for humanoid robot joints, aiming at industrial humanoids powered by embodied AI. Food & Retail Resilience: Seven & i lifted profit guidance as a weaker yen and energy-driven gasoline margins helped results, while Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing posted a 45.7% quarterly profit jump despite Iran-war supply chain strain. Energy & Inflation Watch: The BOJ said Middle East conflict-driven costs are pushing firms toward more price rises, while Japan’s 10-year yield briefly hit 2.9% amid Middle East tension fears. Agri-Tech: Plantx opened a world-first fully sealed vertical-farming pilot in Tokyo’s Koto Ward, targeting automation and lower resource use. Trade & Geopolitics: North Korea condemned expanding Japan–South Korea military cooperation as “self-destruction.”