Japan-Philippines Defense Logistics: The Philippines’ defense ministry says the Japan-Philippines Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) has entered into force, setting a framework for reciprocal supply and service support during joint exercises, humanitarian missions, and disaster response. Defense Industry Push (Drones): Japan’s major defense firms, including Mitsubishi Heavy, are accelerating drone development as unmanned systems and AI move to the center of the country’s new defense strategy. Critical Minerals Security: Japan is proposing to let JOGMEC invest in overseas critical-minerals projects without requiring a Japanese partner, aiming to speed supply diversification amid rare-earth and strategic-metal pressure from China. Japan-India Industrial Partnership: Uttar Pradesh and Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture announced a Rs 600-crore fund for MSMEs plus a dedicated Yamanashi Desk at Invest UP, alongside MoUs on skills, training, tourism, and global capability centers. AI for Public Services: A national digital summit highlighted AI-powered governance and predictive public services, with a focus on improving healthcare, policing, welfare, and citizen services while managing data security and trust. Budget Watch: Japan’s FY2027 budget requests are projected to top 130 trillion yen for the first time, driven by new growth spending categories and higher interest costs. Energy/Shipping Risk: Japan’s rare-earth and LNG supply concerns keep resurfacing as global shipping and energy chokepoints tighten.