TOKYO -- Yamada Holdings, Japan's largest consumer electronics retailer, and fifth-ranked Edion are planning to merge, Nikkei learned on Wednesday, looking to bolster product development and procurement in an increasingly competitive market.

TOKYO/TAIPEI/MANILA -- Japan and the Philippines aim to send a message on settling maritime disagreements in accordance with international law, but their move has already provoked opposition from their neighbors.

TOKYO -- Telecom NTT and Mitsubishi Materials will start a business to recover and reuse copper in information technology equipment, the companies announced on Wednesday, part of an effort to reduce Japan's reliance on overseas procurement of the metal.

SHANGHAI/TOKYO -- The Jinko group, the world's largest solar panel maker, will enter the data center business, supplying power directly from its plants to meet the growing demand from the spread of artificial intelligence.

TOKYO -- One of Japan's biggest parcel delivery companies is making luggage storage for foreign visitors easier, adding foreign language support and online reservations as the country aims to bring in more tourists.

JAKARTA -- Indonesian prosecutors on Wednesday arrested the chief of the National Nutrition Agency and two deputies, accusing them of siphoning billions of rupiah from President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free meal program.

"Even if the situation remains unclear, should it be judged that upside risks to prices outweigh downside risks to economic activity, it will be necessary to thoroughly discuss the pros and cons of raising the policy interest rate," said Kazuo Ueda, governor of the Bank of Japan, on June 3.

JAKARTA -- The Jakarta Composite Index fell to its lowest level in five years, at 5,855, on Wednesday, as the rupiah continues to weaken against the dollar.

SEOUL -- An exit poll indicated a big win for South Korea's ruling party in nationwide local elections that serve as an early-term assessment of the administration of left-leaning President Lee Jae Myung.

TOKYO -- Japan's total fertility rate hit a record low in 2025, falling for the tenth consecutive year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on Wednesday.