TOKYO -- About 30 leading Japanese companies from a wide range of industries, including chemicals, robots, automobiles and electronics, are considering investing in a new SoftBank venture that seeks to develop domestic artificial intelligence, Nikkei has learned.

TOKYO -- Japan will support the Philippines in its efforts to strengthen oil reserves, with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expected to reach an agreement Thursday at their summit.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Airbnb will launch a luggage storage service in Tokyo this year ahead of other global cities, CEO Brian Chesky and Chief Strategy Officer Nathan Blecharczyk told Nikkei, as the vacation rental company eyes demand in an international tourism hotspot.

SEOUL -- Tens of thousands of Samsung Electronics' semiconductor employees can expect an average bonus of 600 million won ($400,000) each after the company's unions and management reached a deal to end a monthslong standoff that had threatened to lead to an all-out strike.

TOKYO -- Japan has moved closer to creating a centralized national intelligence agency -- often described as its equivalent to the CIA -- after the upper house approved legislation on Wednesday, following lower house passage in April.

HONG KONG -- China has launched a dramatic clampdown on cross-border brokerages, vowing to completely root out illicit overseas investment activity in two years. The tightening of the country's already prohibitive capital controls has rattled the U.S.-listed shares of brokers and sown anxiety among Chinese users of the platforms.

TOKYO -- Receding concerns over the Iran war and the AI capital spending boom have turbocharged East Asian stock markets, with those in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan repeatedly reaching record highs as shares in tech giants like SK Hynix take off.

SHANGHAI -- Business confidence among European companies operating in China improved after hitting record lows in several metrics last year, according to a survey, even as fresh signs of tension have emerged.

TOKYO -- The loss of aluminum supplies from the Middle East is expected to raise prices through 2027, and with shortages looming for the nonferrous metal and related alloy products, key buyers, including the Japanese auto industry, are taking the strain.

TAIPEI -- Nvidia is now spending up to $150 billion a year on its supply chain partners in Taiwan and plans to increase its headcount in the "epicenter of the AI revolution" to 4,000 employees, CEO Jensen Huang said.