TOKYO -- Sony Music Publishing has agreed to acquire the catalog of Recognition Music Group from a Blackstone fund for an undisclosed price, the Japanese company said Monday, giving it the rights to 45,000 songs including tracks by artists like Lady Gaga and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

SEOUL -- The head of the biggest labor union at Samsung Electronics says it would prefer to avoid a strike set to begin May 21 if the South Korean company improves transparency in its compensation, citing concerns over employee distrust and talent outflows to rivals.

TOKYO -- Major Japanese real estate companies are notifying customers about possible delays in handing over new condominiums due to construction material shortages, as the supply chain turbulence caused by the Iran war continues to spread.

MANILA -- The International Criminal Court confirmed Monday night that it has issued an arrest warrant for Philippine Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, accusing him of acting as a co-perpetrator in ex-President Rodrigo Duterte's antidrug campaign.

TOKYO -- Crude oil and petroleum products traveling through the Panama Canal swelled more than 70% above last year's levels in April, as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent Asian buyers scrambling to secure supplies from the U.S.

TOKYO -- Canon has decided to close a laser printer plant in the Philippines, Nikkei has learned, as a global decline in printing demand pushes the Japanese electronics manufacturer to scale back capacity.

TOKYO -- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will on Tuesday call for a cabinet-level effort to find cybersecurity weaknesses in Japan's infrastructure and reinforce them against the risk of such powerful new artificial intelligence tools as Anthropic's Mythos.

TOKYO -- Japanese snack maker Calbee will switch to black-and-white packaging for flagship products including potato chips as a naphtha shortage caused by the Iran war squeezes ink supplies.

TOKYO -- Google parent Alphabet is preparing to issue yen-denominated bonds, Nikkei learned on Monday, marking the company's first issuance of yen bonds as the tech sector rushes headlong into the AI era.

MANILA -- The Philippines' House of Representatives on Monday voted overwhelmingly to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, a decision that is likely to have a significant bearing on the 2028 presidential election.