TOKYO -- Japan is donating another $800 million to the COVAX facility, in addition to the $200 million the country has already disbursed, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday.

COVAX, which is led by Gavi, the World Health Organization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, aims to secure vaccines to achieve equitable access, particularly among developing countries.

"I would like to deliver hope in the form of vaccines to as many people as possible in the world equally, as early as

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israel's opposition leader moved closer to unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday when he officially informed the country's president that he has reached agreements with political allies to form a new government.

About 30 minutes before a midnight deadline, the centrist Yair Lapid, according to a party statement, told President Reuven Rivlin in an email:

"I am honored to inform you that I have succeeded in forming a government." Rivlin, attending Israel's soccer cup final at the

SEOUL -- South Korean authorities have arrested 34 people and referred 529 more to prosecution in connection with a land speculation scandal that has infuriated the public in a country where sky-high real estate prices have put housing out of reach for many.

The government on Wednesday announced interim results from a probe into allegations that public employees and officials had purchased land earmarked for development before the plans were announced publicly, profiting from insider information.

The scandal has fueled distrust of President Moon Jae-in's ruling Democratic

HIROSHIMA, Japan -- Fans of Japanese whisky will soon have two new single malts to sip as Sakurao Brewery and Distillery prepares to enter the market for high-end spirits.

The Hiroshima-based company will invest around 100 million yen ($913,000) as early as August to double whisky production capacity, with the industry adopting new, more stringent criteria for what qualifies as Japanese whiskies.

The surging popularity of Japanese whisky in recent years has left producers scrambling to keep up,

NEW YORK -- The U.S. will impose 25% tariffs on as much as $2 billion worth of goods from six countries in retaliation over their taxation on American digital services, the U.S. trade representative said Wednesday, but gave an up to 180-day buffer to see if the matter can be resolved through ongoing negotiations.

The announcement came as the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative concluded its yearlong investigation into digital service taxes adopted by Austria, India, Italy

TOKYO -- Toyota Motor has asked its main auto parts suppliers to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 3% in 2021 versus last year, Nikkei learned Wednesday.

The Japanese automaker plans to accelerate its decarbonization efforts by setting numerical targets. Toyota's drive to decarbonize its supply chain could spur other industries to set more detailed goals and speed up their own programs to tackle climate change.

Toyota executives recently held a briefing with suppliers on going carbon-neutral. The automaker asked 300 to 40

KUALA LUMPUR -- Telecommunications conglomerate Axiata Group and RHB Banking Group are jointly applying for one of the digital banking licenses Malaysia's central bank aims to start handing out next year.

A consortium of Axiata's e-wallet company Boost Holdings and RHB will be formalized with a 60:40 shareholding, respectively, the companies announced at a joint news conference on Wednesday.

The move by the Malaysian companies comes as Southeast Asia unicorns Sea, Grab and Gojek are taking advantage of a young and tech-savvy

TAIPEI -- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has started building a $12 billion chipmaking plant in Arizona, the company said on Wednesday, bolstering Washington's aim of strengthening the American chipmaking industry.

The factory will be TSMC's first in the U.S. in two decades and is set to begin production by 2024. The Taiwanese company is the world's biggest contract chipmaker and an important supplier to Apple and Google.

"The Arizona plant is currently under construction," TSMC chief

HONG KONG -- One question is gripping Samoa's divided public as they wait for a conclusion to the island nation's interminable post-election standoff: Where to from here?

The answer is likely to have significant bearing on the country's democratic future, as well as its relations with bigger Pacific players such as China and New Zealand.

Two starkly different prime ministers have claimed the top job. One is Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, leader since 1998 and a significant figure of Samoa's