TOKYO -- Japan has officially extended the coronavirus emergency in Tokyo and eight other prefectures until June 20, roughly a month before the scheduled start of the Olympics on July 23.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government made the call on Friday, out of concern for scarce hospital beds and the need to control virus variants. The move buys time to accelerate Japan's vaccination campaign and prepare a safer environment for the Tokyo Games, which have sparked widespread opposition.

"The next three weeks will be an important

KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia will enter a nationwide lockdown from June 1 to halt rising COVID-19 infections in the country, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said Friday.

All areas of economic and social activity will be shut down for two weeks, apart from a few essential services such as supermarkets, pharmacies and restaurants, according to a statement from Muhyiddin's office

If new COVID-19 cases decline, the lockdown could be eased after the initial 14 days to second and third phases of controlled movement.

Malaysia

LONDON/HONG KONG -- HSBC shareholders overwhelmingly voted to phase out coal financing by 2040 and align the bank's lending with Paris Agreement climate goals

The resolution, supported by over 99% of votes at an annual shareholders meeting Friday, was spearheaded by a coalition of investors managing $2.4 trillion in assets led by U.K.-based nonprofit ShareAction. A 75% majority was needed to make the resolution binding.

HSBC ranked among the 10 biggest financers of fossil fuels

SINGAPORE -- Strong global demand for smartphones and gadgets amid COVID-19 isolation measures is lifting some Southeast Asian economies while others continue to suffer because of weak manufacturing.

Malaysia reported Friday that exports surged 63% year-on-year to a record 105.6 billion ringgit ($25.5 billion) in April. The jump was fueled by semiconductors and other electronic products, which accounted for a third of all outbound shipments.

International consumers have been shopping for new electronics and digital devices

TOKYO -- Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday gave up on legislation to promote public awareness of sexual minorities, proving unable to overcome opposition within its own ranks.

Tsutomu Sato, who chairs the LDP's General Council, told a news conference that passage in the current session would be "impossible." The bill, supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, will not be submitted before the session ends on June 16.

The LDP's long-running efforts to pass the legislation

TOKYO -- Japan has entered into talks with AstraZeneca to supply a portion of its share of the company's coronavirus vaccine to Taiwan as the island struggles with a spike in cases.

Japan's agreement with AstraZeneca for 120 million doses of the two-shot vaccine includes a clause barring vaccines from being transferred to other destinations -- a stipulation found in many COVID-19 vaccine contracts. The health ministry is negotiating with AstraZeneca to modify the contract to allow shipments to Taiwan.

Japan has already secured

YANGON/BANGKOK -- Myanmar's military on Feb. 1 detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint in the country's first coup since 1988, bringing an end to a decade of civilian rule.

The Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy had won a landslide in a general election in November . But the military has claimed the election was marred by fraud.

For all our coverage, visit our Myanmar Coup page.

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-- Myanmar

Nobuko Kobayashi is a partner with EY Strategy and Consulting Co., Ltd., Strategy and Transactions -- EY-Parthenon.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan braced itself for the devastation of its elderly population. Yet, the biggest demographic blow arrived not in the form of more people dying but fewer people being born.

Extrapolating the latest government statistics from January to March, Japan can expect 80,000 fewer babies this year -- a 9.2% fall in

TOKYO -- Nissan Motor will tie up with a Chinese-owned battery maker, investing over 200 billion yen ($1.8 billion) to build new battery plants for electric vehicles in Japan and U.K., Nikkei has learned.

The Japanese automaker will start turning out batteries at two new plants, one in Japan and one in the U.K., as early as 2024, aiming for total capacity sufficient to power 700,000 EVs per year