Philippines-Japan Energy Push: President Ferdinand Marcos met former PM Fumio Kishida in Tokyo to advance Japan’s $10bn Powerr Asia plan, focusing on renewable power, low-carbon tech and long-term energy security, with Manila set to co-chair an Azec leaders summit in November. Defense & Tax Steps: During the same visit, Manila and Tokyo signed a double taxation deal and moved toward talks on a GSOMIA intelligence-sharing framework, alongside discussions on maritime boundary delimitation. Japan Economy & Demography: Japan’s Nikkei and Topix hit fresh records as April industrial output, retail sales and unemployment improved, while new census data showed the population fell to 123.05m—its sharpest decline on record. Regional Security Signals: Australia criticised China’s “academics-only” presence at the Shangri-La Dialogue as a missed chance for strategic reassurance, as Japan’s defense chief prepares Singapore talks. China Tech & Industry: China issued AI chip safety certifications for early domestic models and rolled out a 29-digit digital ID system for humanoid robots; meanwhile, Wingtech said Nexperia’s China unit is now operating independently. Korea Labour Tension: South Korea’s Kakao faces an escalating dispute with its union over profit-sharing, reflecting workers’ growing push for pay changes. Markets on Iran Ceasefire Hopes: Asian stocks surged on expectations of a US-Iran ceasefire extension, lifting Japan and South Korea benchmarks.