Philippines–Japan Energy & Security: President Ferdinand Marcos met former PM Fumio Kishida in Tokyo to push renewable energy, low-carbon tech and long-term energy security under Japan’s POWERR Asia, with Manila also set to co-chair an Azec summit in November. Philippines–Japan Dealmaking: The two sides also signed a double taxation pact and agreed to deepen cooperation on AI, space, energy security and supply-chain resilience, alongside steps toward a GSOMIA and maritime boundary talks. Japan Markets & Economy: Japan’s Nikkei and Topix hit record highs as industrial output, retail sales and unemployment improved, while authorities spent 11.7tn yen to support the yen. Japan Demographics: Japan’s population fell to 123.05 million, with 45 prefectures shrinking and Tokyo/nearby areas still growing. India Climate & Food Risk: India’s monsoon forecast was cut to 90% of average, raising odds of severe water shortages and inflation/food stress. India Solar Push: India connected 40 lakh homes to rooftop solar under PM Surya Ghar, accelerating clean power uptake. China Tech & Policy: China issued marine biopharma guidelines urging AI use, and rolled out 29-digit digital IDs for humanoid robots. Regional Security: Australia urged more “strategic reassurance” after China sent only academics to the Shangri-La Dialogue.