Japan’s households reduced spending for a third straight month even after real wages turned positive, underscoring the fragile state of domestic demand, Bloomberg News reported. Outlays by households adjusted for inflation fell 1.8% in February from a year earlier, a faster decline compared with January’s 1% retreat, the internal affairs ministry reported Tuesday. The weak year-on-year data underscore the challenges for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as she attempts to buoy domestic demand with fiscal steps meant to soften the blow from rising prices.
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Gautam Adani, India's second richest person, will ask a U.S. judge to dismiss the Securities and Exchange Commission's civil fraud case against him, his lawyers said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani were charged by the SEC in November 2024 with orchestrating a scheme to pay or promise to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes to Indian government officials to benefit Adani Green Energy, where both men are executives and directors.
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing bank loan frauds cumulatively worth ₹73,000 crore in seven cases registered against the Reliance Anil Ambani Group, according to a status report filed in the Supreme Court in February, The Hindu reported. The CBI informed the court that it is actively investigating seven cases, and is probing the roles of certain public servants as well. After reviewing the status report filed by the CBI and its financial investigations counterpart, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the apex court issued an order on March 23.
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The energy shock caused by the war in the Middle East caught China, the world’s top buyer of oil, by surprise. But Beijing has been preparing for a crisis like this for years, the New York Times reported. China has stockpiled increasingly large amounts of oil. It has pursued renewable sources of energy like solar, wind and hydropower so aggressively that its demand for refined oil, diesel and gasoline is falling. And it has harnessed technology to reduce its reliance on the foreign-sourced raw materials that go into the massive output of its factories.
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The International Monetary Fund urged the Bank of Japan to continue raising interest rates, even as the Middle East war posed "significant new risks" to the country's economic outlook, Reuters reported. The proposal comes amid market expectations the BOJ will raise interest rates as soon as April in the face of mounting inflationary pressure from the conflict-induced spike in oil prices, and higher import costs blamed on the weak yen.
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The Supreme Court of Singapore and the Supreme Court of Indonesia on March 30 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance cross-border communication and cooperation in cross-border insolvency proceedings, according to a press release. The signing ceremony was held on the sidelines of the inaugural Judicial Well-Being Workshop for ASEAN Judges in Bali, Indonesia, with The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon of Singapore and Chief Justice Prof. Dr. H. Sunarto, S.H., M.H. of Indonesia as the MOU signatories.
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The Bank of Japan will keep raising interest rates if its economic forecasts hold, a senior central bank official said, reinforcing a tightening bias even as fresh surveys show firms feeling the pinch of rising fuel costs linked to the Iran war, Reuters reported. While higher oil prices pose risks to economic growth, they could also push up underlying inflation by raising long-term inflation expectations, said Koji Nakamura, the BOJ's executive director overseeing monetary policy, in parliament on Friday.
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The Financial Services Agency plans to conditionally ease capital adequacy regulations for banks to encourage investment in companies. The plan is to reduce capital buffers against loss risks while still maintaining fiscal soundness, informed sources said on Friday, the Japan Times reported. By revitalizing the supply of funds, the FSA aims to promote industrial reorganization and support startups and midsize companies in rural areas.
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The Asahi Food bankruptcy on April 2, 2026, highlights funding stress across Japan’s construction ecosystem, Meyka reported. The company, a contractor for construction site cafeterias and kiosks at logistics facilities, filed at the Tokyo District Court with about JPY 3.13 billion in liabilities. Asahi Food filed for bankruptcy protection at the Tokyo District Court on April 2, 2026, citing about JPY 3.13 billion in liabilities tied to rapid, debt-funded expansion. The company operated cafeterias and kiosks at construction and logistics sites, often under long-term service contracts.