December 19, Wednesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradhan and Ms. Mariko Kojima

  1. The telecom unit of Softbank group has made its debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange—in Japan’s largest-ever Initial Public Offering.
  2. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force is to conduct its first joint drill with the U.S. and British navies in the Pacific off southern Japan later this week.
  3. Top executives of Nissan and Renault are mapping out a new direction for the Japanese automaker and its alliance partner following the arrest of former chairman Carlos Ghosn.

December 18, Tuesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. Japan has approved new defense guidelines, including a plan to upgrade an existing destroyer into a de-facto aircraft carrier.
  2. The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights situation.
  3. The prospects for Nissan Motor having a new chairperson any time soon disappeared, after the company delayed naming a successor to Carlos Ghosn.

December 17, Monday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Emma Howard

  1. North Korea has warned that new sanctions Washington has imposed on its high-ranking officials could forever block the path to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
  2. Canada’s Foreign Ministry says that its ambassador to Beijing, John McCallum, met on Sunday with Canadian businessman Michael Spavor, who is now being detained in China.
  3. The Japanese government is finalizing a draft budget for the next fiscal year.