Marine Plastic Cleanup: Japan is opening the world’s first center focused on marine plastic pollution education and collection, aiming to turn research into public action. AI Governance Gap: Singapore firms are struggling with “shadow AI” as employee adoption outpaces policy enforcement, raising risks of data leakage and weak oversight. Japan-Linked Telecom Upgrade: Furukawa Electric and Vecima are teaming up to bring next-gen FTTH access gear to Japan, including 10G-EPON and a roadmap toward 50G-PON. Physical AI for Japan’s Labor Crunch: Japan is pushing physical AI to support robots and automation amid ageing and workforce shortages, with government-backed efforts targeting large-scale humanoid deployment. Cyber Disruption in Food Logistics: A ransomware attack hit a major Japanese refrigerated logistics provider, disrupting KFC and other food chains. Quantum-Safe Security: Terra Quantum and Apex.AI demonstrated NIST-standard post-quantum cryptography for secure edge-to-cloud robotic communications without rewriting existing software. Markets Under Oil Shock: Global stocks slid as oil jumped above $100 amid Middle East escalation and Big Tech cash-burn concerns, with Japan’s yen also moving sharply. Fields Medal: The Fields medal went to four young mathematicians, including work tied to a Japanese conjecture by Soichi Kakeya. Japan Tech Policy Watch: Japan is considering new rules for its trading card market as counterfeiting and money-laundering concerns grow.