Global Pulse

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  • Japanese automaker Nissan reduces losses and expects to return to profit

    Japanese automaker Nissan reduces losses and expects to return to profit

    TOKYO — Japanese automotive manufacturer Nissan Motor Corporation released its full fiscal year 2024 (ending March 31) financial results Wednesday, showing a significant reduction in annual losses even as the company remains unprofitable, squeezed by a confluence of economic headwinds including U.S. import tariffs, persistent global inflation, and intensifying market competition from new entrants.

    The Yokohama-based automaker, which produces popular nameplates ranging from the Altima sedan and Pathfinder SUV to the Leaf electric vehicle and luxury Infiniti line, posted a net loss of 533 billion Japanese yen, equal to roughly $3.4 billion. That marks a major improvement from the 670.9 billion yen loss the company recorded in the prior fiscal year.

    Annual global sales for the fiscal year dipped 5% year-over-year to 12 trillion yen ($76 billion), with total global vehicle shipments reaching 3.15 million units over the 12-month period. On a quarterly basis for the January-March 2024 period, Nissan reported a net loss of 282.9 billion yen ($1.8 billion), a sharp improvement from the 676 billion yen loss in the same quarter last year. Quarterly sales edged down just under 2% to 3.43 trillion yen ($22 billion).

    In a statement accompanying the results, Nissan Chief Executive Ivan Espinosa struck an optimistic tone about the company’s ongoing restructuring efforts, saying the firm has made consistent progress and is seeing clear signals that a turnaround is underway. “We have moved beyond recovery and are entering a phase of growth,” Espinosa said. “We will build on this momentum through disciplined cost management and faster product execution, driving sales and profitability.”

    Company officials noted that operating profit outperformed internal and analyst projections, driven by ongoing cost-cutting initiatives that Nissan has implemented to shore up its balance sheet. Looking ahead, the automaker expects improved results in the ongoing fiscal year, supported by a slate of upcoming new model launches. Nissan projects it will finally return to net profitability by the 2027 fiscal year, forecasting a modest net profit of 20 billion yen ($127 million) for the period ending March 2027.

    Despite executive optimism around the turnaround strategy, Nissan’s financial position remains the weakest it has been in more than a decade. In recent restructuring moves, the company has cut thousands of jobs across its global operations and sold off its downtown Yokohama headquarters building to free up capital.

    The entire Japanese auto sector has faced growing pressure over the past five years as Chinese electric and gas-powered vehicle manufacturers have expanded rapidly across Asian and global markets, capturing significant market share from long-established Japanese brands. In recent years, Nissan held exploratory merger talks with fellow struggling Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. to combine certain core operations, but those discussions collapsed earlier this year. While a full merger is no longer on the table, the two companies have left the door open for limited collaborative partnerships in the future.

    For its part, Nissan’s stock, which has seen volatile price swings over the past 12 months, closed trading Wednesday up 4% following the release of the results, as investors reacted positively to the smaller-than-expected annual loss.

  • Cristiano Ronaldo enters sixth World Cup looking to show he can still thrive despite Saudi move

    Cristiano Ronaldo enters sixth World Cup looking to show he can still thrive despite Saudi move

    MADRID — When Cristiano Ronaldo shocked global football by leaving Europe for a high-profile move to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in late 2022, the decision was met with widespread skepticism. Critics argued that a drop in competition level would erode the 41-year-old’s form, leaving him ill-prepared for what he confirms will be his sixth and final appearance at the FIFA World Cup — his first World Cup campaign after relocating to the Middle East. Now, three years into his time in the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo and his camp have put those doubts to rest, with consistent goalscoring form for both club and country proving his enduring quality.

  • ‘Awake and alert’: Heartwarming update on Gold Coast toddler Dusty Wildman after horror baking tragedy

    ‘Awake and alert’: Heartwarming update on Gold Coast toddler Dusty Wildman after horror baking tragedy

    Nearly two weeks after a horrifying accidental inhalation of cake decoration powder left 14-month-old Dustin “Dusty” Wildman in an induced coma and fighting for his life, the Gold Coast toddler’s family has shared a hopeful new update on his ongoing recovery at Queensland Children’s Hospital.

    The life-threatening incident unfolded when Dusty inhaled a metallic decorative powder, a substance that quickly solidified into a paste-like blockage in his airways, triggering severe respiratory failure. The toddler was rushed into emergency surgery to clear the toxic material from his lungs before being placed in a medically induced coma to stabilize his condition.

    In a statement shared by Dusty’s mother, Kate Robinson, the family has finally found relief after days of agonizing uncertainty. “Our beautiful boy is awake and alert, playing and smiling,” Robinson said. As of the latest update, all external breathing assistance has been removed, and Dusty is now breathing completely on his own. He still retains a feeding tube while medical teams help him transition back to eating orally, and his strength is gradually returning.

    Though the progress marks a major milestone in Dusty’s recovery, medical teams continue to monitor lingering inflammation in his lung tissue that resulted from the foreign material. Robinson noted that while the toddler is making encouraging gains, his voice remains raspy from the incident. “He’s trying to talk but still has a very raspy voice,” she said. “We’re hoping he proves the doctors wrong and there’s no permanent damage.”

    Following the accident, subsequent laboratory testing revealed the decorative powder contained harmful copper and zinc compounds, triggering urgent safety questions about consumer product regulation. The product, marketed as Metallic Rose Gold decorative powder, was found sold alongside edible baking ingredients despite its non-edible composition, raising alarms about inadequate labeling and retail placement.

    In response to the incident, the product’s supplier has issued an immediate full withdrawal of the item from all retail locations, and has ordered all remaining stock to be destroyed to prevent further similar accidents. The case has now drawn renewed public attention to the need for clearer safety labeling of non-edible craft and decoration products sold in grocery and baking supply spaces.

  • Magnus the wandering walrus swaps Scotland for Norway

    Magnus the wandering walrus swaps Scotland for Norway

    A young male walrus that captured public attention during a weeks-long tour of Scotland’s northeastern coastline has completed an unexpected 480-kilometer journey across the North Sea, emerging as a new viral attraction along Norway’s southern shore. Named Magnus by onlookers, the Arctic marine mammal was first documented resting on the shores of Stronsay, one of Scotland’s Orkney Islands, last month. Over the following weeks, he slowly traveled south along Scotland’s northeast coast, making surprise stopovers in small coastal communities including Lossiemouth, Macduff, Fraserburgh, Findochty and Hopeman.

    During his time in Scotland, Magnus turned into an accidental celebrity, drawing hundreds of curious onlookers who gathered to watch his playful, unplanned antics. From scratching his thick hide against metal harbor posts to dozing off on docks and accidentally rolling into the cold North Sea mid-nap, his casual, unassuming behavior won over crowds of locals and wildlife enthusiasts alike. After weeks of sightings across Scotland, Magnus vanished from UK shores — only to reappear hundreds of miles away in Hidra, Norway, where he has already become a major draw for local wildlife photographers and visitors.

    Norwegian photographer Åge Jakobsen was among the first to confirm and document the walrus’s arrival at Buerholmen, an islet off the coast of Hidra. “I usually go out to photograph seabirds, so this was a completely different experience,” Jakobsen told reporters. “Unlike the birds I chase, I didn’t have to worry about this subject flying away.” He added that after the long open-ocean crossing, Magnus appeared visibly fatigued, but quickly settled in to enjoy the warm Norwegian sun on a floating dock, seeming completely at ease in his new temporary location.

    Marine biologists note that Magnus’s cross-sea journey is not as unusual as it may seem. Young male walruses often embark on long exploratory trips far outside their core Arctic range as they mature. What is notable, experts say, is the growing frequency of walrus sightings along the coasts of the UK and Northern Europe in recent years. Many researchers link this trend to the rapid loss of Arctic sea ice, the walrus’s preferred habitat for resting and hunting, which forces more animals to travel south to find suitable resting grounds and food sources.

    Magnus is not the first walrus to make an appearance in the North Atlantic far from the Arctic. A walrus was spotted on North Ronaldsay, Orkney’s northernmost island, back in 2013, and another individual was seen on the same island in 2018 before moving south to rest on Sanday, another Orkney island. For now, experts say there is no reason to interfere with Magnus’s journey: he is healthy, behaving as expected for a young exploring walrus, and will likely continue his travels when he is ready. For communities along the Norwegian coast, however, the chance to see the wandering Arctic celebrity has turned into a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife experience.

  • Alleged scammer extradited after hacking attempt on BTS star

    Alleged scammer extradited after hacking attempt on BTS star

    In a high-profile cross-border cybercrime case that has drawn international attention, a 40-year-old Chinese national accused of masterminding a multi-million dollar hacking operation that counted BTS member Jungkook among its high-profile victims has been handed over to South Korean authorities following extradition from Thailand.

    South Korea’s Ministry of Justice has laid out detailed charges against the unnamed suspect, accusing him and his criminal network of stealing a total of 38 billion won, equal to approximately $25.4 million or £18.8 million, from a wide range of targets. The group’s illegal activities included breaking into digital accounts tied to both government agency websites and the personal profiles of prominent public figures, according to official allegations.

    One of the most high-profile attempted heists targeted the BTS vocalist: the hacking ring gained unauthorized access to a securities account registered under Jungkook’s name, and attempted to siphon off 8.4 billion won worth of shares the K-pop star holds in Hybe, BTS’s parent entertainment and management company. Local South Korean media outlets confirmed that the suspicious transfer was halted before it could be completed, after Hybe’s internal security team moved quickly to freeze the compromised account.

    Court and law enforcement records show the string of cyberattacks linked to the group took place over a 20-month period, running from August 2023 through April 2025. Beyond the Jungkook case, the criminal network also targeted other high-profile individuals across South Korea, including the chair of a large domestic conglomerate and the chief executive of a local venture capital firm, reporting from Agence France-Presse confirmed.

    Prior to his extradition, the suspect had been residing in Bangkok, Thailand. This is not the first extradition connected to the same hacking ring: back in August 2024, a 36-year-old Chinese national also linked to the group was extradited to South Korea from Thailand. That defendant was formally indicted in September 2024 and is currently on trial facing cybercrime and theft charges in a South Korean court.

    South Korean law enforcement officials confirmed that following the suspect’s arrival in the country, investigators will first conduct a formal interrogation and process evidence collected from across the investigation. After completing this initial phase, police announced they intend to submit an application for an arrest warrant to formally detain the suspect ahead of upcoming judicial proceedings.

  • Urgent search underway after swimmer ‘in distress’ vanishes 100m offshore from Trigg Beach in Perth

    Urgent search underway after swimmer ‘in distress’ vanishes 100m offshore from Trigg Beach in Perth

    A large-scale coordinated search operation is entering its second day after a swimmer was spotted in trouble 100 meters off the shore of one of Western Australia’s most popular surf beaches, Trigg Beach, before disappearing from view entirely.

    The emergency response was first triggered just after 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, when witnesses called local services to report a swimmer struggling in rough offshore conditions. According to an official statement released by Western Australia Police, the individual vanished from sight shortly after the distress call was placed.

    Within hours, multiple law enforcement and volunteer groups deployed to the coastal area to launch the search. Initial teams included officers from Mirrabooka Police District, WA Water Police, the Police Air Wing, and members of Volunteer Marine Rescue, who scoured the waters and coastline through Tuesday evening as first light faded.

    When sunset halted progress for the day, search operations resumed at first light on Wednesday, with additional resources joining the effort. Mounted Police patrols, ground search crews, and volunteers from Surf Life Saving WA expanded the sweep of the surrounding coastline and offshore areas, but by Wednesday afternoon, the missing swimmer had still not been located.

    “Our inquiries are continuing to both confirm the swimmer’s identity and determine their current welfare,” a WA Police spokesperson said in an update Wednesday. As of the latest official briefing, no missing person reports have been filed that connect to the incident. Police have issued an appeal to any member of the public who may have been the distressed swimmer and managed to self-rescue to contact authorities immediately to clarify the situation.

    Trigg Beach, a well-known surf spot in the Perth area, carries public safety warnings for less experienced ocean users. Surf Life Saving WA’s official guidance notes that the beach is best suited to swimmers with moderate to high levels of ocean experience, due to consistent large swells and persistent strong rip currents that form along the coastline. The organization’s website specifically emphasizes extra caution during north-westerly wind conditions, noting that waves can be deceptively large and the stretch of water becomes particularly treacherous during these weather patterns.

  • Police confirm protest charges may be dropped after court strikes down NSW anti-protest laws

    Police confirm protest charges may be dropped after court strikes down NSW anti-protest laws

    A landmark court ruling has upended the legal outcome of a high-profile Sydney protest against the Israeli president’s Australian visit, after judges struck down as unconstitutional the police legislation that authorities relied on to break up the gathering and make multiple arrests.

    The February demonstration, which drew hundreds of participants to Sydney Town Hall to oppose the presidential visit, saw New South Wales Police move to block the group’s planned march route, disperse sections of the crowd, and take dozens of protesters into custody. Officers based their actions on the Public Assembly Restriction Declaration (PARD), a sweeping post-terror attack law that granted police broad power to restrict public gatherings for up to 90 days following a major extremist incident.

    Last month, the NSW Court of Appeal delivered a decisive ruling on the law, siding with a legal challenge mounted by the Palestine Action Group and Blak Caucus. Judges found PARD unlawfully overreached executive power by expanding police authority far beyond what the state constitution allows, invalidating the entire legislative framework.

    The law had been rushed into passage by state authorities after the deadly December Bondi Beach terror attack, which left 15 people dead and more than 40 injured when two attackers opened fire during a Hanukkah gathering at the coastal site.

    On Wednesday morning, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed to ABC Radio that all charges laid directly under PARD for the Town Hall protest will be dropped pending a formal departmental review. Of the 29 protesters facing charges connected to the demonstration, it remains unclear how many will see their cases dismissed, as many accused face additional unrelated offences including assaulting police, offensive conduct, and throwing projectiles, which are being processed separately through the courts.

    Legal advocates have raised further questions about whether all police directions issued during the protest operation, including charges for failing to comply with officer instructions, were rooted in the now-invalidated framework, casting doubt over a broader range of charges. State Premier Chris Minns had previously argued that many charges could still stand under a separate major events declaration, a regulation typically used for large-scale sporting and entertainment gatherings that was active during the Israeli president’s visit. But the Palestine Action Group has already signaled it intends to launch a new legal challenge to that framework, arguing it was also improperly used to suppress peaceful political protest.

    Greens Member of Parliament and solicitor Sue Higginson welcomed the announcement of charge reviews, saying the commissioner’s confirmation that charges were laid under an unconstitutional law proves the entire police operation was legally flawed. “People were wrongfully arrested and brutally assaulted because the Minns Labor Government chose to impose unconstitutional anti-protest laws on the people of NSW,” Higginson said in a statement, calling for all charges connected to the night of protest to be dropped entirely.

    The Human Rights Law Centre also added its voice to calls for sweeping change after last month’s court ruling, noting that judges found PARD unlawfully restricted protected political communication and exceeded the state government’s constitutional authority. The organization is calling for all remaining charges to be dismissed and for a full overhaul of NSW’s protest-related legislation to bring it into line with constitutional protections for peaceful assembly and free speech.

  • India’s aspiring doctors heartbroken by exam paper leak

    India’s aspiring doctors heartbroken by exam paper leak

    For millions of young Indians, securing a spot at a top government medical college depends entirely on one make-or-break test: the National Eligibility Entrance Test (Undergraduate), better known as NEET-UG. This year, however, the high-stakes exam has become the center of a national controversy after widespread claims that its question paper was leaked in advance to select candidates. On Tuesday, India’s National Testing Agency (NTA) — the federal body tasked with administering the exam — officially canceled the May 3 test, amid an ongoing investigation into the leak allegations. The agency has confirmed that a new date for a retest will be announced publicly next week, leaving nearly 2.28 million registered candidates across the country in limbo.

    For test-takers like Manas Sharma, a Delhi-based aspirant who has dedicated two full years to preparing for the exam, the announcement came as a gut punch. “Since October, I have been studying 12 hours a day — not watching films or even hanging out with friends. That’s what it takes to get into a good medical college,” Sharma explained. Based on unofficial answer keys released by private coaching institutes after the original exam, he projected he would score 615 out of a possible 720 marks, a result that would have qualified him for admission to one of India’s top medical institutions. Like many aspirants, Sharma has reoriented every part of his life around this single test, and the sudden cancellation has upended years of careful planning. Yet he says he is choosing to frame the retest as an opportunity to improve his score, rather than an unmitigible setback. “I can’t lose hope. I look forward to increasing my score if a retest happens,” he added.

    Sharma’s shock and uncertainty are shared by countless other aspirants across the country, who endured months of intense preparation to sit for the exam at more than 5,000 test centers nationwide. In the northeastern state of Assam, 20-year-old aspirant Sumi, who has long dreamed of becoming a doctor, said she initially could not believe the news of the cancellation. The added stress of the announcement has already hampered her ability to refocus on studying, even after she built a new preparation schedule and restarted her work. For 22-year-old Anamika from Bihar, eastern India, this year’s exam was already her sixth attempt at securing a medical seat. She had given up family gatherings, social outings, and personal time to study, even enrolling in a nursing course to satisfy her parents after five previous unsuccessful attempts, while continuing to prepare for NEET in her spare time. After finding this year’s exam manageable and projecting a score of 640 — enough for a spot at a top college — Anamika said she had finally felt her years of sacrifice would pay off. After processing the initial stress of the cancellation, she has resigned herself to restarting preparation once again.

    NEET-UG is the sole gateway to undergraduate medical programs at all public and elite private medical colleges in India, a system that creates extreme competition for just a fraction of the limited seats available each year. Most aspirants attend after-school coaching classes on top of their regular school coursework, adding extra hours of daily study, particularly on weekends, to keep up with the rigorous test content. While thousands of students are reeling from the cancellation, a small number of aspirants say the NTA’s decision was a necessary step to protect the integrity of the exam. “The NTA has taken a good decision because what happened was an injustice to hardworking candidates,” one aspirant told Indian news agency ANI. “Those who cheated should not get admission in medical colleges.” Some lower-scoring candidates also welcomed the opportunity for a retest to improve their results.

    The cancellation has reignited long-simmering criticism of India’s national entrance exam system, which has been plagued by repeated paper leak scandals and administrative irregularities over the past several years. This is not the first controversy to hit NEET: in 2024, the exam faced nationwide protests after thousands of candidates received suspiciously high scores amid claims of widespread fraud and institutional irregularities. Garima Shukla, spokesperson for the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association, called repeated incidents of this nature a clear administrative failure that undermines the foundation of India’s medical education system. “The repeated occurrence of such incidents is not only an administrative failure but also a direct blow to the morale of millions of hardworking students,” Shukla told ANI. “If the credibility of the examination system is questioned, it will impact not only students but the reputation of the entire healthcare system.”

    Indian media reports have cited early investigative findings suggesting the alleged leak originated in the northern state of Rajasthan, days before the May 3 exam was held. India’s federal investigative body, the Central Bureau of Investigation, has launched a formal probe into the incident. But even as investigators work to hold those responsible accountable, many students remain skeptical that a retest will fix the systemic issues that allowed the leak to happen. “But what is the guarantee that another paper leak won’t happen?” asked Tejaswini Vijay, a candidate who spent two years preparing for the original exam. Many students, including Vijay, have criticized the NTA’s decision to cancel the exam nationwide rather than only in regions where irregularities were confirmed, arguing that the blanket cancellation inflicts unnecessary stress on aspirants who did nothing wrong. “That would have been better,” Vijay said. “Not everyone can deal with such level of stress.”

  • Ghana to evacuate 300 from South Africa over anti-immigrant protests

    Ghana to evacuate 300 from South Africa over anti-immigrant protests

    A spreading wave of anti-foreign-national protests across major South African cities has triggered a regional diplomatic crisis, with Ghana launching an emergency evacuation plan for hundreds of its citizens trapped in the unrest.

    Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced via a post on X Tuesday that the country’s president has formally signed off on the immediate evacuation of 300 at-risk Ghanaians. All the affected, described as “distressed” by the foreign ministry, have already registered with Ghana’s Pretoria embassy to arrange for safe passage back to their home country. The evacuation follows a formal travel advisory Ghana issued last week after the latest round of xenophobic violence targeting foreign residents.

    Thousands of South African demonstrators have joined the recent protests, rallying against unregulated illegal immigration. Protesters argue that undocumented migrants have strained local access to employment, affordable housing, and contributed to rising community crime rates, amplifying long-simmering public frustration and pushing demands for mass deportations of people without legal residency.

    In response to escalating tensions, the Ghanaian embassy in Pretoria issued an updated safety warning Tuesday, urging all Ghanaian citizens in South Africa to exercise extreme caution, avoid all large public gatherings, and close all businesses in the coastal city of Durban ahead of a planned anti-immigration protest scheduled for Wednesday.

    South African officials have pushed back against widespread claims of targeted attacks, denying that any xenophobic violence has occurred in recent weeks and asserting that viral videos circulated online showing purported attacks are fabricated. In a public address Monday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged that recent “protests and criminal acts directed at foreign nationals” do not align with the country’s official government policy, framing the unrest as isolated criminal activity rather than coordinated, systemic hostility. Ramaphosa also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to migration regulation, border security, and consistent enforcement of national immigration laws. The South African government added that it has “nothing to hide” and condemned the spread of disinformation via fake visual content.

    The diplomatic fallout has already spread across the continent. Both Ghana and Nigeria have summoned South African diplomatic envoys in their capitals to formally protest the mistreatment and harassment of their citizens living in South Africa. Ghana has also taken the extra step of formally requesting the African Union place the issue on its agenda for discussion, arguing that the ongoing unrest poses an unacceptable “serious risk to the safety and wellbeing” of African residents in South Africa.

    Ghana is not alone in issuing warnings: Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe have all followed suit, urging their citizens residing in South Africa to take extra safety precautions amid the unrest.

    Official demographic data puts the total foreign-born population in South Africa at more than 3 million, accounting for roughly 5% of the country’s total population. However, analysts estimate that a far larger number of undocumented migrants currently reside within South Africa’s borders, a reality that has kept anti-immigration sentiment a persistent flashpoint in national politics. Xenophobic hostility has a long history in the country, with sporadic deadly attacks on foreign nationals recorded over the past several decades.

  • Japan’s SoftBank racks up huge profit gains with lift from lucrative AI investments

    Japan’s SoftBank racks up huge profit gains with lift from lucrative AI investments

    TOKYO — Japanese technology investment giant SoftBank Group Corp. has delivered a blockbuster set of full-year financial results, with fiscal year profits ending in March surging nearly fivefold compared to the prior 12-month period, fueled by outsized returns from its early bets on artificial intelligence. The Tokyo-headquartered firm announced Wednesday that it notched a net annual profit of 5 trillion Japanese yen, equivalent to roughly $32 billion. That figure marked a staggering leap from the 1.15 trillion yen profit it recorded in the preceding fiscal year.

    Revenue for the reporting period also showed steady growth, climbing almost 8% year-over-year to hit 7.8 trillion yen ($50 billion), up from 7.2 trillion yen in the prior year, according to the company’s official earnings statement.

    The clear standout contributor to SoftBank’s stellar results was its AI-focused portfolio, with its stake in leading AI developer OpenAI standing out as the most lucrative holding. SoftBank has poured $34.6 billion into OpenAI, and the value of that investment has generated $45 billion in gains to date. Beyond OpenAI, SoftBank holds major positions in other high-profile global technology and AI players, including U.S. semiconductor giant Nvidia, German digital infrastructure provider Deutsche Telekom, and British chip design firm Arm. The company also pioneered development of the commercial humanoid robot Pepper, one of its early forays into consumer-facing robotics technology.

    SoftBank’s bottom line got an extra boost from the initial public offering of PayPay, Japan’s dominant mobile QR code payment service that has revolutionized cashless transactions across the country. The firm’s overall performance was balanced by mixed outcomes across its broader portfolio: gains from its holdings in semiconductor manufacturer Intel Corp. offset downward valuation adjustments to its stake in Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba Group.

    This pattern of mixed returns across diverse holdings is characteristic of SoftBank’s unique business model. Decades ago, the company became one of the first Japanese firms to prioritize aggressive early-stage technology investment, and today it manages a vast global network of portfolio companies through its series of Vision Fund investment vehicles.

    Founded more than 40 years ago by iconic chief executive and chairman Masayoshi Son, a University of California graduate and billionaire who is widely recognized as a trailblazer for Japan’s modern technology industry, SoftBank has continued to expand its footprint beyond traditional venture investment. In recent months, the firm has launched a new domestic battery business in Japan, with plans to build next-generation energy infrastructure to meet the rising power demand expected from the rapid growth of AI computing. It has also partnered with Japanese industrial firm Toppan, which operates across printing, communications, security and packaging sectors, to develop a lightweight, long-lasting composite material for aircraft wings that is on track to enter commercial use within three years.

    In line with its longstanding policy, SoftBank did not release forward-looking earnings guidance for the coming fiscal year.