SelfStaking

China's state-owned major automobile group GAC Group will officially enter the Japanese market with pure electric vehicles (EVs) in summer 2026. Sales will be conducted through agents, with a target of 2,000 orders by 2027. Following BYD, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which focuses on high-end EVs, has also entered the Japanese market. Currently, the number of EV manufacturers in China is rapidly increasing, leading to intense competition. More and more companies are turning their attention to Japan, where EV adoption is relatively lagging, seeking new growth opportunities.
The agency sales in the Japanese market will be managed by M Mobility, based in Nakano, Tokyo.

Jim Rogers stated that China has the potential to become the next hegemonic power and recommended accelerating market opening. At the same time, he pointed out that Japan's high debt levels will lead to long-term economic recession.

The rapid development of artificial intelligence is transforming the employment landscape in the United States, with college graduates facing greater employment pressure and a significant increase in enrollment at technical vocational schools. Due to concerns about the future brought by AI, more people are inclined to choose jobs that are difficult to automate.

The rapid development of artificial intelligence is transforming the employment landscape in the United States, with college graduates facing greater employment pressure and a significant increase in enrollment at technical vocational schools. Due to concerns about the future brought by AI, more people are inclined to choose jobs that are difficult to automate.

Japan Printing (DNP) has developed technology that can produce advanced semiconductors using one-tenth the electricity consumption. A new manufacturing method aimed at producing for Canon will enable mass production in 2027 of the core components supporting next-generation 1.4-nanometer (1 nanometer equals one-billionth of a meter) products. There is a possibility that manufacturing costs for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors could be significantly reduced.
At present, to mass-produce the most advanced semiconductors, it is necessary to use extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines produced only by ASML Holdings in the Netherlands. The “lithography process,” which draws circuits on wafers (substrates), accounts for 30% to 50% of the total semiconductor manufacturing cost. The finer the circuits, the more lithography steps are required, and the electricity consumption correspondingly increases. A single EUV lithography machine costs about 30 billion yen, placing a heavy investment burden on semiconductor manufacturers.
Meanwhile, Canon’s “Nanoimprint” manufacturing process

Ten months after taking office, the Trump administration achieved initial results in investment tax cuts and immigration policies, but faced challenges in China diplomacy and price control. Support among non-partisan groups declined, leading to a rebound for the Democrats in the elections, indicating a shift in voter attitudes.

After experiencing fluctuations, China's shipbuilding industry has seen a rebound in order volume, especially in the high value-added vessel sector. Although facing U.S. regulatory measures in 2025, recent order volumes have increased as these measures have been postponed, demonstrating China's competitiveness in the global market.

After the United States and Israel attacked Iran, gold prices remained weak, affected by the appreciation of the US dollar and rising interest rates. Meanwhile, financial market volatility increased, and investors sold off gold to offset losses. The New York futures gold price continued to decline, failing to become a safe-haven asset.

BYD faces unfavorable subsidy conditions in Japan. Due to the Japanese government changing the electric vehicle subsidies, BYD's subsidy remains at 350,000 yen and has not increased, while Toyota and Tesla received higher subsidies, demonstrating competitive pressure.

Since its launch in 2017, SoftBank Group's Vision Fund has increased its total investments to $163.2 billion, with pre-tax investment gains of approximately ¥3.7 trillion. Despite challenges, the fund's improved performance has strengthened the group's financial position and promoted investments in the AI sector.

In the 2025 international commodities market, precious metal prices are rising. Silver has surpassed oil prices for the first time, reflecting China's decarbonization and economic deflation risks. A Bank of America Securities report shows that the silver-to-oil price ratio is below 1, with silver reaching a record high while oil prices have fallen to their lowest in nearly five years.

In 2025, Japan's imported car sales are expected to increase by 7%, reaching 243,129 units, with pure electric vehicle sales growing by 26%, setting a new record. Tesla and BYD performed notably in the Japanese market, with Tesla's sales surpassing 10,000 units for the first time, and BYD's sales increasing by 62%.

Due to the tense situation in the Middle East and rising crude oil prices, the yen depreciation has intensified, and the market is no longer actively buying yen. The yen against the US dollar once depreciated to a low of 157.90, with investors expressing concerns about future trade deficits.

Semiconductor memory DRAM prices increased by 40% in November to December 2025, mainly due to strong demand from data center AI servers, leading to supply shortages in the civilian sector. The tight supply has caused a rare phenomenon where large-volume transactions cannot be formed, with DDR5 and DDR3 product prices soaring significantly, indicating a risk of a bubble in the memory market.

Chinese AI semiconductor companies are rapidly developing, with companies like Moore Thread actively entering the market to increase domestic self-sufficiency, aiming to reach 80% by 2026. Zhang Jianzhong emphasized that new products can meet the needs of local developers and reduce reliance on foreign sources.

Toyota has unveiled three ultra-luxury sports cars in "Woven City," a technology validation city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, with plans to launch around 2027. Among them, the "GR GT" will be the first to feature a 4.0L V8 engine, while the hybrid "Prius" introduces a large-displacement engine under environmental regulations, aiming to create a top-tier sports car.

President Trump’s demand for Greenland has sparked tensions with eight European countries, potentially leading to the disintegration of NATO. Expert Ian Bremmer believes that Trump’s actions stem from personal vanity and lack of domestic support. If pressure continues, Europe may turn to cooperate with China.

The CEO of Moonshot AI, a Chinese company developing generative AI "Kimi K2.5," Yang Zhilin, stated on March 17th that open-source models are approaching the cutting edge. Moonshot AI adopts an open-source approach, demonstrating a counterbalance to the predominantly closed-source models in the U.S. (Note: This article is translated from the original Japanese manuscript.)
Yang Zhilin attended NVIDIA's annual tech event "GTC" held in San Jose, California. He delivered a speech titled "How We Scaled Kimi K2.5." Since its public release in January, Kimi K2.5 has attracted attention for its high performance.
Yang Zhilin pointed out that one of their goals is to develop better open-source models. They believe in the democratization of intelligence. He also emphasized the advantage that it is not used as a black box but allows access to all aspects of the model.

The Japanese government will provide Malaysia with rare earth mining technology support, planning to offer equipment and environmental protection technology cooperation through ODA projects, aiming to diversify rare earth procurement channels. This is the first collaboration between the two countries in this field, with experts dispatched to promote the project and plans to invite Malaysian technicians to Japan for training.

Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, and Japan responds cautiously. The Chief Cabinet Secretary stated that it has not been recognized as a major impact event or a crisis of existence, a concept originating from the 2015 security law.