Labour movement renews calls for more funding for training programmes amid job security concerns

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Prior to the release of the annual Budget on February 18th, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is pressing for more funding for company-led coaching programs over the next five years.

One in three Singapore are concerned about their job security in the upcoming three times, according to a new NTUC study.

By 2032, 70 % of Singapore’s workforce will need to undergo coaching or mentoring, according to a report from the World Economic Forum, and 60 % of Singapore companies identified skill gaps as barriers to their company transformation efforts.

” NEEDLE-MOVING INITIATIVE”

Ng Chee Meng, the head of the NTUC, reiterated the demands made by the labor movement for more government funding for the Company Training Committee ( CTC ) grant, which aids businesses in transforming their operations in order to attract and retain staff.

Since the grant was launched in 2022, 85 per cent of the initial S$ 100 million ( US$ 75 million ) has been used for approved projects to support about 7, 000 workers.

Mr Ng said “anything important” in terms of extra money may become “useful”, though he did not give a distinct figure.

He had first made a demand for more state funding next month at a NTUC-organized work good.

Calling the CTC grant a “needle-moving initiative”, Mr Ng said NTUC and employers have “done good work to promote workers ‘ wages ( and ) workers ‘ employability, in conjunction with better businesses”.

” Productivity benefits have allowed employees to have, on average, 5 per share wage rises over the monthly increments. And this is not just for blue collar workers, but also for PMEs ( experts, managers and executives )”, he added.

So we hope the government will approve the CTC offer so that we can expand our work on the ground.

Job placements for PMEs and skilled technicians by NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i ) almost doubled from 8, 800 in 2023 to 17, 000 last year, said NTUC in an update.

In the same way, the proportion of PME job seekers who turned to e2i for assistance increased from 45 to 61 % between the last quarter of 2023 and the same period last year.

MENTORSHIP PILOT

In an effort to join employees with coaches for skills and career direction, NTUC also announced on Thursday that it will captain a program called the Company Mentorship Circle.

Under the program, unionised businesses will be able to touch 1, 200 coaches and experienced business leaders in the NTUC Mentors Network.

The unions for medical services employees, No engineering staff, and United Workers of Electronic and Electrical Industries will join this.

In due course, more information about when and how much the captain will begin may be made available.

Moving forward, Mr Ng told investigators that he hopes to work with the government and employers to table Singapore’s development.

He reaffirmed the labor group’s dedication to improve PMEs ‘ ability to advance career advancement and job security.

Many of these programs will be implemented by NTUC in collaboration with our bilateral lovers. In the grand scheme of things, he said,” We are looking forward to the Budget also for the government to share what might be the growth strategies for Singapore.”

“( This is ) to allow our tripartite partners to rally behind those policies and give us the best chance to have a robust economy with flourishing businesses, and to ensure that our workers can make a good living.”

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Commercial diving association calls for licensing system for firms following fatal incidents

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Underwater welding is a requirement when a dispatch experiences underground damage that may cause water to enter the vessel as part of the operations that the divers undertake.

Challenging conditions in such circumstances, like small presence, are what distinguish business leaping from outdoor swimming, Mr Kumar noted.

Growing Expenses

Rising prices have even plagued the economy, he said. This includes sending swimmers for education or refresher training, making sure technology is up to line, and making sure equipment is.

The cost of equipment preservation has gone up by at least 5 to 10 per cent year-on-year in recent years, which may add up to millions of dollars, Mr Kumar added.

Mr. Chee cited the industry’s transformations in terms of workforce as a result of the pandemic.

When the market started to recover, we did witness a lot of professional divers who were likely to have lost that kind of expertise and needed a refresher. ( There were also ) new entrants ( who ) needed to undergo requisite training”.

The association reported that demand for corporate diving services has also increased as vessel arrivals have reached new highs in Singapore’s ports in the past two years.

More businesses are joining the beneficial sector as well.

That encourages a lot of business persons to dive, but they may or may not adhere to all facets of swimming. A real investor would be more averse to investing in a swimming company with their experience and finances, as a result. &nbsp,

” That kind of a installation is lasting and would provide a steady, healthy procedure,” Mr Kumar noted.

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Trump skeptical of calls for a complete DeepSeek ban – Asia Times

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The success of DeepSeek’s launch of a low-cost bot has sparked growing calling to outlaw Chinese AI tools in the United States, sprinkling the British IT community. This year, Virginia and New York announced their intention to outlaw DeepSeek on government-issued products. On January 31st, Texas made the identical announcement. &nbsp,

” China’s DeepSeek AI poses a menace to the security and safety of the members of the Commonwealth of Virginia”, said Glenn Youngkin, governor of Virginia. The Virginia state required express people who downloaded the DeepSeek software to eradicate it from government products by Wednesday.” We may continue to take steps to safeguard our functions and information from the Chinese Communist Party.” &nbsp,

According to some media outlets, DeepSeek could be subject to a perfect US restrictions, which would make it illegal for anyone in the US to access it, similar to what TikTok did on January 19th.

President Donald Trump, but, has indicated he sees DeepSeek’s development as more of an asset than a national security threat to the US. &nbsp,

” Over the past few weeks, I’ve been reading about China and some of the Chinese businesses, one of which is developing a much less expensive and faster AI approach, which is great because you don’t have to spend as much money,” he said on January 28. ” I view that as a good, as an asset”.

The launch of DeepSeek AI from a Chinese firm may serve as a wake-up contact for our industries because we need to get relentlessly focused on advancing because we have the best scientists in the world,” he continued. &nbsp,

” It’s a technology that’s happening. I think we’re going to gain. If it’s appropriate, what’s going on now is that the Artificial we’re talking about will be a bit less expensive than individuals initially thought. That’s a good thing. I view that as a very good growth, never a bad enhancement”, Trump told a reporter on February 8. &nbsp,

Trump stated in October that he preferred the US Congress to determine whether to implement TikTok in 2020. &nbsp,

” I said to Congress: It’s your determination. I’m not going to take any chords”, Trump explained. They made the decision not to make it. I did not worry if they made it or not that, to me, it was a flip of a coin. You have some actual First Amendment dilemmas”.

” Honestly, I think all a danger”, he said. ” There’s nothing that’s not a threat, but sometimes you have to fight through these threats”. He continued, noting that Google had treated him badly, but that he would never attempt to sever it or split it. &nbsp,

US lawmakers ‘ costs

On February 6, two US Representatives, Democrat Josh Gottheimer and Republican Darin LaHood, introduced the nonpartisan” No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act“, which may prevent federal employees from using DeepSeek on government-issued products. &nbsp,

The Chinese Communist Party has made it abundantly clear that it will use any means at its leisure to denigrate our national security, spread dangerous deception, and gather information about Americans, according to Gottheimer. We now have incredibly unsettling proof that they are using DeepSeek to spoof the sensitive information of US residents.

Wiz Research reported last month that it had found a DeepSeek database with interact history, underground keys, server details, and other sensitive data. &nbsp,

The Republican Senator Josh Hawley introduced a costs titled” Decoupling America’s Artificial Intelligence Capabilities from China Act of 2025,” which would outlaw the import and export of relational AI systems or intellectual property. He claimed a$ 1 million fine or a sentence to 20 years in prison should be the maximum punishment. &nbsp,

Some internet sources, however, claimed that Hawley wants anyone who downloaded DeepSeek to spend 20 years in prison. &nbsp,

Foreign students and employees should be aware of the potential legal hazard when using DeepSeek in the US, according to some Chinese critics. &nbsp,

‘ Information distillation’&nbsp,

It is no solution that DeepSeek used the “knowledge evaporation” process to teach its AI design.

In this method, DeepSeek can be understood as a student who keeps asking questions to a competent teacher, for instance ChatGPT, and uses the solutions to fine-tune its logic. At some point, DeepSeek will be as bright as ChatGPT. This procedure uses significantly less processing power than ChatGPT was trained by OpenAI. &nbsp,

The concept of using “knowledge distillation” was first suggested by Geoffrey Hinton, a British-Canadian computer scientist and cognitive psychologist known as the” Godfather of AI”, in a 2015 academic paper,” Distilling the Knowledge in a Neural Network” ,&nbsp,

He compared AI training to a caterpillar ( an original AI model ) consuming a lot of leaves ( data ) before turning into a pupa. However, it may be a butterfly ( a boiled version ) to sail away and partner. &nbsp,

According to some researchers, ChatGPT 4o is now a modified version of ChatGPT-4 Turbo, its predecessor. They claimed that DeepSeek’s surge could encourage competition and make OpenAI more capable of providing better services to users.

Antitrust conversations

In an essay published by the New York Times on February 4, Lina Khan, former head of the US Federal Trade Commission, claims that the US may continue to support the growth of the AI market. &nbsp, &nbsp,

” DeepSeek is the canary in the coal me,” the saying goes. It’s warning us that when there isn’t enough opposition, our technology sector grows susceptible to its Chinese competitors, threatening US political strength in the 21st century”, Khan says. &nbsp,

US tech giants may refresh their requests for the government to give them specific protections that would stifle markets and enshrine their authority in the upcoming weeks and months,” she says. ” Politicians and officials should be watchful.”

” The best way for the US to be away globally is by promoting opposition at home,” she continues.

However, IT blog Noah Smith says Khan misunderstood the US AI business, which is “incredibly economical”. He says that while emphasizing competitors, Khan simply wants the US to avoid using export controls to curb China’s Artificial business. He claims that Khan is making the case that the US may not impose trade controls to impede China’s AI industry.

He claims that Khan refutes herself by arguing both that she and Khan are.

  • Chinese AI firms with weaker rivals won’t be able to compete with US counterparts to increase, and that’s because of that.
  • this will ultimately result to China’s success in the world Artificial competition.

Howard Lutnick, the candidate for US Commerce Secretary, criticized DeepSeek for stealing US systems in a reading on January 29 without raising any issues with national security.

He promised to coordinate and give the Bureau of Industry and Security ( BIS )’s export controls and tariffs authority to stop China from using American tools to compete with the US. &nbsp,

After all, according to some observers, merely export controls and tariffs, no hypothetical discussions about national protection risks, can encourage foreign US companies and businesses to invest in the US.

The Asia Times has Yong Jian as a contribution. He is a Chinese blogger who specializes in Chinese technologies, economy and politics. &nbsp,

Read: To later, US Commerce candidate calls DeepSeek a systems’ thief’

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Commentary: As DeepSeek shakes up AI, what’s next for Malaysia’s data centre dreams?

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THE Excellent CATCH-UP

But, there are arguments to refute the claim that this is not one of those situations, and it is possible that the same may occur.

First, our knowledge of DeepSeek may become inadequate. The single pre-training expense at the reported US$ 6 million was for pre-training, not the entire R&amp, D cost. Although US$ 6 million is still less than the US counterparts ‘ pre-training budget, the difference is in the thousands rather than the trillions as claimed.

Experts who monitor export controls have made the same speculacies about DeepSeek having access to tens of thousands of border Nvidia cards, some of whom are not all of the highest specs. According to Semianalysis ‘ experts, DeepSeek’s technology spend is” properly over US$ 500 million over the firm story.” This indicates that both the general R&amp, D costs and the hardware and software needed have no significantly decreased.

Second, perhaps with DeepSeek’s value efficiency gains, it might not weaken infrastructure investments. Dario Amodei, CEO of one of the border LLM businesses, Anthropic, argues that the notion of” second everything is expensive, then it gets cheaper” does not use to AI.

He stated that in the past, when prices go lower due to advancement ( or when the “scaling curve transitions”, in specialized terms ), businesses end up spending more, rather than less on training concepts. The logic is that the price of higher-performance AI significantly outweighs any expense savings, so firms reinvest those savings into more sophisticated AI growth, rather than reduce infrastructure investments.

Third, greater productivity was increase demand. Some businesses may lower the barrier to entry because of DeepSeek’s efficiency, which allows them to create or employ applications using the model. This is very dependent on how effective the concept, and its smaller varieties, are embedded in other daily tools, and how much this is used by customers.

What DeepSeek does is to make an opportunity and possibility. It overtook Alibaba for 2024 as the best AI concept, and it has now surpassed OpenAI in the field of frontier AI models. This so-called “great catch-up” is only the start. Either approach, Malaysia’s wager on AI-driven system will soon be put to the test.

Sang Kancil ( Penguin Random House ) is the author and social scientist James Chai writes.

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From chatbot to sexbot: lessons from Korea’s AI hate-speech fiasco – Asia Times

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The techniques of governing businesses and websites continue to raise ethical and legal issues as artificial intelligence technologies advance at rapid pace.

Many Canadians view proposed laws regulating AI offerings as assaults on free speech and excessive state control over software companies. This reaction has come from free speech activists, right-wing images and liberal thought officials.

However, these critics ought to pay attention to a heartbreaking North Korean circumstance that teaches crucial lessons about the dangers of AI that can be viewed from the perspective of the general public and the crucial need for customer data protection.

In late 2020, Iruda ( or” Lee Luda” ), an AI chatbot, quickly became a sensation in South Korea. Artificial bots are computer initiatives that simulate conversations with people. In this case, the bot was designed as a 21-year-old women school student with a cheerful personality. Marketed as an interesting” AI friend”, Iruda attracted more than 750, 000 people in under a month.

Iruda quickly turned into an ethics case investigation and a tool for addressing South Korea’s lack of data management. Soon, she began to use disturbing language and hold nasty views. The growing trend of online sexual harassment and discrimination was exacerbated and accelerated by the condition.

Making a discriminatory, cruel bot

The tech company that founded Iruda, Scatter Lab, had already created well-known apps that looked at text messages and offered dating advice. The company subsequently used data from those software to teach Iruda’s capabilities in intimate interactions. However, it failed to fully explain to customers how their private messages would be used to teach the robot.

Customers noticed Iruda repeating personal conversations straight from the company’s dating advice applications, which caused the issues. These reactions included curiously true names, credit card information and house names, leading to an investigation.

Additionally, the bot began to express cruel and unfair opinions. This occurred after some people purposefully” trained” it with harmful language, according to studies by internet retailers. On well-known online people’s boards, some consumers even wrote user manuals on how to create Iruda a” sex slave.” Thus, Iruda began answering customer causes with sexist, racist and gendered hate speech.

Poor old Iruda Image: Scatter Lab

This raised important questions about the operations of AI and it firms. Beyond just law and policy, the Iruda event raises questions for AI and it companies. In a wider perspective of North Korean virtual sexual harassment, what transpired with Iruda needs to be considered.

A design of online harassment

North Korean female researchers have documented how online platforms have evolved into staging areas for gender-based issues, with coordinated campaigns aimed at women who speak out on female issues. Social media amplifies these dynamics, creating what researcher in Korea calls “networked misogyny” ( networked misogyny ).

South Korea, home to the radical feminist 4B movement ( which stands for four types of refusal against men: no dating, marriage, sex or children ), provides an early example of the intensified gender-based conversations that are commonly seen online worldwide. According to journalist Hawon Jung, the corruption and abuse that Iruda exposed was the result of existing social conflicts and outdated legal frameworks that refused to address website sexism. Jung has written extensively about the decades-long battle to bring charges against those who use secret monitors and commit revenge video.

Beyond protection: The mortal cost

Of training, Iruda was just one event. Many other instances have been made that show how unchecked and inappropriately omitted applications like AI chatbots may become tools for harassment and abuse.

These include Microsoft’s Tay. ai in 2016, which was manipulated by users to post cruel and racist comments. More recently, a specialty bot on Character. AI was linked to a child’s murder.

Chatbots are uniquely positioned to remove incredibly private information from their customers, making them appear like likeable characters that feel more mortal as technology develops.

These endearing and cordial AI figures best illustrate what technology experts Neda Atanasoski and Kalindi Vora refer to as the rationale of” surrogate society,” in which AI systems are intended to replace human interaction but end up exacerbate existing social inequalities.

AI morals

In South Korea, Iruda’s shutdown sparked a national conversation about AI morals and data rights. The government responded by creating new AI guidelines and fining Scatter Lab 103 million won (US$71,000).

Chea Yun Jung and Kyun Kyong Joo, two Asian legal scholars, note that these procedures focused more on self-regulation in the technology sector than on more fundamental structural problems. The steps did not address how profound learning systems used by predatory adult users to spread gender-based rage and misogynist beliefs.

Unfortunately, looking at AI rules as a business issue is simply not enough. Feminist and community-based viewpoints are necessary for holding technology companies guilty because of the method these chatbots extract personal data and establish relationships with people users.

Scatter Lab has collaborated with experts to show the advantages of bots since this occurrence.

A more recent type of Iruda is displayed below. Image: Scatter Lab

In Canada, the proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act and Online Harms Act are still being shaped, and the limitations of what constitutes a “high-impact” Artificial system remain unknown.

American policymakers must find frameworks that both safeguard development and prevent systemic abuse from developers and vile users. This entails developing explicit rules for data consent, putting in place safeguards to prevent abuse, and putting together valuable accountability standards.

These aspects will only get more important as AI becomes more and more prevalent in daily life. The Iruda event demonstrates that when it comes to AI regulation, we must consider the very real people effects of these technologies in addition to professional specifications.

At the University of Toronto, Jul Parke is pursuing a PhD in advertising, systems, and lifestyle.

This content was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original content.

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Japan goes for broke with trillion Trump bet – Asia Times

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In an effort to prevent slowing China’s expansion and recession, Japan Inc.’s foreign direct investment in the US reached a record substantial of US$ 77.3 billion in 2024.

However, as Japan tries to protect itself from an even bigger financial string, Donald Trump’s business battle wrath as the US senator makes Asia the first stop on his tax punishment journey, America hasn’t seen anything yet.

Shigeru Ishiba, the prime minister of Japan, announced last week that his country would invest about$ 1 trillion in the US from$ 783 billion at the start of 2024.

To set that titanically huge number in view, it’s almost the same amount of Tokyo’s US Treasury security assets. And it raises a clear question: Does Japan Inc. truly believe the US market is a purchase, or are CEOs handing over the business equivalent of ransom money in hopes that Trump’s 2.0 president doesn’t devastate them?

Chances are, it’s far more the latter than the previous. Japan is right in the middle of the collateral damage territory, despite the fact that Trump’s tax arms race is primarily focused on China. And Ishiba’s Oval Office attend on February 7 served as a reminder of the dangers of trusting” Trumponomics”.

As Ishiba flew up from Washington, he claimed to have a “deal” with Trump on Nippon Steel’s effort to acquire US Steel. Team Ishiba purchased the business in exchange for a share of the classic American firm, giving them exclusive ownership of the business. Now, that assumption seems more roll than fact.

Trump basically made the teasing of the Nippon-US Steel deal seem linguistic rather than concrete when he was seated next to Ishiba in the White House. Nippon, he said, is “going to do a great investment. I didn’t want]US Steel ] purchased, but investment I love. I’m fine with it, positive”.

Nevertheless, Ishiba’s nation seems okay with a 22 % increase in Japan’s 2023-level bet on the US. Chinese companies are eying opportunities in sectors including semiconductors, unnatural intelligence, autos and vehicles products, liquefied natural gas, chemicals, manufacturing-related research and development, system, funding and others.

Despite Trump 2.0 throwing a wrecking ball at the economic scaffolding that keep it on the street, it does so. Trump’s policies may have a negative impact on America’s credit rating because of how he wants to lower taxes, abuse the rule of law, and obstruct the US Federal Reserve’s democracy.

Elon Musk and his group of it bros, who are Tesla billionaires, may also reduce confidence in US assets by allowing them to demolish government structures and entry sensitive data. Especially after learning that Musk and his supporters had access to the federal payments program, Scott Bessent, the novel Treasury Secretary, was reportedly viewed as a moderating power in MAGA Land.

In a new New York Times op-ed, five former Treasury leaders raised” large cause for concern” that Washington’s economic agreements and procedures may be “unlawfully” undermined. Any tinge of the selective expulsion of congressionally authorized payments may constitute a breach of trust and, in the end, a default. And our trust, once lost, may prove hard to regain”, they argued.

Bottom line:” No Treasury Secretary in their first weeks in office should be put in the position where it is necessary to reassure the nation and the world of our payment system or our commitment to make good on our financial obligations,” Bessent’s predecessors warn.

For today, Ishiba’s government is focused on the good. In his efforts to protect Japan from Trump’s taxes, Ishiba stressed that his nation is already the nation’s biggest US trader. Not just in US Treasuries, but also the biggest investment in corporate America for five decades.

” Japan is the closest financial partner of the United States”, Ishiba said. Toyota and Isuzu, two of Japan’s biggest automakers, are making ambitious plans for fresh US manufacturer construction, according to Ishiba. Additionally, he promised a significant increase in LNG payments.

All of this is in line with SoftBank’s incredible funding strategies for the US. Over the next four years, CEO Masayoshi Son says he’ll invest at least$ 100 billion into the US. Many of these opportunities will be synthetic intelligence-related, winning pursuit with a White House good to have the approach of China’s DeepSeek AI business.

But the measurement that most hobbies Trump is Tokyo’s trade deficit. Trump pressed Japan to close its$ 100 billion trade pact with Washington last week when the US leader sat down with Ishiba.

As last year’s tete-a-tete wrapped away, Trump told investigators he’d be prepared to smack tariffs on Tokyo if the deficit isn’t reversed. Team Trump makes hints as to add a punctuation to the point that the US currently enjoys a trade deficit with Australia, which will be subject to recently imposed 25 % metal tariffs.

The Liberal Democratic Party’s deficit continues to be a significant issue. A weak yen has been the ruling LDP’s most steady economic plan over the past 25 years, making Asian returns mostly export-driven affairs.

Enter Trump, whose administration is already objecting to Japan’s underwhelming imports.

Given the economic risks, Ishiba’s$ 1 trillion pledge sounds more like an insurance against high tariffs than assurance that the US will be a welcome investment destination once Trump 2.0 leaves in 2029.

” While Japan may not avoid all the effects of future US tariff policies, Tokyo may avoid the targeted treatment seen with countries like Canada, Mexico, and China”, James Brady, vice president of Teneo, said in a Saturday note.

Because it appears to enjoy the status of one of Trump’s most favored nations, it may even hope for more lenient trade treatment than other major economies.

The Bank of Japan is tightening its grip on inflation, much of it caused by a weak exchange rate, thining the plot. Unsettling both households and businesses are the highest short-term rates in 17 years.

The rising cost of borrowing is also having a chilling impact on business sentiment. That might undermine government efforts to accelerate wage growth. Or, at the very least, ensure that wage gains keep pace with the rate of inflation.

All of this leaves Japan with a number of already-existing issues that will affect the upcoming Trumpian storm. Retail sales are soft even before Trump’s broader trade war arrives. And the 10 % levies Trump&nbsp, has slapped on China so far could be but a taste of what’s to come.

Had Ishiba’s party acted urgently to reduce bureaucracy, incentivize a startup boom, modernize labor markets, empower women or increase productivity, Japan might be less vulnerable to Trump’s trade war.

Tokyo is beginning to realize that 25 plus years of zero rates have turned out badly because of this last obstacle. The real monetary fireworks started in 2013, despite the BOJ’s experimentation with zero rates dating back to 1999.

The government urged the BOJ to launch its quantitative easing experiment in a different direction that year. Through exchange-traded funds, the BOJ actively hoarded government bonds and stocks. By 2018, &nbsp, the&nbsp, BOJ’s balance sheet&nbsp, topped&nbsp, the&nbsp, size of Japan’s annual gross domestic product ( GDP ).

Trouble is, the resulting plunge in&nbsp, the&nbsp, yen &nbsp, is now coming back to haunt Tokyo.

” A weaker yen means it takes more yen to buy the same amount of food or oil as before”, says Richard&nbsp, Katz, author of” The Contest for Japan’s Economic Future”. Imported inflation, according to the report, “has caused political pressure to try to stop the yen from weakening even more” ( poena ).

It also deadened&nbsp, the&nbsp, urgency&nbsp, for lawmakers to level playing fields and increase competitiveness. It took pressure off corporate CEOs to innovate, restructure, disrupt and boost productivity.

The International Monetary Fund claims that Japan’s economy’s overall factor productivity growth has been sluggish for ten years and has fallen even further behind the United States in its most recent assessment of the country. Productivity has been hampered by a steady decline in allocative efficiency since the early 2000s, which most likely reflects an increase in market frictions.

What’s more, the IMF notes,” Japan’s ultra-low interest rates may have allowed low-productivity firms to survive longer than they otherwise would have, delaying necessary economic restructuring. Improved labor mobility across companies would improve Japan’s overall efficiency and productivity.

However, it’s unclear how much political capital Ishiba has to reinvigorate the reform process with his&nbsp, approval ratings in the 30s. Or, to convince Trump he’s a worthy sparring partner.

” Ishiba’s weak political standing may also be a liability, as Trump tends to respect strong leaders”, says David Boling, an analyst at Eurasia Group, a risk consultancy.

Boling notes that Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister from 2012 to 2020, “enjoyed comfortable majorities in the national parliament when he was prime minister, so he could negotiate with Trump from a position of political strength, but&nbsp, Ishiba&nbsp, does not enjoy that luxury”.

As Japan’s economy runs into fresh headwinds, accelerating the structural upgrade process will become more and more important.

Not surprisingly, Ishiba’s Trade Minister Yoji Muto is lobbying Trump World for a pass on Washington’s 25 % taxes on steel and aluminum. Yet Tokyo’s real challenge may be getting past Trump’s trade advisors, led by anti-globalization activist Peter Navarro.

Navarro contends that the US aluminum market is being harmed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s economy, despite Trump’s hints that Australia might be granted a waiver. ” Australia is just killing our aluminum market”, Navarro told CNN. ” President Trump says no, no, we’re not, we’re not doing that anymore”.

All this uncertainty could leave Japan Inc&nbsp, pledging big US-based investments with buyers ‘ remorse. The consumer price index increased by 0.5 %, increasing the annual inflation rate by 3 %, as US inflation increased once more in January.

” This is not a good number”, says economist Brian Coulton at Fitch Ratings. It shows how the Federal Reserve is still working to reduce inflation as new risks from tariff increases and labor supply growth squeeze new levels emerge.

It will undoubtedly make hopes that the Fed will cut interest rates in 2025 more difficult. In fact, it supports the claim that the Fed is more likely to tighten than relax next.

This makes things even more disorienting in corporate boardrooms in Tokyo and New York. Japanese leaders might have more trouble making good on US investment pledges as the year progresses and economic trajectories turn sour.

Case in point: Son’s SoftBank swinging to a surprising$ 2.4 billion loss in the October-December quarter as its Vision Fund investment went awry. It prompted fresh concerns about Son’s ability to fulfill his commitments to invest$ 500 billion in the Stargate AI project, which Trump announced last month at a glittering White House event.

The news led Fitch company CreditSights to downgrade SoftBank’s US dollar and Eurobonds to “underperform” from “market perform”. As CreditSights analyst Mary Pollock puts it,” we think there’s more scope for downside, as]SoftBank Group ] is clearly willing and able to ramp investment” by resorting to project finance funding strategies.

For now, Ishiba’s economy has a decent US investment story to sell Trump. Toyota Tsusho, a division of Toyota Motor, is building a roughly$ 14 billion battery factory in North Carolina that could start shipping in April. Honda Motor plans to start producing electric vehicles in the US soon and is investing$ 1 billion in upgrading its Ohio production facility.

Resonac Holdings, a Japanese materials maker, is eyeing land in Silicon Valley to assemble cutting-edge chips. This year, Sumitomo Chemical will start a mass production facility in Texas to put itself at the forefront of the newly revitalized US chipmaking supply chains.

Nissin Foods Holdings, the world’s largest instant ramen company, will open its first new US factory in almost 50 years in August. By the end of the year, soybean-soy sauce snob Kikkoman plans to begin shipping from Wisconsin.

And so on, and so on. The question, of course, is whether the macroeconomic trajectory of the US can stay on the rails these next four years. Markets might not cooperate as Trump and Musk upend government agencies and cause chaos.

A US national debt of up to$ 36 trillion is at a time when Trump threatens to veer off the Fed’s mandate, slack the dollar, and impose a wave of tariffs that the world’s financial system might not anticipate.

Japan Inc. can run, hide and try to limit the fallout. But no Asian economy, friend or foe, can likely escape the Trump 2.0 onslaught on free trade to come.

Follow William Pesek on X at @WilliamPesek

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India and France plan to develop small modular nuclear reactors

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After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to India, the country’s foreign government announced that India and France would collaborate on the creation of smaller, compact nuclear reactor.

Modi and Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, put a spotlight on the value of nuclear power for” strengthening energy security” and moving toward a “low-carbon business.”

It comes weeks after Delhi announced plans to alter its tight nuclear duty law, which holds owners responsible for mishaps or incidents and is to blame for delays to previous nuclear jobs.

Modi is scheduled to discuss possible US firm opportunities in nuclear energy during his Thursday trip to Washington.

The Delhi and Paris will create both developed and smaller modular reactors for legal use, according to India’s foreign government.

These units can be constructed in businesses and transported to places where they can be assembled and installed.

They are significantly smaller than conventional nuclear reactors, do not require large tracts of land, or considerable system, and are not expensive.

Vikram Misri, the Indian foreign secretary, stated that the goal was to” cooperation” because flexible boiler technology was” still in its original stages.”

” We intend to be able to engage in co-designing the units, co-developing them and co-producing them, we feel this will allow us to address problems faced in various standard jobs”, he said.

The proposed agreement indicates a change in India’s atomic energy strategy.

Modi’s state, originally known for stringent regulation of nuclear energy, appears to be opening up to greater international assistance and personal business involvement.

In a statement released earlier this month, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman set ambitious goals for atomic power, with the intention of producing 100GW of the fuel by 2047.

More than$ 2 billion ( £1.6 billion ) has been set aside for nuclear research and development, the majority of which will be used to develop five indigenous reactors by 2033.

India’s cooperation with France on atomic power has changed as a result of the focus on small compact units.

In northern Maharashtra, India, the two nations had originally planned to construct the largest nuclear facility in the world.

The project has, however, been held up for more than a decade, mainly because of clauses introduced to India’s nuclear liability law following accusations that India had previously let Western companies off the hook over the devastating 1984 gas leak from a pesticide factory in the city of Bhopal as well as concerns over nuclear safety in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.

Modi is currently traveling to the US for a two-day attend where he will meet with business leaders and President Donald Trump.

Hardeep Puri, the head of India’s federal oil ministry, made the apprehension that nuclear energy would be on the officials ‘ plan earlier this year.

On the day of the AI Summit in Paris on Tuesday, US Vice-President JD Vance met with Modi and discussed techniques that Washington could invest in American nuclear technology to help Delhi extend its power sources.

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The silver linings in Trump’s trade war storm clouds – Asia Times

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In: Asia

Trade colleagues including China, Canada, Mexico, and the US fast experienced waves of punitive measures as a result of US taxes, both threatened and imposed. The latest commodities in the sights of President Donald Trump are steel and aluminum – with&nbsp, tariffs of 25 % &nbsp, announced for all imports.

But not only do these fees destroy well-established trade flows, they ignite problems over the very prospect of modernization.

But amid this doubt, it’s possible that there may be a silver lining. Trump may unintentionally become opening the door for the creation of new financial blocs and a restructuring of trade relationships. These assistance opportunities could lead to stronger, locally focused economic assistance.

The underlying principles of the weight type of trade are undermined by Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on its main trading partners. This theory claims that trade between two countries is generally affected by their financial size and proximity.

For example, introducing tariffs to the US and Canada’s near economic relationship, which is supported by their shared border, essentially reduces bilateral trade in terms of costs and volume.

However, these problems can unwittingly encourage the growth of business relationships. Companies and governments may begin looking for new markets and other supply chains as they try to reduce the risks posed by tariffs. This could eventually result in a more distributed and, possibly, more secure global trade system.

However, as Trump continues to exercise his legal authority, he is beginning to realize that it is not always so simple to defy weight. Now, the president has dialed down levies on Canada and Mexico, while China has struck again with punitive actions.

The consolidation of local partnerships might be a positive outcome of the trade war. Nations are increasingly encouraged to develop relationships with surrounding economy as traditional business moves are disrupted.

North American view

The US has much viewed Canada and Mexico as their normal trading partners, and they may cooperate to expand their economic cooperation. They might even look into pursuing new industry, strengthening ties with China and Japan, and pursuing bilateral treaties with other partners.

The USMCA ( United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement ) provides a strong foundation for trade. However, attempts to break up this arrangement was cause Canada and Mexico to accelerate efforts to consolidate economic ties with different regions, lowering their exposure to the US market.

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Trump makes his ideas for imposing massive metal tariffs on “everyone.”

Trump’s proposed steel tariffs have the potential to destroy the USMCA.

After all, it is intended to promote low-tariff economic assistance among the three nations and integrated supply stores. This is likely to worsen trade tensions across the bloc, causing the vital terms of the trade agreement to be revised, and destabilizing existing relationships.

The EU’s taxes may encourage more regional integration, according to the EU’s member states. The EU may expand initiatives aimed at harmonising regulations, promoting intra-European supply chains, and responding to new pressures from the US.

Member state, with France at the forefront, are now advocating for a united reaction to counter US protectionism. They want to show that they are willing to put pressure on Trump with a powerful political will.

China, as the world’s second-largest business behind the US, may get to increase its business associations in the Asia-Pacific area and above. As China’s economic development model is export-led, it does get stronger partnerships with local players and invest in new business contracts. This might lead to an even more diverse Eastern financial area.

A fresh economic get

Whatever else occurs, these price war indicate a reorganization of the world’s economy. For disruptions, though terrible in the short term, can produce long-term changes that rebalance financial systems.

The normal trading partner assumption confirms this view by highlighting how nations with similar cultural, historical, and geographic relationships are more likely to enhance their economic relations in the face of external surprises.

Tables of US business

table showing Canada and Mexico as biggest importers into US
Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis ( 2025 ) Author provided

Traditional powers may find themselves battling off consolidated responses from other countries in this new world order. By imposing taxes, the US runs the risk of isolating itself from these emerging alliances, and its main trading partners may come together to try to counteract rising American protectionism.

The impact of the US price dispute has important implications for global trade networks, going beyond the countries that are directly affected. For the UK, currently coping with the aftermath of Brexit, this new culture offers both problems and opportunities.

The UK could profit from the disruption of US-led isolationism by forging stronger relationships with the Union and looking deeper into its Commonwealth relationships.

It may strengthen its standing as a gateway for global trade while preserving its partnership with the US. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and managing Trump are expected to be in business for four times, so it is a delicate balancing act.

A word of caution: the negotiation of international trade agreements takes time and effort. The UK has learned a valuable lessons from this. Its trade with the EU ( its most important commercial partner ) shrank after Brexit, driving the quest for new trading partners and agreements. But these crops are slower to occur.

The UK signed the accession process in July 2023, but the country officially requested it in February of that year.

And remember that after two years of negotiations, the UK and Canada stopped their trade talks in 2024 because there were differences over the requirements for some agricultural goods.

Levies come with difficulties, but they could also represent the start of a gradual, painful transition toward a more healthy and strong international economic order.

Scott Mahadeo is senior teacher in Macroeconomics, University of Portsmouth, Gabriella Legrenzi is senior lecturer in finance, Keele University, and Reinhold Heinlein is senior lecturer in finance, University of the West of England

This content was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original post.

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