PRE-MARKET JAPANESE STOCKS NEWS: SoftBank (9984 JT) CEO Son said even he is concerned about AI safety risks as machines rapidly gain more capabilities; South Korean markets are closed for holiday

Honda Motor (7267 JT) - Hyundai Motor (005380 KS) overtook the Co. for the first time in US hybrid vehicle sales during H1. (Nikkei) Kawasaki Heavy Industries (7012 JT) - Co. plans to launch a fully autonomous humanoid AI robot as soon as 2030, using a physical AI platform under development in Japan. (Nikkei) Nippon Paint Holdings (4612 JT) - Co. is to acquire AkzoNobel's Southeast Asia decorative paints business for USD 1.35bln. (FT) SoftBank Group (9984 JT) - Co. CEO Masayoshi Son said even he is concerned about AI safety risks as machines rapidly gain more capabilities. (Newswires) Sumitomo Corp. (8053 JT) - Co. plans to invest JPY 50bln in India. (Newswires) Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings (9501 JT) - Co. is among Japanese utilities tightening electricity supply rules for data centres to curb capacity squatting. (Nikkei) Insurers Nippon Life Insurance is set to benefit from US affiliate Corebridge Financial's merger with Equitable Holdings through expanded product development and asset management opportunities. (Nikkei) Japan's Financial Services Agency is preparing to issue a business suspension order against Prudential Life Insurance following widespread customer fund misappropriation cases. (Nikkei) Tech Rapidus will partner with 17 companies, including Toshiba, to help clients design advanced semiconductors and expand its potential chip fabrication customer base. (Nikkei) Defence Japan plans to develop a lower-cost, long-range cruise missile using civilian components that can be deployed in large numbers to overwhelm air defences. (Nikkei) Other News Japanese Finance Minister Katayama said the FX trend has changed somewhat since the joint FX intervention was announced, while she added that US Treasury Secretary Bessent has questioned whether the Japanese government has been sending a unified message to markets. (Newswires)