Alliances & Technology Transfer

The heads of six central banks and the Bank for International Settlements in mid-April will hold their first meeting on developing their own digital currencies, which can serve as alternatives to Facebook's Libra or the digital yuan.

The venture capital arm of Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings is diversifying its sources of funding by tapping an unusual group of Japanese companies and government agencies to fuel its global expansion at a time when many other investors feel skittish about cooling tech valuations.

Japan will support the construction of liquefied natural gas terminals across Asia, aiming to take a leading presence in the expanding market before its position as world's largest buyer is overtaken by China in the near future.

Daiwa House Industry is teaming up with Nike to launch smart distribution centers where robots whisk racks of items to workers for packing.

General contractor Obayashi will build a hydroponic vegetable factory in northern Indonesia, growing cherry tomatoes and leafy greens such as kale through a partnership with Singaporean investment firm Gallant Venture.

SoftBank Group is making a push for self-driving buses in Japan, unveiling on Monday a plan to carry passengers on public roads from April.

Japan and Poland agreed Tuesday to deepen cooperation in promoting low-carbon energy during a summit aimed at strengthening their strategic partnership.

BHP Group and Mitsubishi Corp. are spending an estimated 50 billion yen ($455 million) on autonomous haul trucks and communications infrastructure to slash production costs and improve efficiency at mines, aiming to insulate themselves from price swings.

Mitsubishi Corp. and Nomura Real Estate Development will join hands with Vingroup, Vietnam's biggest conglomerate, on a large urban development project in Ho Chi Minh City, the Southeast Asian nation's commercial hub.

Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co. will produce electric vehicle motors in India in partnership with Taiwanese motor manufacturer Teco Electric and Machinery, likely becoming the first Japanese company to make EV motors in the country.