
At a press conference on the 1st, South Korea's Industry and Trade Minister Kim Jong Kwan emphasized that it was the agreement between South Korea and the United States that the LNG project in Alaska announced by US President Trump would be pursued only if it was commercially rational, and that they would not invest unless it was profitable.
AI-generated summary
US President Trump announced an LNG project in Alaska as a South Korean investment project in the US.
[Seoul Current Affairs] South Korean Industry and Trade Minister Kim Jong Kwan held a press conference on the 1st, regarding the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska, which was announced by US President Trump as a South Korean investment project in the US, stating, ``It is the agreement of the South Korean and US governments that the Alaska project will be promoted only on the premise that it is commercially reasonable,'' emphasizing that South Korea will not invest unless it is profitable.
South Korea invests over 30 trillion yen in the US, first in Alaska LNG, 8 nuclear power plants
Kim explained that he expressed his regrets to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Lutnick about the premature reporting that made it appear as if the investment had already been decided. Lutnick reportedly replied, ``Let's try to make this project a success.''
An official statement from the two governments said: "We will decide whether to proceed with the project if the domestic legal conditions regarding commercial rationality requirements are met."

The New York stock market was almost flat on the 1st, as while the high price of crude oil weighed on stocks, there was some buying on the back of a pause in the rise in US long-term interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 20.51 points to 50,926.56 and the Nasdaq rose 10.54 points to 26,871.60. Meanwhile, in the U.S. bond market, the yield on 10-year government bonds briefly rose to 5.34%, the highest level in 24 years, but has since declined and investor sentiment has improved. NYMEX crude oil futures continued to rise on concerns about the tense situation in the Middle East, with WTI gaining 2.71% to close at $92.87 per barrel.

Pan Pacific International Holdings (PPIH) announced on the 1st that it will acquire the business of Japan's Toys R Us, a major toy retailer that was experiencing financial difficulties. On this day, the company filed for application of the Civil Rehabilitation Law, making it the largest bankruptcy in history for a toy retailer with debts of approximately 13.2 billion yen. PPIH aims to complement Donki's strengths in contact with young people, adults, and visitors to Japan, and Toys R Us' popularity among families, and rebuild the domestic toy market, which is growing due to "adult purchases," including visitors to Japan.

On September 30, US President Trump announced South Korea's investment in the US totaling $200 billion. This is the first installment of a $350 billion investment plan based on last year's trade deal, which includes an LNG project in Alaska and the construction of eight nuclear power plants in the United States. South Korea allocated $150 billion to the shipbuilding sector, and the United States offered lower tariffs in return.

The Federal Reserve's Office of Inspector General concluded that there was no evidence of wrongdoing in the headquarters renovation work. Nidek recorded an impairment loss of 632.2 billion yen for the group in the fiscal year ending March 2026. The mayor of Hitachiomiya, Ibaraki Prefecture, has announced that he will accept a literature review regarding the selection of a final disposal site for nuclear waste. Former boyfriend sentenced to 20 years in prison for murdering Mito nail artist. Tobu Railway revealed that it violated company regulations in the accident that killed four people. In a lawsuit over voice imitation caused by generative AI, the Tokyo District Court has ruled that human voices are also protected by publicity rights. The US president signs AI-related documents with AI company leaders and signs an executive order mandating the use of "SI" in government documents. North Korea's Kim Yo Jong claims that the landmine explosion was South Korea's own doing. Former Foreign Minister Iwaya said that he felt that China wanted to encourage Japan to make efforts to improve the situation. The ICC changed the venue of the Conference of the Parties from New York to the Netherlands. The Chinese Vice Premier emphasized that China and Japan are important economic and trade partners. NIDEK has announced the resignation of President Mitsuya Kishida and will be succeeded by Senior Managing Executive Officer Kaida. According to the final figures from the 2025 census, the ``1-vote gap'' in House of Representatives constituencies is up to 2.275 times. The Chinese vice prime minister pointed out to former Foreign Minister Iwaya that some Japanese politicians are trying to challenge China's bottom line on the Taiwan issue. Former Foreign Minister Iwaya met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Beijing. The Bureau of Statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications accused Toyama city officials of inflating the city's population in its national census. Former Mayor Yamanaka of Yokohama City has officially announced his candidacy in the re-election. A man who claims to be in the real estate business was arrested on suspicion of providing customer information to an anonymous and mobile criminal group and being involved in a robbery. U.S. Open AI will cancel the release of next-generation AI models.

The age limit for NISA will be abolished, and "Children's NISA" for children aged 0 to 17 will begin in January 2027. Account opening will begin sequentially from October 1st. The structure is similar to the savings investment limit, with investment limits of 50,000 yen per month and 600,000 yen per year, and the total principal amount is tax-free up to 6 million yen. The securities industry hopes that this will help attract young people to invest.

Paid fastpasses, which give priority access to restaurants, are being expanded. The service, which allows you to purchase tickets in advance using a QR code and avoid waiting time for 500 to 2,000 yen, is popular among young people and tourists. Experts have analyzed that it matches the time performance orientation, and there are hopes that it will be expanded to facilities with long waiting times, such as art museums.