PRE-MARKET JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREAN STOCKS NEWS

JAPAN

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  JERA (9509 JT) – Co. secures Japanese government subsidy for US ammonia imports. (Newswires)


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  Kansai Electric Power (9503 JT) – Japan prepares to restart the world’s biggest nuclear plant around 15 years after Fukushima. (Newswires)


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  Marubeni (8002 JT) – Co. to transfer shares of Australian gas distribution company Allgas Energy to an infrastructure fund managed by Stonepeak Partners. (Newswires)


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  Megachips (6875 JT) – Co. to cancel 1,605,500 shares, representing 7.8% of total shares outstanding, with cancellation scheduled for 26 December 2025. (Newswires)


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  Nidec (6594 JT) – Founder Shigenobu Nagamori resigns as representative director and board director; Mitsuya Kishida to succeed as chairman, with Nagamori assuming role of chairman emeritus; changes effective immediately. (Newswires)


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  Nishimatsuya Chain (7545 JT) – Co. reports 9-month group operating profit of JPY 10.30bln, recurring profit of JPY 10.74bln and net profit of JPY 7.04bln; forecasts FY2025/26 operating profit of JPY 13.60bln, recurring profit of JPY 14.00bln and net profit of JPY 9.31bln. (Newswires)


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  Noritake (5331 JT) – Co. to conduct a 2-for-1 share split for shareholders of record as of 31 March 2026. (Newswires)


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  Seven & i Holdings (3382 JT) – IPO of US arm hinges on faster turnaround, CEO says; 7-Eleven Inc announces retirement of CEO Joe DePinto after more than 20 years of service and appoints Stan Reynolds and Doug Rosencrans as interim co-CEOs. (Newswires)


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  Shinmaywa Industries (7224 JT) – Managing executive officer Takashi Kunihara to become president and CEO effective 1 April. (Newswires)


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  SoftBank Group (9984 JT) – Any Vision Fund deal above USD 50mln now requires explicit approval of CEO Masayoshi Son; Co. races to fulfil USD 22.5bln funding commitment to OpenAI by year-end; considering selling part of its stake in Didi Global ahead of anticipated Hong Kong IPO; working to take payments app PayPay public; may tap undrawn margin loans backed by Arm Holdings shares. (Newswires)


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  Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group (8309 JT) – Co. to promote Kazuya Oyama, president of its unit bank, to group president, Nikkei reports. (Newswires)


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  Tokyotokeiba (9672 JT) – Co. to buy back up to 2.55% of its own shares for JPY 4.1bln. (Newswires)

BoJ

• BoJ raised rates by 25bps to 0.75%, as expected, with the decision unanimous, while it stated interest rates are expected to remain at significantly low levels and will continue to raise policy rate if the economy and prices move in line with forecasts.


• BoJ Governor Ueda (post-policy press conference) said Japan's economy is recovering moderately, albeit with some weakness. Will make a decision on rate hike after checking the impact on the economy. Will conduct market operations swiftly, under exceptional circumstances in market. Delaying a rate hike could force a significant hike later. There is still some distance to lower the limit of neutral rate estimate. Several BoJ members mentioned that recent JPY weakness may affect prices going forward, and warrants attention. Members suggested that the weak JPY is possibly affecting underlying inflation.

Other News

• Japanese Economy Minister Kiuchi said they respect the BoJ's decision but they need to be mindful of economic outlook.


• 
  Japanese Economy Minister Kiuchi said FX is affected by various factors, determined at markets. Important for currencies to move in stable manner reflecting fundamentals. Closely watching market moves with a high sense of urgency, including long-term yields.

SOUTH KOREA

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  Hanwha Engine (082740 KS) – Co. buys KRW 291bln worth of shares in its Norway unit. (Newswires)


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  HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180 KS) – Co. signs contract with Peru’s navy to jointly build a submarine. (Newswires)


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  HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (009540 KS) – Co. wins KRW 690bln order. (Newswires)


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  Krafton (259960 KS) – Co. to establish India-focused fund totaling up to INR 60bln with Naver and Mirae Asset; fund expected to begin operations with size of over INR 30bln; Co. to contribute initial investment of INR 12.3bln. (Newswires)


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  LG Chem (051910 KS) – Co. submits petrochemical restructuring plan to the government. (Newswires)


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  NCSOFT (036570 KS) – Co. to acquire KRW 153bln worth of shares in Singapore-based Indygo Group Pte. Ltd. (Newswires)


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  Posco Holdings (005490 KS) – Co. reports occurrence of a serious industrial accident at Shinansan Line section 4-2 on Dec 18 resulting in one fatality; Seoul Regional Employment & Labor Office issues partial work suspension order for all lining operations in section 4-2. (Newswires)


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  Samsung Biologics (207940 KS) – Co. expands U.S. manufacturing capabilities through strategic acquisition of Human Genome Sciences from GSK; unit acquires KRW 413.6bln worth of shares in Human Genome Sciences Inc; Co. wins KRW 56.68bln order. (Newswires)


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  SK Innovation (096770 KS) – BlueOval SK to issue KRW 1.2trln new shares. (Newswires)


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  SK Telecom (017670 KS) – South Korea’s consumer agency orders Co. to compensate 58 users following hacking incident. (Newswires)


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  Solum (248070 KS) – Co. and I-Charging expand strategic partnership to accelerate global e-mobility innovation. (Newswires)

21 Dec 2025 - 23:28- MetalsResearch Sheet- Source: Newsquawk