Concerns over governance and the board's independence have fuelled unrest against Toyoda, and any big drop in his shareholder support could spur action on reforms

Cable outage reports raise eyebrows because Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to visit Hanoi this week – news that drew a sharp rebuke from US officials

Chinese leader allegedly told European president that Washington was trying to trick Beijing into attacking Taiwan

The investment mogul’s stake in the Chinese electric vehicle maker is effectively down more than 66%

Among the biggest drags on Nikkei was Toyota Motor, which slid 2.6% amid continued fallout from a safety test certification scandal

US lawmakers have backed a bill that would ban the sale of drones made by China's DJI, but the move still needs to be assessed by the US Senate

China's state-owned banks can offer loans as low as 1.4% for nuclear power development, far lower than available in Western economies

China has opened a probe into pork imported from Europe a week after the EU put extra tariffs on Chinese cars; meanwhile, production of cheap Chinese EVs has begun in Poland

Western governments are offering incentives to Brazil to develop a rare earths supply chain. It has large reserves and its first rare earths mine started commercial production this year

Factory output in May was flat, while the property sector continues to weigh on sentiment, despite strong exports and a rise in retail sales

Pro-trade business groups have appealed for a 30-day extension for the period allowed for public feedback and a hearing to be held on the proposed hikes; that could delay the date they are implemented

Sentiment was hurt as the United States said it was considering taking additional steps against Chinese companies that have been supplying Russia's defence industrial sector