Japan-Defense: Japan’s Ministry of Defense plans to start developing hypersonic submarine missiles in 2027, alongside long-range attack drones and AI decision support for joint command. North Korea Diplomacy: South Korea’s defense minister estimates Pyongyang has about 80–120 nuclear weapons, responding to Trump’s claim of 57 and amid talk of a possible Trump-Kim meeting later this year. US-South Korea Drills: Seoul says the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises will end six days early after Trump pushed to scale back drills, while Lee backs the outreach push but stresses Seoul must take more responsibility for security. Japan Economy: Japan logged a 634.5 billion yen trade deficit in July as a weak yen lifted oil import costs, even as exports rose on chip and car demand. China Tech & Markets: Humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics debuted on Shanghai’s STAR Market, with shares surging 460% on the day. China-Philippines Crime: Chinese and Philippine police jointly arrested and repatriated a key figure in a cross-border gambling syndicate accused of defrauding gamblers via manipulated withdrawals. China Visa Rules: Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam added to China’s 240-hour visa-free transit scheme from Thursday, alongside a 30-day visa-free option for Hainan. Mongolia Development: Mongolia issued a COP17 commemorative stamp featuring the rare Gobi bear, and agreed to raise the minimum wage to MNT 1 million from 2027. Regional Governance: India’s border minister says neglected border infrastructure is now a “top priority” under Modi, amid renewed claims about Chinese incursions.