PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE & SOUTH KOREAN STOCK NEWS: SoftBank Group (9984 JT) pledged to spend at least USD 52bln on building a network of data centres in France

Bapcor (BAP AT) - There is speculation that distressed or special situation funds are examining the Co. (The Australian)

Lendlease Group (LLC AT) - Co. agreed to sell the Milano Santa Giulia mixed-use development in Milan to an investment group sponsored by Bizzi & Partners in a transaction with a gross value of AUD 250mln, with the buyer assuming AUD 160mln of project debt; the sale is at a discount to book value and the Co. expects a post-tax operating loss of around AUD 175mln, while noting several additional capital recycling deals are in advanced stages and expected by end-June. Co. also ruled out an equity raise to tackle its debt burden. (Dow Jones Newsplus, The Australian)

Macquarie Group (MQG AT) - Macquarie Asset Management is reportedly seeking a minority stake in Singapore Telecommunications' (ST SP) Optus unit. (The Australian)

Navigator Global Investments (NVA AT) - Co. received shareholder approval for its proposed schemes. (Newswires)

Syrah Resources (SYR AT) - Co. said Tesla withdrew its intent to terminate an offtake agreement, while Tesla reserves the right to terminate the agreement if qualification is not achieved. (Newswires)

TPG Telecom (TPG AT) - Co. appointed Nerida Caesar as a non-executive director. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Ventia Services Group (VNT AT) - Co. secured a five-year AUD 133mln contract extension to continue managing and operating the Australian Marine Complex-Common User Facility in Western Australia, which it has managed since mid-2022. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Woodside Energy Group (WDS AT) - Shell (SHEL LN) sued the Co. and Paladin over an AUD 83mln Northern Endeavour disposal bill. (AFR)

Mirvac Group (MGR AT) Hold initiated, price target AUD 1.82/shr by Jefferies.

Honda Motor (7267 JT) - Co. recalled 99k vehicles over unintentional air bag deployments. (Newswires)

Kansai Electric Power (9503 JT) - Co. is eager to build new LNG-powered plants as it seeks to increase generating capacity by 2040. (Nikkei)

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (9107 JT) - Co. announced a share buyback for 44.429mln shares, representing 6.96%, for JPY 130bln. (Newswires)

Mitsubishi Motors (7211 JT) - Co. is set to revive its Pajero SUV with production planned in Thailand as part of its Southeast Asia growth strategy. (Nikkei)

Pan Pacific International Holdings (7532 JT) - Co.’s Don Quijote will launch a black-and-white label to keep private-brand prices low amid ink-supply disruptions caused by the Iran conflict. (Nikkei)

SoftBank Group (9984 JT) - Co. pledged to spend at least USD 52bln on building a network of data centres in France as it seeks to deliver as much as 3.1GW of computing capacity in the country by 2031. (Newswires)

Tokyo Electron (8035 JT) - Co. announced a share buyback for 7.5mln shares, representing 1.64%, for JPY 150bln. (Newswires)

Japan spent USD 73bln in yen-buying intervention, according to ministry data. (Newswires)

Japan denounced an accusation by China that it was pursuing ‘new militarism’, with Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi stating that Tokyo was being unfairly called out for its actions to increase weapons spending. Furthermore, he feels sad that they were not able to meet his Chinese counterpart at the Shangri-La dialogue in Singapore, but stated that Japan’s door is always open.

Philippines and Japan are seeking to strengthen defence ties in response to China’s assertive actions in the South China Sea, while Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said Manila will buy five naval destroyers. (Nikkei)

Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Co. became the world’s leading supplier of automotive memory chips last year, surpassing Micron, according to an industry report. (Yonhap)

Samyang Holdings (000070 KS) - Co. decided to fully acquire a Japanese manufacturer of flavours, fragrances and fine chemicals for KRW 390bln. (Yonhap)

South Korea's Prime Minister may offer to step down in June 2026. (Maeil)

South Korea said it will conduct joint search and rescue exercises at sea with Japan for the first time in nine years. (Newswires)