PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE, SOUTH KOREAN STOCK NEWS: BHP reaches an iron ore contract, Denso withdraws Rohm proposal & Mitsubishi Electric signs MoU with Foxconn

Australia

Atlas Arteria (ALX AT) - IFM investors offers to buy the Co. for AUD 4.75/security. (Bloomberg TV)

BHP Group (BHP AT) - Co. has reportedly reached a preliminary agreement with China Mineral Resources Group to establish an annual iron ore contract, including a 1.8% discount on some shipments and removal of the Platts pricing index. (AFR)

Corporate Travel Management (CTD AT) - Co. is being probed by Canberra over a AUD 240mln travel billing scandal after admitting to overcharging UK clients, with Axiom auditing Australian government travel bookings. (The Australian)

Origin Energy (ORG AT) - Co. Q3 (AUD) integrated gas output fell 3% Q/Q to 164.5PJ, rev. fell 12% Q/Q to 1.86bln, and Co. refinanced part of APLNG project facilities while stating 75–85% of expected Eraring coal consumption for FY2027 is contracted or hedged and downgraded guidance for Octopus Energy EBITDA to a range of AUD 70mln loss to AUD 30mln profit in FY2026. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Pilbara Minerals (PLS AT) - Co. is open to purchasing energy from Andrew Forrest’s proposed USD 6.2bln Pilbara solar, wind and battery project. (The Australian)

Rio Tinto (RIO AT) - Co. is nearing a USD 2bln sale of its borates business as geopolitical tensions stall plans to divest its titanium assets. (The Australian)

Snowy Hydro (SHL AT) - Co. project costs have reportedly blown out to AUD 42bln, prompting calls for a Royal Commission and criticism as one of the largest infrastructure cost overruns in Australia. (The Australian)

Southern Cross Media (SXL AT) - Co. has appointed former NRMA chief Rohan Lund as CEO of the newly combined group including Network Seven, Triple M and Hit radio networks, and West Australian Newspapers. (AFR)

Woolworths Group (WOW AT) - Co. internal review found it breached its own advertising rules and pushed the limits of competition watchdog pricing guidelines amid scrutiny over alleged sham discounts. (AFR)

Northern Star Resources (NST AT) downgraded to Hold from Accumulate at Ord Minnett.

Japan

Aeon Co. (8267 JT) - Co. subsidiary Aeon Mall will invest JPY 35bln in China by 2027 to refresh tenants amid weak consumption. (Nikkei)

ANA Holdings (9202 JT) - Co. expects FY operating profit to rise 7% Y/Y, supported by European routes while facing higher fuel costs. (Nikkei)

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. (4519 JT) - Co. Q1 (JPY) net rose 19% Y/Y driven by strong haemophilia drug sales. (Nikkei)

Cosmo Energy Holdings (5021 JT) - Co. received a shipment of US-produced crude oil in Japan, marking a shift to American supply amid heightened Middle East tensions. (Nikkei)

Denso Corp. (6902 JT), Rohm Co. (6963 JT) - Denso is set to withdraw its proposal to acquire Rohm Co. after failing to secure support for the deal amid concerns over strategic alignment, according to the Nikkei. (Nikkei) Denso rejects being the source of the report.

Fanuc Corp. (6954 JT) - Co. expects FY net profit to rise 11% Y/Y on strong robot demand and plans share buybacks. (Nikkei)

GMO Internet Group (9449 JT) - Co. will offer security diagnostics for in-house AI systems to assess information leakage risks. (Nikkei)

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. (6305 JT) - Co. expects FY net profit to rise 9% Y/Y driven by strong mining equipment demand. (Nikkei)

Honda Motor Co. (7267 JT) - Co. will delay implementation of AI-powered autonomous driving by one year to 2028 following a pullback in its electric vehicle strategy. (Nikkei)

Japan Airlines Co. (9201 JT) - Co. will raise annual salaries for managers by around 30% to near director level. (Nikkei)

Japan Post Insurance Co. (7181 JT) - Co. plans to increase allocation to short-term government bonds in its FY2026 investment plan. (Nikkei)

JT Group (2914 JT) - Co. was downgraded to single A by S&P reflecting heightened geopolitical risks. (Nikkei)

KDDI Corp. (9433 JT) - Co. has signed a virtual power purchase agreement with Electric Power Development Co. and J-Wind Co. for the Iwaki Futago onshore wind project. (Newswires)

Keyence Corp. (6861 JT) - Co. FY net rose 12% Y/Y, marking a fifth consecutive record year on strong Asia performance. (Nikkei)

Kikkoman Corp. (2801 JT) - Co. plans JPY 30bln share buyback and expects FY net profit to slightly decline. (Nikkei)

Kirin Holdings Co. (2503 JT) - Co. will introduce AI-driven executives across group companies to support data-driven decision-making. (Nikkei)

Marui Group Co. (8252 JT) - Co. will launch a new credit card enabling crypto payments via partnership with bitbank. (Nikkei)

Meiji Holdings Co. (2269 JT) - Co. and partners will establish a new firm to take over Kyowa Kirin’s generic drug business. (Nikkei)

Mitsubishi Estate Co. (8802 JT) - Co. will acquire a Singapore-based furnished rental company to expand its overseas presence. (Nikkei)

Mitsubishi Corp. (8058 JT) - Co. is planning to sell Electroroute Energy Trading Ltd while retaining its Japan operations. (Newswires)

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (6503 JT), Foxconn (2317 TT) - Co. signed an MoU with Foxconn to explore a strategic alliance in automotive equipment, including a potential transfer of a 50% stake in its automotive unit. (Reuters)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011 JT) - Co. Mogami-class frigate sale to Australia is being seen as validation of its warship design aimed at addressing manpower constraints. (Nikkei)

MTG Co. (7806 JT) - Co. will develop beauty equipment for Lexus vehicles with Aisin. (Nikkei)

NGK Insulators Ltd. (5333 JT) - Co. will invest JPY 70bln in a new Ishikawa plant to boost semiconductor component output by 20%. (Nikkei)

Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co. (9031 JT) - Co. will expand its Vietnam housing business by acquiring a 49% stake in a local group company. (Nikkei)

Nippon Steel Corp. (5401 JT) - Co. has obtained additional SuMPO environmental product declaration certifications for its stainless hot extruded steel products amid rising demand for carbon-neutral materials. (Newswires)

Nissan Motor Co. (7201 JT) - Co. is targeting annual sales of 1mln vehicles in China by the end of the decade and plans to export hundreds of thousands of vehicles globally from its China-based factories as part of its growth strategy. (Bloomberg)

Nomura Holdings Inc. (8604 JT) - Co. FY25/26 (JPY) net rose to 362.1bln from 340.7bln Y/Y, Co. expects FY net profit to rise 6% Y/Y, marking a second consecutive record year. (Nikkei)

Nomura Real Estate Holdings Inc. (3231 JT) - Co. expects FY net profit to rise 4% Y/Y, marking a sixth consecutive record year. (Nikkei)

Senshu Electric Co. (9824 JT) - Co. announced a share buyback of up to 100k shares, representing 0.59% of share capital, for JPY 600mln. (Newswires)

SoftBank Group Corp. (9984 JT) - Co. is considering Google and others as potential users for its US data centres with a decision due by month-end. (Nikkei)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. (8309 JT) - Co. unit will form a capital alliance with a foreign fund to expand alternative investments. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (9501 JT) - Co. is set to appoint JIC CEO Keisuke Yokoo as chairman, the first from the finance sector. (Nikkei)

South Korea

Hanwha Engine Co. (082740 KS) - Co. Q1 (KRW) net rose 172.3% Y/Y to 52.9bln, EBITDA rose 130.3% Y/Y to 51.4bln, rev. rose 8.5% Y/Y to 345.2bln. (Yonhap)

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180 KS) - Co. has secured two research projects from the US Office of Naval Research, marking the first such contracts awarded to a South Korean company. (Yonhap)

Hyosung Heavy Industries Co. (298040 KS) - Co. Q1 (KRW) net fell 11.9% Y/Y to 91.3bln (exp. 134bln), EBITDA rose 48.8% Y/Y to 152.3bln, rev. rose 26.2% Y/Y to 1.35tln. (Yonhap)

Hyosung TNC Co. (298020 KS) - Co. Q1 (KRW) net rose 108% Y/Y to 50.9bln (exp. 29.3bln), EBITDA rose 11.4% Y/Y to 86.2bln, rev. rose 7.2% Y/Y to 2.09tln. (Yonhap)

Industrial Bank of Korea (024110 KS) - Co. Q1 (KRW) net fell 7.5% Y/Y to 753.4bln (exp. 704.8bln), EBITDA fell 8.6% Y/Y to 932.5bln, rev. rose 43.4% Y/Y to 11.09tln. (Yonhap)

Woori Financial Group (316140 KS) - Co. Q1 (KRW) net fell 2.1% Y/Y to 603bln (exp. 736.2bln). (Yonhap)