PRE-MARKET JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREAN STOCK NEWS: Japan's health ministry halts new Tavneos use, questions Kissei approval data; Mitsubishi Corp approves US copper mine; Samsung Electro-Mechanics joins NVIDIA substrate supply chain

• Cash session: Tech outperformed in a firmer US session, with the NDX +1.20% at 29,845. Among large caps, NVIDIA (NVDA) +2.5%, AMD (AMD) +3.4%, Micron (MU) +2.0%, Apple (AAPL) +1.3%, while Alphabet (GOOGL) -1.6%; SpaceX (SPCX) +7.8% and Super Micro Computer (SMCI) +9.6% after their results and guidance.
• AI/semis newsflow: NVIDIA CEO's GTC keynote saw a raft of partnerships, incl. Google Cloud (GOOGL) scaling NVIDIA Vera Rubin infrastructure to 960k GPUs, and NVIDIA outlined plans with supply chain partners to expand substrate and packaging capacity.
• Lam Research (LRCX): Q1 FY27 Adj. EPS 2.20 (exp. 2.18), Revenue 8.22bln (exp. 8.13bln); on the call, said its preliminary CY27 WFE outlook exceeds USD 200bln (exp. CY26 USD 150bln), driven by DRAM, NAND and foundry/logic demand. LRCX -6% after-hours.
• Texas Instruments (TXN): Q3 EPS 2.62 (exp. 2.42), Revenue 6.06bln (exp. 5.92bln); Next Qtr. Rev. 5.8-6.3bln (exp. 5.75bln). TXN +1.5% after-hours.
• Meta (META): Q3 Revenue 64.6bln (exp. 63.31bln), EPS 3.83 (exp. 6.67); Q4 revenue guidance 73-76bln (exp. 73.64bln), FY26 capex guidance 135-145bln (prev. 130-145bln). Shares were +7.4% at best after-hours before waning to c. +4%.
• IBM (IBM): Q3 Operating EPS 2.95 (exp. 2.86), Revenue 17.1bln (exp. 16.81bln); raised FY FCF outlook. IBM +5.1% after-hours.
• Tesla (TSLA): Q3 Adj. EPS 0.48 (exp. 0.45), Revenue 28.0bln (exp. 28.1bln); shares rose 2% after-hours before falling during the earnings call (last -1.3%).

Dai Nippon Printing (7912 JT) - Co. is considering a fourth consecutive dividend increase for FY ending March 2028, having planned an annual dividend of JPY 41 for the current year, on growth in display-related materials. (Nikkei) - Separately, said customer information on its e-book site "honto" may have leaked after unauthorised access at an email delivery contractor. (Nikkei)

JX Advanced Metals (5016 JT) / Japan Steel Works (5631 JT) - To raise production capacity of titanium copper alloy for AI data centre connectors by 50% by FY2029 vs. FY2026, investing a total of JPY 10bln. (Nikkei)

Kansai Paint (4613 JT) - To invest JPY 10bln in three Indian factories to double automotive and industrial coatings capacity by FY2030. (Nikkei)

Kissei Pharmaceutical (4547 JT) - Japan's health ministry said there may be problems with the reliability of documents submitted by Kissei for the approval of vasculitis drug Tavneos; the ministry halted new prescriptions, urged existing patients to stop or switch treatment, and plans to decide on administrative action, potentially including revoking approval, by year-end. (Jiji/Nikkei)

Mitsubishi Corporation (8058 JT) - Made a final investment decision on the Copper World mine in Arizona with Hudbay Minerals (HBM), with total investment of USD 1.023bln (c. JPY 152.6bln) and production from H2 2029; Mitsubishi will receive c. 30k tonnes of copper per year. (Nikkei)

NTT (9432 JT) - NTT West subsidiary NTT Solmare said up to c. 4.2mln records, incl. member information, were leaked from its "Comic Cmoa" e-book store following unauthorised access. (Nikkei) - Separately, NTT will introduce a group-wide staff transfer system covering 100k employees. (Nikkei)

Sakura Internet (3778 JT) - Suspended some cloud service functions to address the critical PHP vulnerabilities. (Nikkei/Jiji)

SoftBank Corp (9434 JT) - CFO said the enterprise business is aiming to beat its profit targets, such as by leasing data centres, as it expands AI-related demand. (Nikkei)

Strike Companies (6196 JT) - Said FY26 net profit likely came in at JPY 7.1bln, JPY 1.4bln above its previous forecast, on more M&A deals than expected; revenue raised by JPY 2.5bln to JPY 27bln. (Nikkei)

Tasuki Holdings (166A JT) - Said FY26 net profit likely rose 53% Y/Y to JPY 7.5bln, JPY 1.7bln above its previous forecast, as condo selling prices beat plan. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Electric Power (9501 JT) - Household electricity bills for November usage are expected to hit a record high for a second straight month on higher LNG import prices. (Nikkei)

Tsuruha Holdings (3391 JT) - Targets private-brand sales of JPY 400bln by FY ending February 2029, an 80% increase from FY ending February 2026. (Nikkei)

Japanese property - Japan's ruling LDP is considering measures to curb soaring condo prices in big cities, such as restricting short-term resales. (Nikkei/Nikkei Asia)

Japanese retailers - Japan's tax-free shopping rules for foreign visitors move to a refund system in November, with some department stores and jewellers expecting a temporary drop in sales of luxury goods; separately, September foreign visitors fell 5.0% Y/Y to 3.1mln. (Nikkei)

E-Mart (139480 KS) - To begin full-scale operation of deep-discount household goods chain Wow Shop, expanding to five locations this year, to compete with Daiso and Coupang (CPNG). (Seoul Economic Daily)

EOFlow (294090 KS) - The US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Insulet's (PODD) petition for an en banc rehearing in their trade secrets lawsuit; Insulet can still appeal to the US Supreme Court until January. (Chosun)

Gaon Cable (000500 KS) / LS Eco Energy (229640 KS) / LS Marine Solution (060370 KS) - Combined Q3 revenue at the three LS Cable & System units rose 47.2% Y/Y to KRW 1.41tln and operating profit 88.7% to KRW 81.1bln; Gaon Cable posted record quarterly revenue of KRW 986.5bln and operating profit of KRW 52bln. (Seoul Economic Daily)

HD Hyundai Marine Solution (443060 KS) - Completed the main design for its first FSRU conversion project, secured in September 2025. (Chosun)

Hyundai Rotem (064350 KS) - Signed a KRW 239.2bln (USD 169mln) contract with Taoyuan City Government to supply rail E&M systems, incl. seven driverless trainsets, for the Green Line's Zhongli extension. (Seoul Economic Daily)

Samsung Biologics (207940 KS) - Q3 net profit KRW 391.1bln (-21.2% Y/Y), operating profit KRW 640.1bln (prev. 633.5bln Y/Y), revenue KRW 1.49tln (+18.5% Y/Y). Raised FY sales growth guidance to 20% (prev. 15-20%). (Yonhap)

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (009150 KS) - Joined NVIDIA's (NVDA) semiconductor substrate supply chain under a multiyear agreement starting in 2026, with the collaboration supporting facility upgrades and new factories in Sejong and Busan; by 2028, NVIDIA's allocation is expected to account for a significant portion of Co.'s annual package substrate capacity. (Yonhap/Seoul Economic Daily)

Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Regained the top spot in India's smartphone market in Q3 with a 19% share (6.7mln units), the first time since Q1 2024, according to Omdia. (Seoul Economic Daily)

SK Hynix (000660 KS) - FSS Governor said a potential Nasdaq listing of US subsidiary Solidigm could constitute a dual listing; SK Hynix is reviewing a potential listing, though it said no official decision has been made. (Chosun)

Pre-market Asia wraps of this kind carry three distinct event types that historically trade differently. Regulatory halts on data-integrity grounds, as with the health ministry action against Kissei over Tavneos, follow a well-worn sequence in Japan: suspension of new prescriptions first, then an administrative decision on approval status, with the share price typically de-rating at the halt and the ultimate outcome depending on whether revocation follows; comparable past episodes have seen the overhang persist until that decision lands. Trading-house final investment decisions on overseas copper, such as Mitsubishi's Arizona project with offtake attached, are the established pattern for Japanese sogo shosha securing long-dated supply, and the market read-through usually runs to the partner and to the copper pipeline rather than to the acquirer, whose equity commitment is modest against its balance sheet. The Samsung Electro-Mechanics entry into NVIDIA's substrate chain is the more consequential item for the regional tape: additions to the AI accelerator supply chain have repeatedly re-rated the relevant component makers, and the distinction worth drawing is between confirmed capacity allocation, as here, and speculative supplier chatter, which has a much shorter half-life. The US earnings block feeding the Asian open showed the now-familiar pattern of semis beating while the reaction turns on capex and guidance framing, with post-earnings fades at the print level a recurring feature of crowded AI positioning. Follow-ons are the ministry's year-end decision on Kissei, any peer substrate or packaging announcements in NVIDIA's orbit, and whether Korean semi-equipment and materials names extend the move at the open.