TOKYO -- Japan on Friday started the sixth round of release of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Despite opposition among local fishermen, residents as well as backlash from the international community, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant's operator, started releasing the radioactive wastewater in the morning, the second round in fiscal 2024. (Japan-Fukushima-Nuclear Water)

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SEOUL -- The South Korean government saw signs of economic recovery in its monthly economic report on Friday due to export expansion and consumption growth.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance said in its monthly report, called Green Book, that the South Korean economy recently showed a gradual recovery thanks to the growth of manufacturing output and export and the recovery of domestic demand, caused by an increase in tourists visiting South Korea and improved service industry. (South Korea-Economy)

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VIENTIANE -- The National University of Laos (NUOL) and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) agreed to cooperate in digital innovation and sustainable economic development.

An agreement was signed by Vice President of the NUOL Phouphet Kyophilavong, and Chief Operating Officer of ERIA Koji Hachiyama, to work together to fulfill the aims of the ERIA Digital Innovation and Sustainable Economy Center (E-DISC), according to a report released by the university on Friday. (Laos-ASEAN-Digital Development)

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SINGAPORE -- A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the recovery in manufacturing, tourism, and consumer-facing services would fuel Singapore's GDP growth to 2.1 percent in 2024 from 1.1 percent last year.

Masahiro Nozaki, who led the team in discussions with Singapore from May 7 to May 16, projected the headline and core inflation in Singapore to moderate to 3 percent this year, with the latter expected to stabilize at around 2 percent by 2025. (Singapore-Economy-GDP)

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KUALA LUMPUR -- Ongoing efforts by the West, particularly the United States, to use members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in efforts to undermine China in the region have failed to gain any support, analysts told a forum here on Friday.

Regional countries embrace the peaceful rise of China that will lift their own economic and development goals, Roy Anthony Rogers, a professor at the Universiti Malaya Asia-Europe Institute Associate, said during the "China Rising: Contrasting Perspectives from Europe and Asia" forum. (Malaysia-China-ASEAN)