Trump's confirmed 25% auto tariffs dominated news cycles, with implementation set for April 3 without country exemptions. Japanese automakers' stocks fell as government officials scrambled to consider "all options" and seek exemptions. The Nikkei Shimbun calculated potential damage at 13 trillion yen to Japan's domestic car industry.

Media revealed Trump's Russian financial connections, noting Russian oligarchs provided loans when American banks refused him after bankruptcies. The former president reportedly called these oligarchs "very good people."

By midday, Kyodo News reported Japan's plans to evacuate 120,000 Okinawa islanders near Taiwan in case of emergency, reflecting escalating regional tensions with China. Meanwhile, Microsoft's strategic shift toward developing proprietary AI foundation models for business software gained attention as CEO Satya Nadella announced plans to reduce reliance on OpenAI's technology.