Japan Moves to Return S. Korea to Fast-Track Trade ‘White List’

Japan will canvass public opinion on restoring South Korea to a "white list" of countries with fast-track trade status. (Reuters)
Japan will canvass public opinion on restoring South Korea to a "white list" of countries with fast-track trade status. (Reuters)
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Japan Moves to Return S. Korea to Fast-Track Trade ‘White List’

Japan will canvass public opinion on restoring South Korea to a "white list" of countries with fast-track trade status. (Reuters)
Japan will canvass public opinion on restoring South Korea to a "white list" of countries with fast-track trade status. (Reuters)

Japan will canvass public opinion on restoring South Korea to a "white list" of countries with fast-track trade status, the trade ministry said on Friday, a key step towards resolving an economic row that strained ties.

Japan lifted export curbs on high-tech materials to South Korea in March as the nations mended ties in the face of North Korea's frequent missile launches and China's more muscular role on the global stage.

Public comment will be sought from Friday until May 31, a Japanese trade ministry official said, but declined to elaborate.

South Korea and Japan dropped each other from their respective lists in 2019, amid a decades-old row over a 2018 South Korean court order for Japanese companies to compensate forced laborers during Japan's 1910-45 occupation of Korea.



Bitcoin Jumps to Record on Institutional Investor Demand

FILE PHOTO: A bitcoin symbol is displayed on a screen before US Vice President JD Vance speaks at a Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, May 28, 2025.   REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bitcoin symbol is displayed on a screen before US Vice President JD Vance speaks at a Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo
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Bitcoin Jumps to Record on Institutional Investor Demand

FILE PHOTO: A bitcoin symbol is displayed on a screen before US Vice President JD Vance speaks at a Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, May 28, 2025.   REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bitcoin symbol is displayed on a screen before US Vice President JD Vance speaks at a Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo

Bitcoin rallied to an all-time high on Friday, powered by demand from institutional investors and crypto-friendly policies from US President Donald Trump's administration.
The world's largest cryptocurrency rose to a peak of $116,781.10 in the Asian session on Friday, taking its gains for the year so far to more than 24%. It was last trading at $116,563.11, Reuters said.
"Bitcoin's new all-time high is being driven by relentless institutional accumulation - major players are scooping up supply and drying up liquidity on exchanges," said Joshua Chu, co-chair of the Hong Kong Web3 Association.
In March, Trump signed an executive order to establish a strategic reserve of cryptocurrencies. He has also appointed several crypto-friendly individuals, including Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins and White House artificial intelligence czar David Sacks.
Trump's family businesses have also made forays into cryptocurrencies. Trump Media & Technology Group is looking to launch an exchange-traded fund to invest in multiple crypto tokens including Bitcoin, an SEC filing on Tuesday showed.
Ether, the world's second-largest cryptocurrency, similarly jumped nearly 5% to $2,956.82, after earlier hitting a five-month high of $2,998.41.