SoftBank Group shares' gains widened to 11%.

TAKAICHI said Japan must also monitor any agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

The EU and France will sign a €15.1 billion defence loan agreement on Wednesday, according to people familiar with the matter. The loan is part of the European Commission's SAFE loan programme, which aims to mobilize €150 billion to accelerate intra-EU defence spending and joint procurement. The Commission is finalizing agreements with member states; the first disbursement has already gone to Poland, one of the programme's largest beneficiaries.