Good morning! Morning Minutes is a round-up of stories that will break on Monday, Sept 26, and which we think you'd be interested in.

It appears on weekdays, available by 7am.

PM Lee starts official visit to Tokyo

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will start a four-day official visit to Tokyo today (Sept 26), marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan. During the visit, Mr Lee will meet his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and receive the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers on behalf of the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Former IMF chief goes on trial for misusing funds

Former chief of the International Monetary Fund Rodrigo Rato will face trial today (Sept 26) with 65 other former executives and board members of two Spanish banks. They are accused of having paid €12 million (S$18.3 million) for personal expenses with credit cards put at their disposal by both banks between 2003 and 2012, without ever justifying them or declaring them to tax authorities.

Data on August factory activity

Data about the performance of Singapore's manufacturing sector in August will be released today (Sept 26). Economists expect factory output to tick up just 0.6 per cent compared with the same month a year ago, as manufacturers grapple with slowing demand both at home and abroad.