Electronics

Employees at At NEC's Tokyo headquarters can now get through the facial-recognition-equipped security wickets without having to take off their masks. Sunglasses and hats are OK, too.
Consumer

Japan Inc. finds advantage in consumers' new fear of touching

Electronics sector's advanced sensors make their way into brand-new products

7 April 2020
Many market observers expect pressure on companies could still get worse before a real recovery.
Markets

Investors trawl for bargains in depressed Asian markets

While many crowd on the sidelines, low valuations prove tempting for brave buyers

3 April 2020
People wearing masks in Jakarta, Indonesia. Demand for the protective gear has surged as the coronavirus has spread.
Companies

Sharp to ramp up global output of surgical masks

Electronics maker plans to eventually sell direct to consumers

2 April 2020
Out of Asia's 19 companies with a market cap exceeding $100 billion, Tencent was the only company that maintained year-end value in the first quarter.
Business trends

Tencent and China tech prove resilience amid regional stock shock

87% of major Asian companies lost market cap with Indian banks hit hardest

1 April 2020
A man in a protective suit disinfects the cabin of a Hainan Airlines flight at Haikou Meilan International Airport in China's Hainan Province on Feb. 7.
Transportation

Chinese airlines' coronavirus woes pile pressure on airports

Government efforts to save carriers add to pressure on the ground

1 April 2020
Japan Display is a major supplier of LCD screens for Apple iPhones.
Business deals

Apple said to buy $200m in Japan Display plant assets

iPhone supplier sells off LCD equipment to repay American tech giant

1 April 2020
Passersby look at a screen displaying stock prices in Tokyo. The market sell-off has hurt companies' pension funds.
Companies

Sell-offs pummel corporate Japan's stock portfolios

Pension funds log worst returns in more than eight years

1 April 2020
A focus on its home market of China helped Huawei weather last year's headwinds from the U.S.
Huawei crackdown

Huawei warns of industrywide 'destruction' if US tightens curbs

China will not 'stand by' if Washington further restricts the company, says rotating chairman

31 March 2020
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30 March 2020
“It's just kind of a no brainer,” said Daniel Pacheco, co-founder of Cambodia's Samai distillery, which has switched from making rum to hand sanitizer. (Photo by Shaun Turton)
Food & Beverage

Distillers cash in on surging demand for hand sanitizer

Other manufacturers retool to produce surgical masks, ventilators

30 March 2020
A factory makes industrial robots in the city of Haimen in China's Jiangsu Province. (FeatureChina via AP Images)
Technology

China covets Japan's IoT expertise -- missing piece in tech quest

Automation technologies seen as key to reducing dependence on US tech

29 March 2020
JXTG's Kiire storage terminal in western Japan: The oil company is preparing for the biggest earnings downgrade among the nation's companies. (Photo courtesy of the company)
Business trends

Coronavirus to erase $12bn in earnings from Japan companies

Net profit seen dropping 13% in the fiscal year that ends next week

28 March 2020
A woman wearing a face mask walks past a screen showing Nikkei stock average in Tokyo on March 27. (Photo by Shihoko Nakaoka)
Markets

Asia stocks rise after Wall Street jump and India rate cut

G-20 leaders' commitment brings relief as investors shake off jobless data

27 March 2020
Philippine soldiers man an anti-aircraft gun. Japanese radar systems will support the country's air defenses.
International relations

Philippines buys Mitsubishi Electric radar in first defense deal

Sales of $90m Japanese equipment to bolster surveillance in South China Sea

27 March 2020
A health officer checks the temperature of an arriving passenger at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Coronavirus

Southeast Asia's drastic coronavirus response squeezes trade

ASEAN sacrifices advantages of economic integration to block contagion

26 March 2020
People buy vegetables at a market in New Delhi after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a three-week nationwide lockdown to limit the spreading of the coronavirus.
Coronavirus

India shuts off economy for world's largest coronavirus lockdown

Factories and stores forced to close, in further blow to decelerating growth

26 March 2020
Apple lags behind rivals Samsung and Huawei in releasing a 5G-capable smartphone.
Coronavirus

Apple weighs delaying 5G iPhone launch by months, sources say

US tech giant assesses coronavirus impact on global demand

26 March 2020
Samsung's DRAM plant in Hwaseong is the first to deploy extreme ultraviolet lithography for mass production of memory chips. (Photo courtesy of the company)
Electronics

Samsung doubles chipmaking productivity with new etching tech

South Korean plant adopts cutting-edge lithography equipment for memory chips

26 March 2020
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Nikkei Markets

Asian stocks rise more on hopes US measures will ease virus impact

AIA Group and Tencent Holdings fuel gains in A300 index

25 March 2020
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Nikkei Markets

Asian stocks surge after US Fed unveils more stimulus

China Unicom, Samsung Electronics, Tencent boost A300 index

24 March 2020
Japan -- and the corporate sponsors that have spent an estimated $3 billion -- are bracing for a postponement of the Tokyo Olympics.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Olympics delay to cost Japan $6bn in economic losses

Corporate sponsors and hotels to miss windfall, while rebooking venues is difficult

24 March 2020
Foxconn is scrambling to boost production capacity ahead of iPhone releases in the fall.
Technology

Top iPhone assembler Foxconn secures workers at all plants

Recruitment goals ahead of schedule, as Apple prepares for new model releases

24 March 2020
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Nikkei Markets

Asian stocks decline as pandemic worsens in US, Europe

Indian equities slump more than 13% as country moves into lockdown

23 March 2020
New Delhi erects barricades to limit movement to stem the spread of coronavirus as the government orders all nonessential businesses to shut for a time.
Markets

Indian stocks crash by 13% in one day as economic activity stops

City life ground to a halt as nonessential services shut down for the rest of the month

23 March 2020
Panasonic declined to comment on the impact of the suspension on its battery production. 
Coronavirus

Panasonic to suspend operations at EV battery plant for Tesla in US

Production at Gigafactory 1 to halt for 14 days after March 23 amid COVID-19 crisis

21 March 2020