Media & Entertainment

Mask-wearing salaried employees exit Tokyo Station in the Japanese capital. (Photo by Kai Fujii)
Coronavirus

Tokyoites cautiously step out as Japan reopens for business

Foot traffic around the capital's iconic train station returns to 60% of former levels

2 June 2020
The Courier Mail is one of a handful of News Corp. Australia newspapers that will continue publishing a print edition.
Media & Entertainment

News Corp. stops presses at over 100 Australian newspapers

Most periodicals to switch to digital-only format as coronavirus sinks revenues

29 May 2020
Docomo has been nurturing its relationship with Disney as the carrier struggles to boost subscribers. (Source photo by Disney) 
Companies

Japan's NTT Docomo clinches Disney streaming deal

Carrier secures exclusive rights to launch service to rival Netflix in June

28 May 2020
CEO Keiichiro Yoshida announced Sony's first name change in six decades last week. (Photo by Keiichiro Sato)
Companies

Sony's subtle name change shows PlayStation maker's new mindset

Addition of 'Group' sends message there is more to company than electronics

28 May 2020
The arson attack has not dampened enthusiasm for the studio, as movie goers converged on theaters during the first day of the release of a new film in September 2019. (Photo by Kento Awashima)
Media & Entertainment

Kyoto Animation rebuilds after deadly 2019 arson attack

Studio restarts training program while ramping up production of new films

27 May 2020
Hana Kimura enters the ring during a Women's Pro-Wrestling Stardom event on March 8 in Tokyo. The Netflix star was reported dead on May 23.
Politics

After Hana Kimura's death, Japan moves to unmask cyberbullies

Netflix star's apparent suicide pushes ruling party to discuss new rules

26 May 2020
The Hong Kong-born Ho, pictured here in 2006, had four wives and 17 children, and dealt with a huge legal battle within the family over his fortune.
Obituaries

Stanley Ho, who turned Macao into gambling destination, dies at 98

Tycoon leaves behind sprawling business interests to his 17 children

26 May 2020
By remaining at full strength, Macau's casinos are well placed for when travel restrictions start to loosen. (Photo by Manda Yeung)
Business trends

Casino losses mount as virus hits Asia's entertainment palaces

Betting on pent-up demand, billionaire resort operators keep to expansion plans

26 May 2020
A Philippine lawmaker proposes imposing taxes on streaming services like Netflix to raise revenue in the fight against coronavirus. 
Economy

Philippines eyes tax on Netflix to boost revenue amid pandemic

Manila also targets online giants Google, Facebook, Grab, Spotify and Lazada

22 May 2020
Perenially popular show "Sazae-san," which has been on the air since 1969, has been put on hiatus for the first time since 1975 because of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on production.
Arts

Japan's anime studios fall victim to coronavirus disruptions

'Pokemon' and 'Sazae-san' are delayed as animators and voice artists work from home

20 May 2020
As Japan steps back from social distancing guidelines, the share prices of companies expected to benefit from people staying home have faltered.
Markets

Instant noodles cool as Japan's stay-at-home stocks lose steam

Nissin, Nintendo and other once-hot names now underperform broader index

20 May 2020
Public service announcements on Japanese TV surged in April amid the coronavirus pandemic but commercial advertising dropped.
Business trends

Japan's TV stations feel coronavirus blow despite audience surge

More stay-at-home viewers but carmakers and leisure companies slash advertising

19 May 2020
Jia Yueting, co-founder of the Chinese tech group that includes Leshi, poses for a photo after a 2016 Reuters interview.
China tech

Chinese video platform Leshi delisted after string of losses

Diversification strategy backfired on tech group

15 May 2020
An Ocean Park employee checks the temperature of staff members in April. A government-proposed emergency aid package of 5.4 billion Hong Kong dollars ($696.5 million) will be scrutinized by lawmakers this week.
Travel & Leisure

Hong Kong's Ocean Park faces closure as pandemic takes its toll

Theme park seeks $696.5 million government bailout amid drop-off in tourism

11 May 2020
Shanghai Disneyland reopened on May 11 by limiting customers to 20% of the venue's capacity as a precaution against the virus.
Travel & Leisure

Shanghai Disneyland reopens, but without the magic and parades

Tickets sold out, while capacity is capped at 20% of usual

11 May 2020
Tokyo Disney Resort has been shut down since February. New Fantasyland, which took three years and 75 billion yen to build, will have to weather social distancing and other virus-fighting measures if it is to earn back that money.
Travel & Leisure

Tokyo Disney knows fans will return but question is when

Japanese resort not expected to follow Shanghai's reopening lead soon

10 May 2020
Production at Maruti Suzuki India's site in Haryana was shut down a month and a half ago in compliance with the nation's lockdown.
9 May 2020
Nintendo has been a rare beneficiary during the coronavirus outbreak with the Switch console and game softwares like "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" experiencing a surge in demand. (Source photo by Nintendo)
Media & Entertainment

Nintendo is at the top of its game with 41% rise in profit

Gaming giant logs $3bn in operating profit as Switch sales surge

7 May 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has kept DeNA BayStars fans -- and players -- away from Yokohama Stadium.
Media & Entertainment

Postponed season leaves Yokohama BayStars owner stuck in bullpen

Game developer DeNA finds baseball-team ownership to be costly without spectators

7 May 2020
Xiao Zhan shot to startdom thanks to his role in the hit streaming show "The Untamed." (Screen shot from "The Untamed")
Media & Entertainment

When China's massive fan-economy goes wrong

Extreme fan behavior creates a minefield for stars -- and the brands they sell

6 May 2020
In a striking company turnaround, CEO Kenichiro Yoshida seems to have put Sony's troubled years behind it. His next, and even bigger challenge: to restore its halo as the inventive brand behind devices from the Walkman to the PlayStation. 
The Big Story

Sony CEO Yoshida navigates coronavirus and activist attacks

New PlayStation launch clouded by pandemic as company seeks to revive innovation

6 May 2020
Japanese rugby is riding a wave of momentum that began when the country hosted last year's World Cup. Now the national team is moving into the sport's top tier.
Politics

Japan's national rugby team to be certified Tier 1

Brave Blossoms to host a Lions Tour exhibition next year

5 May 2020
The singing duo of Ayaka Hirahara, left, and Win Morisaki has reached the top of the weekly Myanmar hit chart released by the Joox music streaming service. They are shown performing in Yangon in February.
Media & Entertainment

Tencent dominates Myanmar's booming music streaming scene

Chinese provider's Joox service wins fans with local songs and flexible payments

4 May 2020
The coronavirus has put additional pressure on the stretched-thin Japanese anime industry, which is attracting high-tech startups looking to ease production overhead.
Business trends

AI redraws Japan's labor-intensive anime industry

Machine learning enables 8K image processing and fast manga translation

3 May 2020
No professional actors were used in the sly and very funny 2015 film "Thithi" ("The Rite").
Life

Top 10 South Asian films to stream during lockdown

For those confined by coronavirus, our pick of the best movies available at a click

1 May 2020