Notices calling for a boycott of Japanese-made products are visible at a store in Seoul, South Korea, last year. Japanese companies' exports and sales in the country have been hard hit as a consequence.
Business trends

South Korean boycott hammers sales of Japanese consumer goods

Beer, clothes and cars hit hard, but video game makers Nintendo and Sony shine

2 August 2020
Visitors play a video game at a stand at the 2020 ChinaJoy event in Shanghai.
Media & Entertainment

China gamers look for next big hits at Shanghai show

'ChinaJoy' is forum for smaller studios to showcase technology and products

1 August 2020
Japan's aging farm sector may be able to reap better returns thanks to the tie-up with FamilyMart.
Agriculture

Japan's big farm lender taps FamilyMart to boost produce sales

Joint investment with co-op aims to widen retail channels for agri sector

1 August 2020
Li & Fung, a supply-chain manager that connects thousands of companies, sold a 6.7% stake in the company to China's JD.com (Source photos by Reuters and screenshot from Li and Fung website) 
Business deals

Hong Kong's Li & Fung taps JD.com for digital supply chain revamp

Century-old company raises $100m from Chinese e-commerce operator

31 July 2020
Budweiser Brewing Co. APAC's sales in China in the second quarter "improved significantly."
Consumer

Well-off Chinese shoppers boost sales at Budweiser and Prada

High-end spending shows uneven nature of China's retail recovery

31 July 2020
The consortium, including the University of Tokyo, IBM Japan and Toshiba, wants to focus on areas where Japanese companies can be competitive. (Photo courtesy of IBM Japan)
Technology

Japan group to bring quantum computers to the workplace

IBM, University of Tokyo and partners to develop software for the technology

31 July 2020
Lawson plans to open 10 prefab stores across China before the year ends. (Photo courtesy of Lawson)
Retail

Lawson expands in China with prefab convenience stores

Small, low-cost minimarts to pop up in parks and on factory floors

31 July 2020
Partnership with Citic is the most high-profile symbol of Itochu's commitment to the Chinese market.(Source photo by Reuters) 
Companies

Itochu finds hope in alliance with China's Citic in apparel

Japan trader still faces challenges in FamilyMart-branded retail operations

30 July 2020
A Chinese national flag flies in front of HSBC's offices in Hong Kong.
Finance

A month on, Hong Kong banks caught between US and China sanctions

Lenders comb through clients to mitigate risk since security bill's passage

30 July 2020
The coronavirus-induced travel slump has forced Laox to rethink its business model, such as a focus on food at a recently opened branch in Osaka.  (Photo by Toshiki Sasazu)
Retail

Duty-free chain Laox to close half of stores in Japan

Chinese-owned retailer seeks more job cuts in shift away from tourist customers

29 July 2020
The South China Morning Post's newsroom at Times Square in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. (Photo courtesy of the company)
Media & Entertainment

South China Morning Post restores paywall as ad revenue falls

Hong Kong paper seeks new revenue stream to sustain its journalism

28 July 2020
Intel is struggling to catch up with TSMC in the race for chip dominance. (Source photos by Shihoko Nakaoka and Shinya Sawai)
Technology

Intel falls behind Asian rival TSMC in chip race

Delays to 7-nanometer production could spur US titan to embrace outsourcing

27 July 2020
Last year's ChinaJoy expo in Shanghai drew 364,700 visitors, according to Chinese state media reports. 
Your Week in Asia

Huawei summit, Hang Seng Tech Index launch and Apple Q3 results

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

26 July 2020
A street vendor sells lychee in Hanoi. June is the peak season for the tropical fruit. (Photo by Atsushi Tomiyama)
Agriculture

Lychee land Vietnam savors first taste of Japan market

World's No. 2 exporter commands big premium at supermarkets

26 July 2020
A Nojima store in the Tokyo suburb of Chofu: Older sales employees are a valuable resource for the electronics retailer. (Photo courtesy of Nojima)
Retail

Japan retailer pushes limit of retirement age, making 80 the new 65

Labor crunch forces electronics chain Nojima to keep experienced sales staff

26 July 2020
An LNG processing facility. The Myanmar power plant would have an output of 1.25 megawatts.
Energy

Myanmar approves Japanese plans for LNG power plant

Design and price negotiations seen taking up to two years, sources say

25 July 2020
Pan Sutong, third from right, has been a high-profile presence at the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Property

Chinese tycoon scrambles to hold Goldin empire together

Pan Sutong pledges stake as company fights creditors for headquarters

24 July 2020
Japan's Aeon is building its third shopping mall in Cambodia amid a boom in new retail developments. (Photo by Shinya Sawai) 
Retail

Cambodia set for mall glut as foreign and local projects pile up

Doubts grow over whether fragile middle class can support rapid boom in retail space

24 July 2020
A liquefied natural gas-fired power plant in Futtsu, Chiba facing the Tokyo Bay (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Energy

Japan Marubeni wins deal for $2bn Myanmar LNG power plant

Marubeni, Sumitomo and Mitsui to build project equal to 20% of existing capacity

24 July 2020
Launching a year after the opening of Shanghai's STAR Market, the STAR 50 index is intended to showcase the new board's high-tech listings. 
Markets

Jumping ahead of Hong Kong, STAR Market tech index slips on debut

Rival China bench marks take different approaches to inclusion

23 July 2020
Vietnamese e-commerce company Tiki raised $130 million in the April to June quarter, as demand for items such as masks and hand sanitizer rose due to the pandemic. (Courtesy of the company)
Startups

Startup investments in Southeast Asia nearly double despite COVID

E-commerce and fintech lead 2Q deals as pandemic fosters online service growth

23 July 2020
A woman disinfects her hands at the Central World shopping mall in Bangkok: Thai companies, including the owner of the mall, are playing it safe, conserving cash during the pandemic.
Companies

Thai companies cut dividends to save cash in pandemic

Central Retail and Minor International ask shareholders to skip payouts

23 July 2020
The STAR Market index debuts one day after the board's one-year anniversary.
Markets

Shanghai's STAR market seeks wider investor interest with new index

Tech bourse emerges as alternative home for China's Wall Street defectors

23 July 2020
A girl wearing a protective mask depicting the TikTok logo poses for a picture inside a slum in Mumbai on July 1. 
Caixin

In depth: What will Chinese apps do after India ban?

Border conflict triggered move, but economic tension was already roiling ties

22 July 2020
Google announced it would invest $4.5 billion in Reliance Industries' Jio Platforms on July 15.
Startups

Google-Reliance partnership heats up Indian e-commerce race

Local startups to find new funding strategies amid rising Indo-China hostility

22 July 2020