Transportation

Demand for e-commerce deliveries by Amazon has exploded during the pandemic. (Photo courtesy of Amazon Japan)
Retail

Amazon to add 5 more last-mile delivery stations in Tokyo region

Stay-at-home demand drives expansion of logistics workforce

21 July 2021
CRRC's maglev train can make the trip from Beijing to Shanghai in three and a half hours, estimates show, roughly two hours faster than a conventional bullet train. (Photo from CRRC)
Transportation

China unveils 600 kph superfast maglev train

CRRC's new model to cut Beijing-Shanghai trip to 3.5 hours

21 July 2021
A China Southern Airlines flight takes off from an airport in Guangzhou. Passengers are flying in large numbers again in China as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
Transportation

Air carriers flooded with consumer complaints in China

Unlimited flight tickets aimed at sparking demand create chaos instead

18 July 2021
Workers tend to a train that derailed after sediment covered tracks on the Geibi line in Japan's Hiroshima Prefecture in 2020. (Photo courtesy of the Japan Transport Safety Board)
Natural disasters

Japan's railway danger zone: 1,900 km of track face mudslide risk

Nikkei study shows 113 km on seven bullet trains fall within disaster-prone areas

17 July 2021
Garuda Indonesia's net loss ballooned to $2.4 billion in 2020.
Transportation

Garuda Indonesia racks up $2.4bn loss

National carrier's operational continuity is questioned by auditors

16 July 2021
Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi is under review by a multiagency regulatory team. (Source photos AP and Reuters) 
China tech

Chinese officials from 7 agencies join Didi investigation

Tax, transport and competition regulators part of on-site security probe

16 July 2021
Shimano President Taizo Shimano poses at the company's headquarters in Osaka. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Business Spotlight

Shimano pedals faster as COVID pandemic propels cycling boom

New president takes on e-bikes as Japanese manufacturer enters its second century

16 July 2021
IPP Air Cargo plans to establish an export hub at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.
Transportation

Vietnam's first cargo-only airline nears takeoff

Retail group IPPG looks to crack market dominated by foreign carriers

16 July 2021
Antipolo station, which opened July 5, is the last stop on the eastern extension of the LRT Line 2 that runs across greater Manila. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Transportation

Manila's $25bn traffic headache looms as 2022 election issue

Duterte's infrastructure plan progresses slower than expected

15 July 2021
Shoei Kisen President Yukito Higaki said that negotiations over the Ever Given incident had helped "deepen relations" with Egyptian authorities.
Transportation

Suez Canal compensation no impact on Ever Given owner

Japan's Imabari says insurance will cover payout and that it has turned a profit

12 July 2021
Shimano is building a new plant in Singapore's Jurong Innovation District as its existing factory deteriorates. (Photo by Lim Weixiang and Shimano)
Companies

Bicycle parts maker Shimano invests $179m to build Singapore plant

Vehicles' low risk of virus transmission spurs demand amid pandemic

11 July 2021
Kintetsu World Express expects higher demand for shipping auto parts from Southeast Asia to the U.S. 
Transportation

Kintetsu Express adds charters to deliver ASEAN auto parts to US

Japanese freight forwarder sees squeeze on cargo capacity as output rebounds

10 July 2021
A prototype of a two-seater drone by Volocopter, a German startup in which JAL invested in 2020. (Photo courtesy of Volocopter)
Technology

JAL aims to launch flying car business in fiscal 2025

Rival ANA also eyes new market as Japan government works on safety rules

9 July 2021
Thai Airways' rehab plan aims to bring the airline back to profitability by 2025, but much depends on recovery of the air travel market, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Transportation

Thai Airways takes next step in balance sheet rehab plan

Carrier to cut registered capital by 19% as part of court-backed restructuring

9 July 2021
A Kawasaki R-188 subway car on New York City's 7 line. The trains use air conditioning from Mitsubishi Electric. 
Electronics

NYC demands more info on Mitsubishi A/C in 2,600 subway cars

Japanese company has admitted to falsifying inspection data

9 July 2021
The Ever Given container ship resumed operations for the first time in three months Wednesday at the Suez Canal. (Photo by Takeshi Kumon)
Transportation

Egypt frees ship that blocked Suez Canal after 3-month hold

Ever Given's Japanese owner agrees to undisclosed compensation

8 July 2021
AirAsia is looking to grow in Thailand's food delivery market as Gojek shifts its focus to Vietnam and Singapore. (Source photos by AFP/Jiji and Getty Images) 
Business deals

AirAsia to take over Gojek's business in Thailand

Malaysia carrier furthers its "superapp" ambitions via deal with Indonesia unicorn

7 July 2021
A New York commuter train: The city's subway received about 2,200 rail cars from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, a key client for Mitsubishi Electric.
Electronics

Scandal-hit Mitsubishi Electric supplied train equipment for NY, London

Air conditioners that potentially underwent fake inspections delivered to 15 countries

6 July 2021
The Panama-flagged cargo ship Ever Given is accompanied by tugboats as it moves in the Suez Canal, which it blocked earlier this year. The Egyptian government's Suez Canal Authority announced July 4 an agreement to settle a financial dispute with Shoei Kisen, the vessel's owner.
Transportation

Suez Canal settlement reached to release seized ship

Japanese-owned Ever Given, held over a compensation dispute, allowed to sail on July 7

5 July 2021
The problems at Mitsubishi Electric's Nagasaki works included reporting false inspection data to customers for equipment that was never checked.
Electronics

Mitsubishi Electric fakes inspection data on train A/C equipment

Improper checks stretch back for more than 30 years at leading Japanese supplier

30 June 2021
Ferrying more cargo helped VietJet weather the pandemic at first, but the budget carrier is bracing for more turbulence as Vietnam grapples with its deadliest outbreak of the virus yet. 
Companies

Vietjet to sell up to 15% stake as Vietnam battles COVID surge

Cargo shipping made budget carrier one of few profitable airlines in 2020

29 June 2021
Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary Scoot will debut new Airbus A321neo jets to serve Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Transportation

Singapore Airlines' budget unit Scoot debuts new Airbus jets

Low-cost carrier eyes routes to Thailand and Vietnam after fleet refresh

28 June 2021
Ride-hailing company DiDi Chuxing is targeting what could be the year's biggest Chinese IPO in the U.S.
IPO

Chinese ride-hailer Didi seeks $4bn in US IPO

Tech group scales back expectations after Beijing steps up regulatory scrutiny

25 June 2021
Jet Airways aircraft, seen here in April 2019, are parked at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.
Transportation

India's Jet Airways aims to fly again by year-end with rehab plan cleared

Bankruptcy panel rejects carrier's request to restore all airport slots

25 June 2021
WeRide says its robotaxis have completed almost 150,000 trips for more than 60,000 customers. (Photo courtesy of WeRide)
China tech

WeRide raises $600m in China's self-driving tech race

Startup deepens ties with Nissan alliance in domestic robotaxi push

24 June 2021