Economy

Foreign students at the Narita campus of the International University of Health and Welfare. Since its launch in April 2017, the university has accepted 40 foreign students from nearly 10 Asian countries and regions.
Economy

Japan's first new medical school in four decades aims to be Asia hub

In a system resistant to change, a maverick doctor challenges the status quo

13 August 2018
Wattay International Airport in the Laotian capital has been expanded with loans from Japan. (Photo by Marimi Kishimoto)
Economy

Laos airport can now handle 820% more foreign travelers

Southeast Asian country seeks to boost its status as tourist destination

10 August 2018
A man walks on a street during the flood after the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam collapsed in Attapeu province, Laos on July 26, 2018.
Economy

Laos dam builders under scrutiny for rushing project

Civil society groups urge Korean and Thai investors to take responsibility

10 August 2018
Shoppers check produce at a Yangon supermarket. Domestic retailers are wary of competition from foreign-owned stores. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Economy

Myanmar clarifies foreign ownership rules for retail sector

Green light to sell clothes, electronics and furniture attracts Japan's Aeon and rivals

7 August 2018
Shoppers browse the produce section at a City Mart supermarket.
Business trends

Myanmar supermarket challenges local markets with fresh produce

City Mart invests in 'vegetable factory' to cater to emerging middle class

3 August 2018
Stream article image
1 August 2018
Prior to the election, members of the dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party were transported in a police vehicle to attend a verdict announcement in Phnom Penh on May 10.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodia's opposition enters Dark Ages as Hun Sen secures power

Disbanded party activists to confront hardship of increasingly authoritarian state

31 July 2018
Flood victims are transported to safety after the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower dam collapsed in Attapeu province, Laos on July 26. 
Politics

Dam disaster exposes cracks in Laos' communist information wall

Risk assessments hidden from residents as regime pushed ahead with hydropower ambitions

31 July 2018
Cambodian garment workers were promised big raises by their prime minister as he campaigned for Sunday's election, but Western sanctions could dispel their hope.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Hun Sen's 'flawed' victory puts Cambodian businesses at stake

US and EU could deliver blows by taking away tariff-free access to their markets

31 July 2018
Cambodian leader Hun Sen is set to rule the country for another five years. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Five things to know about post-election Cambodia

Hun Sen now rules a one-party state, though questions about legitimacy remain

31 July 2018
A collapsed dam in southern Laos has forced over 7,000 people to evacuate and set back the country's hydroelectric ambitions.
Economy

Dam failure clouds Laos' dream of becoming regional power force

Delays to power plant projects could harm other economies in Southeast Asia

29 July 2018
Commuters wait to buy tickets at a Phnom Penh bus station on July 28, the first day of a three-day weekend ordered by the government in an attempt to get people to show up at their local polling stations. (Photo by Yukako Ono) 
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodians pushed to head home to boost election turnout

Apathy spreads as one-horse race lacks excitement of hard-fought 2013 poll

28 July 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany. Hun Sen is expected to clinch a landslide victory in the elections on Sunday. 
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Hun Sen warms seats for sons in post-election Cambodia

Eldest son seen succeeding but others point to divisions within ruling party

25 July 2018
Cambodia's strongman leader Hun Sen, who hopes to hold onto power for another decade, has removed his main opposition for the upcoming elections.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Five things to know about the Cambodian national election

With major opposition disbanded, all eyes are on voter turnout and legitimacy

23 July 2018
Serge Pun, center, heads a government-owned company that endeavors to win private sector financing that would be put into developing a new urban center for Yangon.
Politics

Plenty of political will but no cash for New Yangon project

Massive infrastructure development and a new urban center promised by 2020

22 July 2018
Cambodian workers feel underpaid in Cambodia and, increasingly, unwanted in Thailand.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Unstoppable worker outflow dims Cambodia's future prospects

Thailand gets tough on migrants but keeps absorbing labor needed for development

17 July 2018
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen greets garment workers during a visit to the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Garment workers pressured to vote in looming Cambodia elections

Voters apathetic after opposition party outlawed; turnout will hint at legitimacy

5 July 2018
Stream article image
2 July 2018
This modern farmers' market opened in Yangon in January. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Business trends

Myanmar races to feed a growing Yangon

Modern farmers' market opens and transport services start

28 June 2018
Soybeans being loaded at a port in China's Jiangsu Province. China, the world's largest consumer of soybeans, relies on U.S. imports for up to 30% of its needs.
Trade war

Soybean showdown: China removes tariffs in Asia

Beijing touts alternatives to US, but effect may be limited

27 June 2018
Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has Chinese cash and no major political opposition at home, is alienating Cambodia's biggest trade partners.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

US and EU bolster threat of sanctions before Cambodian elections

As China makes Hun Sen rich, the West reminds him who buys his country's exports

25 June 2018
Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith speaks about his country's efforts to go from "landlocked" to "land-linked" at the Future of Asia in Tokyo on June 12. (Photo by Maho Obata) 
The Future of Asia 2018

Laos 'not concerned' about debt from China's Belt and Road

Prime minister downplays fiscal risk from $5.8bn high-speed rail project

12 June 2018
A U.S. worker strips insulation from copper wire in Kansas City.
Economy

China's curbs on imported waste sow turmoil in the market

Beijing's ban on used paper is seen as a poke at the US as trade tensions fester

8 June 2018
The rise of the automobile in Myanmar means plenty of room for the nascent insurance business to grow.
Economy

Myanmar's insurance sector set for help from Japan

Spread of car ownership offers business opportunities

8 June 2018
(© Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images)
Asia Insight

China emerges as wild card in elections across Asia

Incumbents draw on Beijing's support as opponents tap resentment of its influence

5 June 2018