Features

14 September 2024
Power grids have become the primary bottleneck for expanding clean energy use in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
A Tatebayashi Moulding worker shapes a stamping die with a grinder: Under the ownership of BYD, the company is moving to implement new designs more quickly. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
Business Spotlight

Japanese auto parts makers scramble to prepare for EV shift

'No time to rest,' given lead time for phase out of gasoline-powered cars

13 September 2024
Shortly after Xi Jinping became president of China, the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily concluded for the first time that the status of Okinawa was "unresolved," despite decades of official recognition of Okinawa as part of Japan. (Source photo by Yusuke Hinata)
China up close

Analysis: China moves to play 'Okinawa card' over Japan's Taiwan stance

'Ryukyu research center' could reverse Beijing's position since Mao era

12 September 2024
Under pressure from investors, big landowners like hoteliers, railway operators and manufacturers are selling off real estate that is no longer central to their business.
The Big Story

Japan Inc.'s 25 trillion yen opportunity: Cashing in on real estate

Railway operator Seibu sets example by putting big Tokyo complex up for sale

11 September 2024
Signs are growing that the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be easing up on its controls on inbound Chinese investment.
Asia Insight

India edges warily toward accepting more Chinese investment

Despite security concerns, FDI seen as key to Modi's manufacturing drive

10 September 2024
All six ETFs, which made their market debuts in Hong Kong at the end of April, have posted negative returns as of the end of August. (Source photos by AP and Getty Images)
Market Spotlight

From Hong Kong to Singapore, crypto ETFs face chill

Market turbulence ahead of U.S. election weighs on digital asset funds

9 September 2024
A sharp drop in food-tech investments could hinder the development of alternative protein products.
Datawatch

Lab-grown food faltering on solving world hunger

Higher prices and taste issues lead to reduced investments in agritech startups

7 September 2024
Emergency personnel carry the body of a person killed in a fire at a lithium battery factory owned by South Korean battery maker Aricell, in Hwaseong, Jun. 24. The disaster was the latest in a long-running string of fatal business-related accidents in the country.
Business Spotlight

South Korea Inc. faces reckoning as company CEO awaits trial over factory fire

After battery plant disaster kills 23, campaigners seek justice, safety in workplace

6 September 2024
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, left, stand with Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia before a meeting at the Bayi building in Beijing on Aug. 29.
China up close

Analysis: General's smile hints at changes in China power balance

Top military brass return to forefront of diplomacy with U.S.

5 September 2024
Supporters of President Ranil Wickremesinghe rally in Dambulla on Aug. 24: For better or worse, the incumbent is the Sri Lankan face of the IMF's rescue program. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
The Big Story

Election campaign energizes Sri Lankans weary of economic turmoil

Presidential candidates tap public misgivings about IMF-directed policy changes

4 September 2024
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attends a campaign event focused on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities on July 9 in Nevada, one of seven key states that could decide the outcome of November's presidential election.
Asia Insight

Once neglected, Asian Americans now courted in knife-edge election

Tiny margins in battleground states spotlight voters like Wisconsin's Hmong community

3 September 2024
Japan stocks' historic volatility at the beginning of August was caused by demand-supply dynamics rather than fundamentals, a trading manager says. (Source photos by Yo Inoue and Satoko Kawasaki)
Market Spotlight

Japan stock volatility chased away speculators, lured long-term investors

After a month, market sources look back at historic rout and share their takeaways

2 September 2024
While Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative faces challenges with some projects, the country's decarbonization drive is helping it expand its influence worldwide.
Datawatch

Decarbonization now drives China's Belt and Road push

Brisk sales of EVs, solar panels and wind turbines are boosting Beijing's global clout

31 August 2024
Marriage of convenience? Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard has made an ambitious, preliminary takeover approach for the Japanese company that owns 7-Eleven. (Photos by Reuters and Yuji Murakami)
Business Spotlight

With 7-Eleven on buyout menu, Japanese owner Seven & i reaches crossroads

Couche-Tard targets food business, U.S. market; regulatory, antitrust issues weigh

30 August 2024
Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping. A Xinhua commentary in July appeared intended to muddy the waters as to who should be credited with the reforms that helped China build the world's second largest economy. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yusuke Hinata and Getty Images)
China up close

Analysis: Elders stay faithful to Deng over 'reformer Xi Jinping'

Summer rebellion forces Xinhua to delete a commentary that rewrote party history

29 August 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden, right, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House in January 2023: Both are suddenly signaling their imminent departure from office, fueling uncertainty over their successors. (Pool via Reuters)
The Big Story

Tighter U.S.-Japan alliance is unexpected legacy of Kishida-Biden era

Uncertainty over successors threatens momentum of 'global partnership'

28 August 2024
Children from a kindergarten read at a public library in Yantai in eastern China's Shandong province. The number of children enrolled in preschool education fell by 5 million in 2023 to 40.92 million, the lowest figure since 2014. (FeatureChina via AP)
Asia Insight

China's kindergarten closures foreshadow economic hit from falling births

20,000 schools shut in two years; Beijing seeks urgent solutions as workforce shrinks

27 August 2024
With rents up nearly 40% in the last five years and vacancies at under 2%, Australia residents are finding it increasingly hard to secure housing. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Getty Images) 
Market Spotlight

Australia housing prices, rents surge as supply shortage deepens

Affordability emerges as political issue for Albanese government

26 August 2024
University students today prefer to buy experiences such as concerts over tangible goods like cars and brand-name goods.
Datawatch

Japan university student spending nears bubble-era peak

Higher part-time job wages spur buying of experiences rather than goods

24 August 2024
Indian billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, left, is battling rival Gautam Adani for control of India's cement sector, the world's second-biggest. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Business Spotlight

Indian billionaires Adani and Birla wage 'cement war'

Expansion by rivals could spur price cuts in world's second-biggest market

23 August 2024
Xi Jinping is determined not to be caught off guard by the policies of whoever wins the U.S. presidential election in November, Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yusuke Hinata and Getty Images)
China up close

Analysis: U.S. election could dictate Xi Jinping's political schedule

Bitter lesson from 2016 Clinton-Trump race reverberates through Beijing

22 August 2024
A Batik Air Airbus A320 prepares for takeoff from Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport: The Lion Air Group unit is seeking to position its flights from the airfield as a premium service. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
The Big Story

Southeast Asia's old air hubs are revving back to life

Region's airlines seek business travelers willing to pay more for convenience

21 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra has risen to Thailand's prime ministerial post on the strength of her father Thaksin's influence, but with that influence weakening, tough challenges lie in store for the 37-year-old as she takes up her first role in government. (Photo by Shinya Sawai) 
Asia Insight

Thailand's latest Shinawatra PM walks the same economic, political tightrope

Paetongtarn takes office with growth the key issue as father Thaksin calls party shots

20 August 2024
Coffee prices have been soaring in recent months, with London futures for robusta coffee beans reaching a historic high in July. (Source photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Market Spotlight

Coffee prices volatile on climate, shipping crunch, forest regulation

Unpredictable weather will increase cost of production in the long run

19 August 2024
Many startups in Japan struggle with growth after going public, possibly starved of funding as mature firms refrain from reallocating surplus back to investors.
Datawatch

Japan's startups struggle to grow past '2nd death valley'

Flow of funds from mature firms back to investors seen as key to more dynamism

17 August 2024