Features

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, U.S. tech giants rapidly expanded their workforces in anticipation of rising demand, but many are now retrenching to correct overstaffing. 
Datawatch

Mass layoffs at U.S. tech giants help startups secure IT talent

Job cuts in sector rose 13-fold in 2022 but few had trouble finding new work

5 February 2023
Visitors examine a Wuling Air electric vehicle, right, at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in Tangerang, Indonesia, on Aug. 18, 2022. 
Business Spotlight

Indonesia's nickel riches spur local company EV, battery ambition

Old economy conglomerates, businesses pounce as government pushes industry takeoff

3 February 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his team did not appreciate Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's decision to impose strict testing on travelers from China. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Kyodo)
China up close

Analysis: China flip-flop on Japanese visas highlights further policy confusion

Efforts to save face for Xi show same traits as abrupt cancelation of zero-COVID policy

2 February 2023
Myanmar's Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power on Feb. 1, 2021, appears to be following in the footsteps of military leaders who believe themselves to be reincarnations of ancient Burmese warrior kings. 
The Big Story

Myanmar's iron-fisted ruler Min Aung Hlaing fights to stay on his throne

Two years after seizing power, the general has undone any progress made under civilian rule

1 February 2023
Sule Pagoda in Yangon on Jan. 30: Two years after the military takeover, Myanmar can still see no way out of the darkness.
Asia Insight

Myanmar economy hobbled by military rule despite garment boom

Reliance on fewer foreign partners limits economic recovery prospects

31 January 2023
Soaring prices across the globe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and rapid interest rate hikes have prompted investors to shy away from bets on young companies. (Nikkei montage/AP/GoTo)
Market Spotlight

Grab, Coupang shares rebound as investors cheer cost-cutting

IPO prospects remain uncertain despite gains by Asian tech stars

30 January 2023
Japanese businesses tend to outsource systems development to outside vendors while neglecting to foster in-house experts in cybersecurity. 
Datawatch

Cyberattacks on Japan soar as hackers target vulnerabilities

Number doubles in three years as intruders exploit weak defenses

28 January 2023
Macao's gambling industry, a key pillar of its economy, has taken a beating from COVID and a crackdown on VIP bettors.
Business Spotlight

Macao gambles on diversification after crackdown on high rollers

VIP rooms out, vanilla tourism in as city seeks to steer economy in new direction

27 January 2023
Wang Huning, left, Xi Jinping and Wang Yi: the three key figures for Taiwan policy. (Nikkei montage/Getty Images/Reuters)
China up close

Analysis: Xi puts top brain in charge of Taiwan unification strategy

Wang Huning tasked with creating alternative to 'one country, two systems'

26 January 2023
Masanobu Ogura, left, Japan's minister in charge of women's empowerment and gender equality, tries on a pregnancy jacket with two male colleagues in April 2021. 
The Big Story

Inside Japan's gender problem: The men tasked with empowering women

Pay gap and low numbers of women in politics persist as Kishida assumes G-7 leadership

25 January 2023
As relations between Berlin and Beijing fray, the German city of Duisburg is getting less freight train traffic from China.
Asia Insight

China Belt and Road dreams fade in Germany's industrial heartland

Geopolitical tensions derail Duisburg's hopes of trade bonanza

24 January 2023
Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, who is due to retire in April after 10 years in the job. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Satoko Kawasaki)
Market Spotlight

Bank of Japan's communication breakdown leaves investors in dark

Like the U.S. Federal Reserve, the BOJ has trouble making itself understood

23 January 2023
The global vaccine coverage of 1-year-olds fell for the first time in two decades in 2020 as the COVID pandemic disrupted immunization campaigns for measles and other diseases in many countries.
Datawatch

COVID disrupts measles and other vaccinations in Asia, elsewhere

Pandemic saps resources to protect infants from contagious diseases

21 January 2023
Foreign tourists at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, one of Bangkok's most popular attractions, on Jan. 10.
Business Spotlight

Thailand and Indonesia gear up for return of Chinese tourists

After a three-year lull, is Southeast Asia's travel sector ready for a rush?

20 January 2023
Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma was, in effect, driven out of Ant Group, the financial company he spent his life building. The era of President Xi Jinping is drastically different from his predecessors'. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Ken Kobayashi)
China up close

Analysis: Jack Ma downfall spells end of China's golden age

Alibaba founder was blown off the scene like a cloud in the sky

19 January 2023
Stream article image
The Big Story

Beijing's new infrastructure binds Hong Kong to mainland

An interactive look at the string of Chinese-backed rail and real estate plans fusing city to Greater Bay Area

18 January 2023
People walk past stores selling consumer goods in an alley in Dharavi, Mumbai. Asia's biggest slum has been earmarked for redevelopment against the wishes of many locals.
Asia Insight

Mumbai slum residents stand up against Adani's redevelopment plan

Contract to overhaul Asia's biggest slum bagged by subsidiary of conglomerate

17 January 2023
In the first nine trading days of 2023, foreign investors bought a net 64 billion yuan ($9.5 billion) of Chinese stocks via the trading link between the mainland and Hong Kong. (Source photo by Getty Images) 
Market Spotlight

Foreign investors rush back to Chinese stocks despite worries

After recent gains, market no longer seems 'uninvestable'

16 January 2023
Despite growing exports, Japanese alcoholic beverages still account for just 0.1% of the global market, according to the National Tax Agency.
Datawatch

Japanese liquor makes little splash in global market

Exports are growing, thanks to weak yen, but red tape limits marketing potential

14 January 2023
The rise of China and its increasingly ambitious electric vehicle makers have presented Japan with its first serious rival in Thailand. (Source photos by Kyodo and Getty Images)
Business Spotlight

Thailand's auto industry becomes a Japan-China battleground

'Detroit of Southeast Asia' courts investment from both of Asia's giants

13 January 2023
Senior citizens are dying at an unprecedented pace after President Xi Jinping's administration abandoned the zero-COVID policy. (Nikkei montage/Reuters)
China up close

Analysis: China's elderly pay ultimate price for COVID missteps

Senior citizens die at unprecedented pace, leaving families devastated

12 January 2023
China's hospitals, like this one in Shanghai, have been overrun with mostly elderly COVID-19 patients since strict antivirus restrictions were dropped in December. But data suggests infections have already peaked. 
The Big Story

China crests first infection wave since abandoning zero-COVID

Overloaded hospitals and morgues suggest true death toll is hidden and worst is to come

11 January 2023
An unregistered Afghan refugee near the Torkham border crossing in Pakistan: Women have compelling reasons to flee a regime that is stripping away their rights but face an uncertain future in crisis-hit Pakistan. (Photo by Jamaima Afridi)
Asia Insight

Afghan women fleeing to Pakistan trade precarious life for another

U.N. seeks 'durable solutions' in 2023 as Islamabad's crises cloud outlook

10 January 2023
China's economic recovery from COVID restrictions and U.S. interest rate policy and the desire of some countries to control key resources are likely to set the tone in commodity markets this year. (Source photos by Getty Images, Kyodo and Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

China's opening and U.S. rates to stir commodity markets in 2023

From oil to gold, prices likely to ease from historic highs seen in 2022

9 January 2023
Japan's budget for the next fiscal year is its biggest ever, yet insufficient tax revenues limit its ability to invest in growth areas.
Datawatch

Japan's fiscal rigidity spawns vicious cycle of low growth

Only 30% of budget spared for discretionary spending due to limited tax revenues

7 January 2023