Features

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan on Aug. 2-3 resulted in more than 270 cases of misinformation attacks -- likely from China, according to Taiwan's National Defense Ministry.
Asia Insight

Cyber warfare: China attacks force Taiwan to bolster defenses

Power plants, hospitals and other essential facilities seen as possible targets

13 September 2022
Yen lost 10% in about a month near 145 against the dollar by Wednesday already, but few expect a return to 110s, where it started the year, in any foreseeable future. (Source photo by Retuers)
Market Spotlight

Investors await effective policy responses as yen tests 1998 low

Japan's lack of attractive assets contributes to capital outflow

12 September 2022
Japan's push for housing quantity over quality has produced many homes that do not meet current earthquake and energy-saving standards.
Datawatch

More empty homes: Japan's housing glut to hit 10m in 2023

Government continued to encourage house-building despite population decline

11 September 2022
South Korea's army conducts a military drill with Hyundai Rotem's K2 Black Panther tanks. The weapons are drawing keen interest in Europe. (Photo courtesy of Hyundai Rotem) 
Business Spotlight

South Korean arms find interest in Europe amid Ukraine war

Hyundai, Hanwha, KAI win orders in Poland, but other countries also tempted

9 September 2022
"The Yellow River and Yangtze River will not flow backward," Premier Li Keqiang, right, recently said, in a possible dig at President Xi Jinping's economic policies. (Nikkei montage/Getty Images/Reuters)
China up close

Analysis: In cryptic lingo, Premier Li says rivers only flow forward

Emphasis on reform and opening-up puts brakes on Xi's economic policies

8 September 2022
The assassination of Shinzo Abe in July exposed an intricate maze of links between the former Unification Church and Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The Big Story

Strings pulled: Dissecting Japan's Unification Church problem

LDP scandal exposes religion's potential role in gender policy and LGBTQ rights

7 September 2022
Flags fly outside a branch facility of the former Unification Church, known officially as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, in Seoul, South Korea. 
The Big Story

The Unification Church in South Korea: a cautionary tale for the LDP

In the church's birth place, politicians with links to the group have not fared well

7 September 2022
Corporate capital spending in Japan has not grown in tandem with higher earnings as businesses become more cautious about increasing fixed assets.
Datawatch

Weak capital investment saps Japan's economic growth

Top corporate spenders unchanged in 15 years in absence of new industry leaders

6 September 2022
Laos owes more than half its foreign debt to China, including "hidden obligations," and experts say the Southeast Asian country could end up bartering away land and resources for relief.
Asia Insight

Laos' debt pressure raises specter of a China vassal state

Echoes of Sri Lanka on the Mekong as muzzled public seethes over economic woes

6 September 2022
The collapse of 3AC has reverberated through the industry, further damaging the credibility of the asset class. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/AP)
Market Spotlight

Aftershocks: 3AC's collapse reverberates through crypto ecosystem

Creditors scared as cryptocurrency hedge fund's liquidation yields little so far

5 September 2022
Japan's video game industry is wary of turning off players by diving too aggressively into crypto, while gamers say they do not want the real world worry of having to earn money encroaching on their pastime. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Business Spotlight

Japan's video game heavyweights tiptoe into blockchain

Square Enix aims to monetize NFT project while 'play-to-earn' games sour globally

2 September 2022
Will Wang Yang become China's next premier and thus be allowed to try to stem the economic downturn? That's up to Xi Jinping. (Nikkei montage/Taro Yokosawa/Getty Images)
China up close

Analysis: Next premier must save the economy. Is Wang Yang the one?

China's current No. 4 has the right bio but isn't too mainstream

1 September 2022
With the Ukraine-Russia war threatening food security worldwide, China looks to expand its agricultural industry abroad to weather the storm. 
The Big Story

Farming out: China's overseas food security quest

As the Ukraine war sparks shortages, China looks to invest abroad to secure food supplies

31 August 2022
Though beneficial to government balance sheets, the "inflation tax" could burden consumers with unmanageable price hikes.
Datawatch

Inflation tax hits $4.5tn in U.S., Europe amid global price hikes

Consumers may ultimately pay for less government debt through devalued currencies

30 August 2022
Some potential Nusantara investors are holding onto their money until Indonesian President Joko Widodo paints a "big picture" of what he envisions.
Asia Insight

Jokowi struggles to drum up investors for new Indonesia capital

As SoftBank withdraws, Japan Inc. takes wait-and-see approach to $30bn project

30 August 2022
Buildings across China are being abandoned half-finished as developers struggle with slumping demand and dwindling liquidity. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata)
Market Spotlight

Loan woes: China's troubled property market hits banks

Spate of profit warnings reveals extent of risk to broader financial system

29 August 2022
It is hard for investors to get HR details from companies, but they may want more in the future to gauge the impact of employee engagement on corporate value.
Datawatch

More Japanese companies reap benefits of human capital investment

Data shows link between HR spending and corporate performance

27 August 2022
 Construction is underway on the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power station in Ibaraki Prefecture, built nearly 44 years ago, with an eye toward restarting it. The plan faces opposition from some locals, however.
Business Spotlight

Can Japan's new nuclear policy revive its creaking industry?

11 years of no plant construction has eroded supply chains and human resources

26 August 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping had an option to avoid firing missiles into Japan's EEZ but instead tried to rattle Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. (Nikkei montage/AP/Reuters)
China up close

Analysis: Xi ditched milder options in sending missiles toward Japan

Military had prepared last-minute alternatives that avoided controversy

25 August 2022
Group of Seven countries and democratic allies like Australia are dangling infrastructure support in Southeast Asia as an alternative to China's Belt and Road.
Asia Insight

China's ASEAN Silk Road gets slippery as other powers move in

U.S., Europe, India join battle to build regional supply chains from Thailand to Vietnam

23 August 2022
Some commodity prices have returned to their prewar levels, partly thanks to an agreement allowing grain carriers to leave Ukrainian ports, but Asian consumers are not benefiting. (Nikkei montage/Reuters)
Market Spotlight

Six months since Russia attacked Ukraine: Will grain prices drop?

Expert warns of possible 'second wave' as fertilizer costs remain a problem

22 August 2022
People in some Western countries have become more receptive to Russian propaganda as their focus shifts from the war in Ukraine to daily struggles with inflation.
Datawatch

Russia gains ground in information war against Ukraine

Social media data shows Moscow winning more backers in Western countries

21 August 2022
Nikkei research found that SoftBank Group, once Japan's most profitable company, faced corporate income tax four times over the last 15 years. 
The Big Story

The mystery of SoftBank's zero tax bill

Nikkei investigation reveals years of huge profits and no taxes for Japan's top tech investor

20 August 2022
Companies looking to transport goods between Europe and China face the political, ethical and commercial dilemma of using the Russian route, or sending them on a slower, more expensive trek across Central Asia.
Business Spotlight

Russia's war leaves Europe with China rail route dilemma

Exporters forced to choose between sanctions risks and lengthy delays

19 August 2022
Stream article image
The Big Story

Confrontation to conflagration: Asia's six likeliest wars

A shifting balance of power may reignite frozen conflicts from North Korea to Pakistan

17 August 2022