Features

The weak yen raises doubts over Japan's influence in Asia as the currency becomes less of a safe haven and less key in financial markets. (Source photo by Suzu Takahashi) 
Market Spotlight

South Korea shrugs off weak yen as Japan's influence wanes

Samsung, Hyundai Motor unfazed by depreciation, signaling power shift away from neighbor

25 April 2022
Japan is seeing a hot job market for workers over 40 as companies seek experienced individuals to drive growth in the post-pandemic era.
Datawatch

Middle-aged job-hopping booms in Japan

Number of career changes among workers over 40 doubles in five years

24 April 2022
Tareq Amin, left, sold Rakuten founder Hiroshi Mikitani on the idea of building Japan's fourth mobile network -- using technology that was still untested at the time. (Source photos by Rie Ishii, courtesy of Rakuten)
Business Spotlight

Calling all disrupters: Japan's Rakuten bets big on virtual networks

After 2 years and $2bn in losses, can the e-commerce giant realize its mobile ambitions?

22 April 2022
As this purported image of the Moskva goes viral on Telegram, Chinese President Xi Jinping might be fretting over the source of his navy's aircraft carrier technologies. (Nikkei montage/Kyodo/AP)
China up close

Analysis: Xi's confidence in aircraft carriers shaken after Moskva sinking

China's treasured Liaoning was made in Soviet-era Ukraine like the Russian flagship

21 April 2022
The Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant in China, which leads Asia on nuclear power, will begin operation this year. Sanctions on Russian fossil fuel and looming decarbonization deadlines are causing many Asian governments to reconsider their stances on nuclear energy. 
The Big Story

Asia's nuclear power dilemma: Ukraine war drives energy turnarounds

From Japan to Singapore, Russia sanctions and carbon-zero targets push states to reconsider nuclear energy

20 April 2022
Can the world's third-largest democracy buy discounted oil from Russia, maintain its foreign policy independence and come down on the right side of history?
Asia Insight

Indonesia in spotlight as it weighs buying Russia's 'blood oil'

Ukraine war and skyrocketing fuel prices strip away Jokowi's rare opportunity

19 April 2022
The idea of Sri Lanka paying foreign debt while people went hungry became untenable. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

Sri Lanka's international bondholders brace for a haircut

Debt-ridden country's recent history is a chronicle of a default foretold

18 April 2022
Tokyo continues to receive a net inflow of people, but in 2021 more men moved out than moved in for the first time in 25 years.
Datawatch

Japan's big cities act as magnet for women but repellent for men

Tokyo sees its first net outflow of men in 25 years as telework takes hold

16 April 2022
Southeast Asia has become a major market for blockchain gaming, as people are lured by the prospects of earning more by playing games than from their real-life income. (Source photos by AFP/Jiji, courtesy of Immutable and screenshot from Coinbase's website) 
Business Spotlight

Could a Philippines startup become gatekeeper to the metaverse?

Yield Guild Games defies crypto heists and volatility to back nascent blockchain gaming industry

15 April 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping has not protected his long-time aide Li Qiang, who serves as Shanghai's top official. (Nikkei montage/Getty Images/Xinhua/Kyodo)
14 April 2022
After seven Russian banks were banned from SWIFT following the invasion of Ukraine, China is hoping its own Cross-border Interbank Payment System, CIPS, will be enough to weather potential future sanctions from the West. 
The Big Story

China scrambles for cover from West's financial weapons

Spooked by sanctions on Russia, Beijing looks to build on its own international payments system

13 April 2022
John Lee, Hong Kong's former security chief and chief secretary, looks poised to win the city's top job.
Asia Insight

Hong Kong fears run deep as John Lee aims to take charge

Police vet emerges as China's pick to lead a public wary of security law

12 April 2022
India has had just a handful of IPOs this year, a marked contrast to the fevered activity in 2021. (Source photos by Kosaku Mimura and Reuters)
Market Spotlight

India's IPO market revives, but caution is the watchword

Economic concerns and stock market swings bring an end to investors' ebullience

11 April 2022
Chinese markets have been hit by the "unprecedented” flight of foreign capital after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the Institute of International Finance.
Datawatch

Foreign cash flees China as investors shun autocracies

Net outflows surge as Ukraine war spooks markets

10 April 2022
Alvin Chau's Suncity Group has been forced to shut the VIP rooms it operated with all six of Macao's casino operators. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Getty Images) 
Business Spotlight

Downfall of Macao's junket king rocks Asia-Pacific gambling world

Alvin Chau was seen as a pillar of the community but now sits in jail

8 April 2022
(Nikkei montage/Getty Images)
China up close

Analysis: Xi risks stumbling with Putin if he plays his cards wrong

If Russia fails in Ukraine, questions would arise over long-term authoritarian leadership

7 April 2022
Female students across Afghanistan were crushed by news that their return to senior schools was to be postponed by the Taliban on March 23. The future of young women at institutions such as the Edrak Institute of Higher Education (pictured) remains bleak. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/UN Women)
The Big Story

Dark futures: Afghanistan's women reel from Taliban school ban

U-turn on female education jeopardizes international legitimacy and economic recovery

6 April 2022
Shanghai on March 31: Over two years into the pandemic, China continues to resort to lockdowns to curb COVID-19 outbreaks.
Asia Insight

Shanghai's extended COVID lockdown highlights China's hazy exit path

Vaccination policies and need for stability delay shift to living with virus

5 April 2022
The yen fell to a seven-year low on March 28, ten days after the Bank of Japan's governor predicted that no big decline was likely. (Source photos by Kosuke Imamura and Jiji) 
Market Spotlight

Yen slide breeds uncertainty over BOJ yield cap policy

Costs of ultraloose monetary policy are being counted by Japanese consumers

4 April 2022
In Oita Prefecture on Japan's southern island of Kyushu, the local airport is rebranding as a spaceport for midair rocket launches. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Business Spotlight

The space(port) race: Asian nations jostle for rocket launch business

Japanese prefecture famed for hot springs will be base for Virgin Orbit of the U.S.

1 April 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping is keeping an eye on how his close ally handles the lockdown in Shanghai and its effects on the economy. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/AP)
China up close

Analysis: Shanghai lockdown affects Xi's plans to promote allies

City chief Li Qiang's move to Beijing likely on hold till economic impact weighed

31 March 2022
People's healthy lifespans may be cut short if physical deterioration and dementia are left untreated.
Datawatch

COVID fears raise Japan's dementia risks as seniors shun hospitals

Doctors warn avoiding treatment could cut healthy life expectancy

30 March 2022
Teerapong "Non" Sakdanarongsri, a former mahout at a commercial elephant park, enjoys a quiet moment with Sierra, a 16-month-old female elephant who already weighs 400 kg. At Elephant Freedom Village, the camp he founded eight years ago, only "positive reinforcement techniques" are used. (Photo by Adam Oswell)
The Big Story

Thailand's elephant tourism endangered by COVID blow to global travel

Plunge in visitor numbers throws animals and owners into crisis

30 March 2022
Costs were already rising before Russia invaded Ukraine. Now, Asia's businesses and households are being squeezed even harder. 
Asia Insight

Inflation starts to bite in Asia on war, COVID, supply squeeze

Growing public anger puts governments to the test ahead of elections

29 March 2022
Chinese companies see huge differences in valuation in between shares listed on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges, with mainland investors often paying a premium for stock with the same voting rights and dividend. (Source photo by Reuters/Getty Images)
Market Spotlight

Why do Chinese investors pay more for the same shares?

Premium for mainland stocks over Hong Kong counterparts recently hit 7-year high

28 March 2022