Features

After Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced its first Japanese chip plant in Kumamoto, regional demand for investing in the southwestern prefecture surged. (Photo by Shinya Sawai) 
Business Spotlight

TSMC's Japan chip venture spurs investment rush

In Kumamoto and beyond, companies cash in on the Taiwanese chipmaker's expansion

23 February 2024
From left: Xi Jinping, Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Putin. Xi and Putin play a similar game of politics that brooks no dissent. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images and Ryosuke Hinata)
China up close

Analysis: Xi and Putin share a trait -- they cannot show weakness

In China, a key economic meeting is on hold until Xi feels he can project strength

22 February 2024
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has created an arms shortage that South Korean contractors are increasingly being called upon to replenish, sparking an anguished debate in a nation that has "been suffering from the effects of war for 70 years now." (Illustration by Hiroko Oshima)
The Big Story

K-defense: South Korea's weapons industry goes global

Amid heightening confrontation with North, Seoul finds niche filling global arms shortages

21 February 2024
Despite Beijing's attempts to stifle LGBTQ advocacy, calls for fair treatment continue unabated in online, offline, group and solo events, according to China Dissent Monitor data.
Asia Insight

China LGBTQ community hangs tough in dissent amid repression

Study shows new protest channels used to urge rights progress as authorities circle

20 February 2024
Japanese retail investors still prefer foreign equities despite repeated rallies at home. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty and Toshiki Sasazu)
Market Spotlight

Japan's revamped NISA program seen benefiting U.S., Indian stocks

Japanese retail continues to favor foreign equities even as domestic stocks surge

19 February 2024
With their demographic dividends petering out, some ASEAN economies are facing the risk of getting old before they get rich. 
Datawatch

Aging Southeast Asia grapples with weak social safety nets

State pensions cover less than 30% of working-age population in some countries

17 February 2024
Vietnam sends more students abroad than the next three ASEAN countries combined, nurturing scientists and engineers who return to run startups like gaming and messaging giant VNG. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Business Spotlight

Harvard, Oxford graduates power Vietnam's tech startup scene

Communist country stems brain drain as boomerang engineers fuel hope of new Silicon Valley

16 February 2024
Japan's latest foray into space exploration, the H3 rocket, is expected to be relaunched this month from Tanegashima island, following a failed launch attempt in March 2023. 
The Big Story

Japan stakes manufacturing reputation on H3 space rocket launch

Industrial heartland, long geared toward automakers, finds a second life in aerospace

14 February 2024
 South Korean marines lock the entrance to a beach on Yeonpyeong island, near the 'northern limit line' sea boundary with North Korea on Jan. 8, 2024. 
Asia Insight

South Korean flashpoint island frets as war whispers grow louder

Kim Jong Un's weapons development sprint creates new level of threat, locals say

13 February 2024
SPACs have largely failed so far to deliver to investors the high returns they have sought. (Source photos by Reuters and Akira Kodaka) 
Market Spotlight

Singapore, Hong Kong SPAC failures highlight thwarted ambitions

Lack of new listings and stalled mergers dim prospects for 'blank-check companies'

12 February 2024
The practice of local self-government is increasingly at risk in Japan, with fewer residents eager to join regional assemblies and more municipal leaders asserting authority over budget and other legislative matters.
Datawatch

Japan's hollowing out of regional legislatures deepens

Causes include unilateral actions by local chiefs, lack of aspiring lawmakers

10 February 2024
DMAT medical assistance staff set up Starlink equipment at a shelter in Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, following a major earthquake on Jan. 1. (Photo courtesy of KDDI)  
Business Spotlight

Elon Musk's Starlink aids Japan quake relief, but X is a mixed bag

Reliance on private companies to provide disaster services raises concerns

9 February 2024
With the help of Pakistan's military, former three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to win the country's election on Feb. 8, amid a media blackout surrounding his main rival, PTI party leader Imran Khan. 
The Big Story

Pakistan's election tainted by military meddling as ex-PM Sharif set to win

Nothing left to chance as Imran Khan's PTI party disappears from airwaves

7 February 2024
The value of clean hydrogen markets is expected to soar around the world as governments and companies rush to tap the energy source.
Asia Insight

Japan's hydrogen prowess in peril as China, U.S. and EU poised to overtake

Policy action in coming months to determine whether green tech can avoid solar, battery missteps

6 February 2024
Japanese stockbrokers reported subdued growth in retail revenue in the October-December quarter, raising questions about the durability of the recent stock market rally and the level of domestic participation in it. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Nanami Sato)
Market Spotlight

Foreign enthusiasm over Japanese stocks yet to filter down at home

Brokers' earnings show domestic retail investors are cautious on market's prospects

5 February 2024
The world is bracing for a surge in exports of cheap building materials from China as the country continues to face a housing glut, which reached an equivalent of 50 million homes at the end of 2023.
Datawatch

Housing glut leaves China with excess homes for 150m people

Market hit by a double whammy of weak sales and population drop

3 February 2024
Gamers across Asia are struggling to find the RTX 4090 in stores as the Nvidia-made graphic card becomes a hot commodity in Hong Kong and China (Source photos by Lauly Li and Reuters) 
Business Spotlight

Nvidia chip prices soar in Asia on U.S. curbs and AI boom

Gamers feel the pinch as graphics cards become targets of latest export controls

2 February 2024
From left: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, senior Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP, Reuters and Yusuke Hinata)
China up close

Analysis: China's rising star visits U.S. over warming Putin-Kim ties

Diplomat Liu Jianchao's trip comes as Xi seeks to 'bind' with Biden over North Korea

1 February 2024
An aerial view of the ongoing construction of Nusantara, Indonesia's new capital on Borneo island, seen in December 2023. The large building in the foreground will be a grand presidential palace. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
The Big Story

Indonesia's new capital hinges on election as Jokowi set to exit

With most funding from private sector, Nusantara struggles to convince investors it is here to stay

31 January 2024
Yangon bustles as the regime attempts to make city life feel relatively "normal," while conflict between resistance and army forces has engulfed many other areas of Myanmar. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Mauk Kham Wah)
Asia Insight

Myanmar, 3 years on: Resistance gains raise specter of splintered nation

Ahead of Feb. 1 army takeover anniversary, Yangon calm contrasts with intensifying war

30 January 2024
Volatile prices of nickel and other EV battery materials are creating headaches for Australia's resource sector. 
Market Spotlight

Australia's EV battery metals industry faces Indonesia, China challenges

Weak nickel and lithium prices force some miners to stop digging

29 January 2024
A wide pay gap between regular and nonregular workers has depressed the overall wage level in Japan.
Datawatch

Nonregular workers struggle to go full-time in labor-scarce Japan

Only 7.4% of fixed-term employees landed secure jobs in 2022

27 January 2024
A company from China showcases products and components that it produces during the CES electronics show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 11. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
Business Spotlight

China's slump pushes its smaller companies overseas for growth

Suppliers venture out on their own, drawn by opportunity and driven by limits at home

26 January 2024
From left: national security czar Cai Qi, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Background: the Xiongan New Area. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yusuke Hinata and Reuters)
China up close

Analysis: Balance of power between Xi's top two aides is tipping

Drama after last summer's Hebei floods suggest Cai Qi may have overtaken Li Qiang

25 January 2024
Amid sanctions, a tech war with China and an ongoing presidential election campaign, the U.S.'s next trade moves are becoming harder to predict for companies in Asia and across the world. 
The Big Story

Asia Inc. heads to Washington as focus turns to trade, tariffs and Trump

Rising concern about geopolitical risk prompts spate of new offices in U.S. capital

24 January 2024