Some Japanese airports are struggling to keep up with surging inbound tourism. (Photo by Konosuke Urata)
Transportation

Australia's Qantas drops Sapporo flight idea over labor shortages

Japan faces ground staff shortage as oil refiners struggle to meet surging demand

20 June 2024
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon tells Nikkei Asia that the country wants to be more engaged in defense and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Interview

New Zealand 'resets' foreign policy on Indo-Pacific security: PM

Wellington keen to boost exports but wary of China encroachment

20 June 2024
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, left, visits the Fortescue Hazelmere hydrogen research hub in Perth, Western Australia, on June 18. (Pool photo via Reuters)
Commodities

Chinese premier's visit puts Australia's critical mineral ambitions in spotlight

China's support could help make Albanese's processing ambitions affordable

18 June 2024
Australian Ambassador to Japan Justin Hayhurst speaks during an interview with Nikkei on June 17 in Tokyo. (Photo by Manami Yamada)
Interview

Australia's new rules 'facilitate' Japan investment, envoy says

Canberra streamlines access to critical minerals to strengthen supply chains

18 June 2024
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang shake hands in Canberra on June 17. Both men welcomed improved relations between their countries.
International relations

Chinese Premier Li Qiang says ties with Australia are back on track

Meeting with Prime Minister Albanese in Canberra comes as economic ties warm

17 June 2024
Vanuatu and other small island states in the South Pacific are increasingly trying to strike a balance between tourism growth and sustainability. (Source photos by Rebecca L. Root, The Moso, and The Havannah)
Life

South Pacific island visit highlights commercial vs. environmental dilemmas

World's most vulnerable region seeks to lure more climate-conscious visitors

16 June 2024
A promotion for "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" in Sydney on May 1: Exact figures for government financial support for the film are unclear. (AAP Image)
Opinion

Australia's taxpayers have reasons to be mad about 'Furiosa'

Unlimited public funding for Hollywood film productions makes little sense

16 June 2024
A tiger rests just outside a guest room at the Jamala Wildlife Lodge at Canberra's National Zoo and Aquarium. (Photo by Sophie Mak)
Travel & Leisure

Australian zoos target roaring trade through luxury lodges and glamping

Guests can get up close to animals such as lions, bears and tigers

15 June 2024
The Indian Army's Punjab Regiment. India has historically shunned collective defense arrangements, but that might be changing, according to a think tank report.
Indo-Pacific

India can be part of Quad collective defense, university report says

Xi's vision for China is incompatible with New Delhi, according to ex-Indian naval officer

14 June 2024
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, center, is welcomed by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, left, and New Zealand Gov. General Dame Cindy Kiro in Wellington on June 13.
International relations

China's premier in New Zealand: Differences should not become 'chasm'

Leaders' talk of trade and cooperation comes amid cooler Beijing-Wellington ties

13 June 2024
Big consulting firms like PwC have come under fire in Australia after a scandal in which PwC was found to have used confidential information from the government for commercial gain.
Economy

Australian senate urges stricter rules for 'Big 4' consultancies

Report calls for tighter oversight of government contracts following scandal

13 June 2024
Winston Peters, New Zealand's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, calls the situation in the Gaza Strip "an absolute humanitarian catastrophe." He was speaking in Kuala Lumpur on June 7. (Photo by Hakimie Amrie)
Interview

New Zealand seeks closer ties with ASEAN on climate change

Deputy PM Winston Peters calls regional cooperation critical in 'complicated' world

11 June 2024
Sydney-based sisters Briony and Savannah Osei, who perform as Kinder, are part of the wave of artists who have made Australia a global electronic music hot spot. (Photo by Billy Zammit)
Arts

Electronic dance music booms Down Under

Australia is the world's third-largest consumer, behind Germany and the US

9 June 2024
Shipyard workers align a new propeller for installation on the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge in Yokosuka, Japan. (U.S. Navy photo)
Indo-Pacific

Indo-Pacific should create 'common defense market,' Hudson analyst says

U.S. and Japan officials to meet Sunday to discuss joint weapon production

8 June 2024
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, second from left, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other Quad leaders in Hiroshima in May 2023.
Opinion

Australia-Japan cooperation is vital for regional peace

Security partners should work together to help maintain stability in Taiwan Strait

8 June 2024
Australia is looking to move up the value chain in the global supply of lithium and other minerals critical for green energy technologies.
Commodities

Australian project 'fingerprints' lithium for green metals trade

Researchers work on trade protocols as EU eyes Australian critical minerals

7 June 2024
Australia's 'superannuation' funds are channeling investment returns into international assets through offices in London and New York.
Wealth Management

Australian pension giants scale up overseas ambitions

'Superannuation' fund assets to triple by 2040s, vying with global peers

7 June 2024
Palau's President Surangel Whipps speaks at a news conference in Tokyo. (Photo by Tamayo Muto)
Defense

Palau hit by cyberattack which 'traces back to China': President

Taiwan's ally in Pacific condemns 'first major attack'

5 June 2024
Shoppers walk past a store in Sydney: Australia's statistics bureau reported on June 5 that the country's GDP growth slowed to 0.1% in the January March quarter.
Economy

Australia GDP growth slows in Q1, dragged down by high inflation

Rising prices, higher interest rates sap consumer activity

5 June 2024
President Joe Biden, left, attends a meeting of the Quad with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 20, 2023, at the Grand Prince Hotel in Hiroshima, Japan. (White House photo)
Indo-Pacific

U.S. finds new 'brand' for Quad, starting with Papua New Guinea relief

White House kicks off preparations for foreign ministers in Japan and summit in India

4 June 2024
A soldier from the Australian Army's 3rd Brigade guards Langham Beach during military exercises in Queensland, northeast Australia on July 13, 2017.
Defense

Australia to expand military recruitment to permanent residents

Canberra seeking to reduce recruiting gaps as geopolitical tensions increase

4 June 2024
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Despite improving bilateral relations, a poll has found that Australian public sentiment toward Beijing remains low. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
International relations

Australian trust in China low despite better relations, poll finds

Lowy Institute says 71% of respondents worry about possible Chinese military threat

3 June 2024
Vincent Namatjira's portrait of Gina Rinehart, center, is one of 20 in his work "Australia in Colour, 2021," on display at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. (AAP Image)
Opinion

This time, art speaks louder than wealth in Australia

Mining tycoon Gina Rinehart's attempt to hide portrait has only drawn more viewers

2 June 2024
Guzman y Gomez was founded in 2005 and has over 200 locations in Australia, Singapore and Japan. (Photo by Rurika Imahashi)
IPO

Australian fast-food chain Guzman y Gomez eyes $1.5bn IPO in June

Casual Mexican restaurant looks to reach 1,000 domestic stores in 20 years

1 June 2024
Hikers on Tasmania's South Coast Track cross cliffs above South Cape Bay and the Southern Ocean. (All photos by Geoff Hiscock)
Life

Top hikes: Walk in the wild at end of (Australia's) world

Arduous trek rewards travelers where Southern Ocean meets Tasmania's untouched wilderness

31 May 2024