Africa

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Abe's official residence in Tokyo in October
Opinion

The alternative to Chinese debt for Africa from Japan and India

'Growth Corridor' can offset excessive dependence on Belt and Road borrowing

23 November 2018
Nissan already produces Sunny sedans in South Africa and Egypt and is expanding on the continent.
Business trends

Nissan revs up African production with 2 new plants

Automaker looks to Algeria and Ghana to meet continent's surging demand

8 November 2018
Bharti entered Africa in 2010 by acquiring the operations of Kuwait’s Zain and now has more than 91 million mobile phone users across 14 countries in the region, including Nigeria, Chad and Kenya. 
Markets

Bharti's Africa unit raises $1.25 billion from global names

Temasek, Singtel, SoftBank, Warburg Pincus among investors

24 October 2018
Officers at a police station in Gifu Prefecture on May 21 examine an elephant tusk that was confiscated after being traded illegally via a flea market app. 
Economy

Japan a weak link in international ivory trade ban

Domestically available items are smuggled to China, where demand is strong

12 October 2018
A China-built rail link between Ethiopia and Djibouti opened in 2016. There are concerns about how deeply indebted Djibouti is to China.
International relations

Africa aid should factor debt sustainability, Japan says

Foreign Minister Kono stresses transparency in swipe at Beijing

7 October 2018
At the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, attended by leaders from 53 African nations, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to offer $60 billion in economic support to the continent over the next three years.
Belt and Road

Beijing insists its generosity over Belt and Road is genuine

President Xi points to international contribution as others call it 'debt trap'

9 September 2018
Stream article image
Business deals

Tokio Marine to invest $360m in African insurers

Japanese company finalizing deal to sell policies on industry's 'last frontier'

6 September 2018
Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands before their bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 2.
International relations

Djibouti eager to be a key link in China's Belt and Road

Foreign minister is aware of the danger of a debt trap, calls level 'manageable'

6 September 2018
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the BRICS summit meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, in July.
Opinion

India risks 'losing' Africa to China

After Beijing raced ahead on the continent, New Delhi must boost ties to catch up

5 September 2018
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers the keynote speech at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing on September 3. 
Trade war

China turns to Africa to mitigate impact of US trade war

Beijing summit ends with promise of cooperation on business and security

5 September 2018
Rush hour in Shanghai. Suzuki struggled to grow in a market increasingly focused on SUVs.
Companies

Suzuki exits China to boost focus on India and Africa

The automaker has now left the world's two biggest auto markets

5 September 2018
A freight train on the Standard Gauge Railway line constructed by China Road and Bridge Corp. and financed by the Chinese government in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa.
International relations

China pledges another $60bn to Africa in bid to win allies

Xi Jinping says debt held by continent's poorest nations will be waived

4 September 2018
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, talks with South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa during a four-nation tour of the continent in July. 
International relations

China steps up courting of Africa ahead of summit

Promise of economic aid tied to Belt and Road initiative

27 August 2018
Nippon Biodiesel Fuel will use its AgriNet platform to begin connecting Indian farmers like these with agrimarkets from September.
Business trends

Japanese startup cultivates e-money platform for Asian farmers

Cashless transactions planned to boost growers' annual earnings by $1,000

15 August 2018
A street vendor sells mangos in Kathmandu, Nepal. The country's first-ever economic census aims to get an accurate picture of the business landscape.
International relations

Japan to help Asia and Africa modernize economic data

Tokyo taps soft-power assistance as alternative to China's infrastructure projects

10 August 2018
Lixil Group is expanding the sales of low-cost toilets to more developing countries, CEO Kinya Seto said.
Companies

Lixil links with UNICEF to spread access to safe toilets

Partnership aimed at boosting market for low-cost sanitaryware, cutting disease

3 August 2018
Kawasaki Heavy Industries' motorcycle division aims to build about 10,000 bikes a year at its Maharashtra plant.
Companies

Kawasaki to step up motorcycle production in India

Japanese bike maker targets local market, along with Africa and Latin America

2 August 2018
Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, during a press conference in Kigali, Rwanda, on July 23. 
International relations

India and China woo Africa ahead of BRICS summit

Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping bear gifts for resource-rich nations

24 July 2018
The solar power plant Noor1 in Ouarzazate, Morocco. The 55-member African Union seeks investment from SoftBank for solar projects. (Getty Images)
Companies

SoftBank expands Vision Fund solar investment to Africa

Solid returns from renewable energy to complement riskier tech deals

7 July 2018
Signs of modern prosperity are common even in parts of India known to be among the poorest, such as the state of Uttar Pradesh. (Hindustan Times/Getty Images)
Opinion

India's post-poverty challenge

The poor now mostly have enough food, but need better clinics, schools and administrators

4 July 2018
© Nikkei illustration
Cryptocurrencies

Startups push blockchain beyond cryptocurrency

Developers aim at everything from tracking coffee beans to verifying diplomas

2 July 2018
Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force provided training to local troops in Cambodia as "capacity-building support."
Politics

Japan expands peacekeeping support in Africa and ASEAN

Medical and construction training aims to counter rising Chinese influence

2 July 2018
Artisanal miners work at a copper-cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
International relations

'Resource nationalism' clouds China's Africa ambitions

World's second-largest economy may find it harder to get what it needs to grow

23 June 2018
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Swaziland's King Mswati III in 2015. The country now known as eSwatini has become Taiwan's last formal diplomatic partner in Africa.
International relations

China verges on luring all of Africa away from Taiwan

Beijing uses economic leverage to cultivate allies against American pressure

18 June 2018
Cars stop at a gas station in Bangkok. Mitsui sees opportunities in growing demand for energy in emerging countries.
Companies

With eye on Asia, Mitsui plans $1.5bn Mozambique gas investment

Trading house in talks with Thai and Chinese customers as demand grows

30 May 2018