Middle East

A Japanese-owned oil tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz in June.
International relations

With election over, US wants Abe to deliver on Iran and trade

Tokyo braces for Trumpian deal-making ahead of presidential race

23 July 2019
A barista delivers a coffee to a customer at a Luckin Coffee store in Beijing, China.
Companies

China's Luckin Coffee forms JV with Middle Eastern partner

Starbucks challenger also wants to open stores in India

22 July 2019
An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter sits on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, in the Arabian Gulf. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
International relations

Asian oil buyers tested by US plan for Gulf coalition

Japan, India and China pressed to provide own protection in vital sea lane

20 July 2019
The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer transits the San Diego Bay in California. President Donald Trump says the USS Boxer destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between the two countries.
International relations

US downs Iranian drone ahead of coalition gathering

Trump claims defensive action against 'provocative actions'

19 July 2019
Hyflux has reached a restructuring agreement with Utico that will see the Middle Eastern utility take a 95% stake in the troubled water treatment firm. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Companies

Hyflux nears $290m bailout deal with potential saviour

UAE’s utility provider Utico to take 88% stake in troubled Singapore company

11 July 2019
A U.S. sailor mans a patrol boat at a port in Bahrain. Tensions have mounted in waters around the Persian Gulf, a vital shipping route for Japanese oil.
International relations

Japan weighs US effort to guard ships in Middle Eastern waters

Questions remain about whether escorting falls within legal constraints on use of force

11 July 2019
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping react as children wave Chinese and Turkish flags during a ceremony in Beijing on July 2.
International relations

Erdogan courts Chinese investment on visit to Beijing

Turkish leader plays up 'harmony' with Belt and Road

3 July 2019
The trimaran Sea Hunter transited between Hawaii and San Diego without human intervention. (Handout photo from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
Opinion

US-China tensions -- unmanned military craft raise risk of war

Proliferating autonomous systems in contested waters could spark accidental clashes

28 June 2019
China continues to import oil from Iran despite the expiry of U.S. waivers that allowed it do so without threat of penalty by Washington.
27 June 2019
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sits for a June 26 interview with Nikkei, flanked by a portrait of national founding father Kemal Ataturk. (Photo by Cevahir Bugu)
Interview

Q&A with President Erdogan: Trump weighing July visit to Turkey

Ankara seeks to broaden Japanese investment beyond nuclear power

27 June 2019
"It is out of the question" for Turkey to compromise on an F-35 order that the U.S. has threatened to cancel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Nikkei in a June 26 interview in Ankara. (Photo by Cevahir Bugu)
Interview

Erdogan calls election defeat a victory for Turkey's democracy

President says Trump administration's threat to cancel F-35 is unacceptable

27 June 2019
The Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned oil tanker Kokuka Courageous, which was damaged by a limpet mine, anchored off Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on June 19.
International relations

Trump tells China and Japan to defend own ships in Strait of Hormuz

Iran diplomat accuses 'B Team,' including Bolton and Netanyahu, of warmongering

25 June 2019
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, while in Japan later in June, may announce an agreement in principle on an economic partnership agreement with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
G-20 summit Osaka

Turkey seeks Asian investment as Western ties fray

President Erdogan prepares for G-20 summit in Osaka and China visit

23 June 2019
An oil tanker is on fire in the sea of Oman on June 13: Asian governments must quickly assess the threat and respond.
Opinion

Asia has most to lose if Middle East turmoil hits oil supplies

As US-Iran tensions, can crude importers defend their interests?

21 June 2019
An Iranian navy boat tries to stop the fire of an oil tanker after it was attacked in the Gulf of Oman, on June 13.
Transportation

Tanker insurance rates jump 10-fold following attacks

Extra charges imposed on ships passing through Strait of Hormuz

21 June 2019
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son plans to set up another $100 billion fund. (Photo by Yoichi Iwata)
Companies

Five key questions for SoftBank Group’s shareholders meeting

Investor confidence put to test as Son readies next $100bn tech fund

18 June 2019
A satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime choke point with Iran situated at the top with Qeshm Island and the United Arab Emirates to the South.
Commodities

Tanker attack rings alarm bells for oil-reliant Japan

'Iran did it' Trump says, pointing to a video of a boat at the blast site

15 June 2019
An Iranian navy boat sprays water to extinguish a fire on an oil tanker in the sea of Oman on June 13.
Energy

Asian oil importers on alert for ripples from tanker attacks

Gold price climbs to four-month high as investors seek safe haven assets

14 June 2019
An oil tanker is seen after it was attacked in the Gulf of Oman on June 13.
Economy

Tanker attacks show Asia's vulnerability as 'world's workshop'

World faces possibility of third oil shock, leaving region facing new risks

14 June 2019
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks from the State Department briefing room on June 13. Pompeo said Iran was responsible for the attacks in the Gulf of Oman and called it an "unacceptable escalation" of tensions.
Politics

US blames Iran for tanker attacks in vital sea lane

Assault near Strait of Hormuz occurs as Abe visits Tehran

14 June 2019
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tehran on June 13.
International relations

Abe plays peacemaker but Iran leader offers no message for Trump

Japanese prime minister makes the trip at request of Washington and Tehran

14 June 2019
Students look at a tower produced by 3D printing: some 65% of children entering primary school today may later work in jobs that don't yet exist.
Opinion

Time to finance Asia's 3D printing revolution

Companies must prepare as technology moves out of laboratories into mainstream production

14 June 2019
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tehran on June 12. The two leaders discussed the 2015 nuclear deal, among other topics.
International relations

Abe urges Iran to play 'constructive role' to prevent clash with US

During historic trip, prime minister leverages unique position to ease tensions

13 June 2019
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves at a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the death of late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, shown in the poster at rear, in Tehran on June 4.
International relations

Japanese leader to meet Iran's Khamenei in first trip since 1978

Abe takes up mediator role as tension mounts between Washington and Tehran

12 June 2019
U.S. pressure has restricted economic ties between China and Iran, but it may also create new incentives for common opposition against American unilateralism. (Nikkei Montage/ AP / Getty Images )
International relations

Trump's attacks on Iran complicate trade war with China

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have little upside for Beijing

10 June 2019