Laos

New car sales doubled in Myanmar over the past year, offering a huge potential for automakers. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Companies

Suzuki releases top seller in Myanmar, looking to Indian success

Japanese automaker plans to move fast as new-car market takes off

16 October 2018
The administration of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen plans to tighten grips on political critics.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Leaked Cambodia memo shows Hun Sen tightening grip on dissent

Government document details increased surveillance of critics and opposition

12 October 2018
Buddhist monks carry the Cambodian and Japanese flags. Japan provided assistance to the Southeast Asian country after its leading opposition party was dissolved.
International relations

Tokyo goes it alone in support of Myanmar and Cambodia

Japan offers economic aid with eye on crucial sea lanes in the region

11 October 2018
An Aeon shopping center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The retailer will use its store network for its tie-up with Fuji TV. (Photo by Shohei Kono)
Companies

Fuji TV and Aeon to export shows for Asia's kids

Japanese media and retail pair eye $425bn content market

10 October 2018
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi meet in Tokyo on Oct. 9.
International relations

Abe pledges support to end Rohingya crisis in talks with Suu Kyi

Myanmar leader invites Japanese prime minister for official visit

10 October 2018
BRI in progress: A freight train bound for Malaszewicze, Poland leaves the railway port in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, China.
Economy

China's Belt and Road investment hits high as overall FDI falls

Record sum poured into initiative in 2017 looks set to be beaten this year

8 October 2018
Stream article image
1 October 2018
A port terminal outside Kyaukpyu in western Myanmar. The development will be built in stages corresponding with demand to guard against overinvestment. 
Belt and Road

Myanmar cuts cost of China-funded port project by 80%

Beijing yields as more countries become wary of Belt and Road debt trap

28 September 2018
Cellphone shops line a street in Yangon. Telecom businesses in Myanmar are expected to receive a boost once the undersea cable is completed.
Companies

Mitsui buys stake in Singapore-Yangon undersea cable

Trading house seeks foothold in Myanmar's burgeoning telecom market

28 September 2018
Cambodia Securities Exchange struggles with low liquidity as it only has five companies listed. (photo by Masayori Ishikawa)
Markets

Cambodia Securities Exchange seeks to lure foreign investors

Fledgling market to extend operating hours and allow custodian banks

27 September 2018
Thais shop at a Makro supermarket in Bangkok. CP All aims to modernize grocery shopping in neighboring countries where people rely on traditional markets. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Companies

Thai CP takes wholesale store to neighboring countries

Operator of 7-Eleven stores moves Makro chain into Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar

26 September 2018
Myanmar had more than 14,500 cell towers as of mid-2018, but industry experts estimate the country will need at least 8,000 to 9,000 new towers in the coming years as smartphone penetration soars. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Business deals

Myanmar telecoms tower deal puts TPG in pole position

Latest transaction signals continuing Western investor interest in key sectors

18 September 2018
Many believe Aung San Suu Kyi’s aura is gone after making one tone-deaf statement after another on recent foreign trips.
Politics

Suu Kyi alienates the media she once entranced

Amid Rohingya crisis, Nobel laureate treasures strong family link to the military

18 September 2018
Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi says Reuters journalists were jailed for breaking the Official Secrets Act.  
Politics

Suu Kyi defends jailing of Reuters journalists

Myanmar leader rebuts criticism and suggests 'no miscarriage of justice'

13 September 2018
Rini Soemarno, left, Indonesia's minister for state-owned enterprises, listens to a briefing on the Jakarta-Bandung rail project. A consortium led by China Railway Group faces resistance from locals over land acquisition.
Belt and Road

Chinese state companies make up for Malaysia setbacks

New infrastructure contracts bode well for upcoming China-ASEAN expo

12 September 2018
Most Rohingya refugees remain in camps, such as this one in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, out of fear of being persecuted if they return to Myanmar. (Reuters)
The Nikkei View

Myanmar, the Rohingya crisis has lasted too long

The government must give refugees reasons to feel safe to return

11 September 2018
Many Japanese apparel companies move production from China to Southeast Asia. (Photo by Yumi Kotani)
Business trends

Uniqlo and Onward bolster Southeast Asian output

Japanese clothiers downsize Chinese production for cost savings

11 September 2018
The charming interior of one of Rajabori Villas' wooden houses, set in a lush garden on the unspoiled riverine island of Koh Trong. (Photo by Kit Yeng Chan) 
Life

Mekong region's boutique hotels raise the bar

Character and warm guest relations are key to success of small hoteliers

7 September 2018
After staying in a refugee camp, Rithy Sear built a logistics empire that has branched into over 28 businesses. He is now setting up one of Cambodia's first venture capital funds. (Photo by Akane Okutsu)
Startups

Former refugee bets on Cambodia's early-stage startups

Logistics tycoon raises $55 million to spur development

7 September 2018
Min Ko Naing, now 55, spent much of his life in prison for his pro-democracy activism. (Photo by Dominic Faulder)
The Big Story

Min Ko Naing, Myanmar's voice of a generation

The chairman of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, 30 years on

5 September 2018
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar's commander in chief, has been accused of genocide and crimes against humanity by a U.N. fact-finding mission.
The Big Story

As the West isolates Myanmar, some investors dig in for the long term

Attacks on minorities and the media cloud economic progress

5 September 2018
A woman carries a sack of reusable items found at a garbage dump site in Dhaka.
Opinion

Asia's waste management failures reach crisis levels

Japan offers lessons in how to handle the challenge quickly and cost-effectively

5 September 2018
Most vehicles in Myanmar are used and imported. The government aims to increase domestic production in the industry.
Companies

South Korea's Daewoo Bus to assemble in Myanmar

New plant to start production in 2020

5 September 2018
Construction of dams in Laos is threatening the livelihood of fishermen, like these shown in the southern Mekong region of Champasak.
Economy

Laos' hydropower ambitions threaten Mekong fishing villages

Effects of dwindling fish stocks and rising prices are felt nationwide

4 September 2018
A Mytel showroom in central Yangon draws visitors. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Business trends

Vietnam carrier stuns rivals in Myanmar with half-price blitz

Mytel captures 4% market share in two months since debut

4 September 2018