India has been expanding its fleet of submarines, such as the Vagir seen during a 2023 commissioning ceremony.
Defense

India adds second nuclear missile submarine, has third on way

New Delhi expands sea-based Indo-Pacific deterrence with eye on China

31 August 2024
Taiwan People's Party founder Ko Wen-je speaks to reporters in Taipei on Aug. 30.
Politics

Taiwan opposition party head summoned for questioning over scandal

Founder's home and party's headquarters searched over shopping center project

30 August 2024
Chinese banks' profit margins are under pressure from weak appetite for loans and falling interest rates.
Finance

China's state banks report more bad loans to hotels, restaurants and stores

Consumer spending slump hits top lenders as falling interest rates dent profitability

30 August 2024
Beijing in 2021 slapped Alibaba with a record 18 billion yuan antitrust fine after a probe found the e-commerce giant had abused its dominant market position.
Companies

Alibaba's 3-year antitrust 'rectification' is over, Beijing says

Regulator vows 'solid protection' for e-commerce giant to enhance competitiveness

30 August 2024
In January to June, China's top insurers expanded their bond portfolios, a safe bet given the murky outlook for economic growth.
Finance

China's top insurers log $169bn bond portfolio boost as PBOC intervenes

Central bank foray into bond trading comes as buyers show hunger despite bubble fears

30 August 2024
Government spending on infrastructure such as roads and highways has boosted India's economy in recent years. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

India's economic growth slows to 6.7% in April-June

Slowdown comes after government spending eased in run-up to mammoth election

30 August 2024
Customers look at a model of a Poly housing project in Sanya, Hainan province, in May 2023. The state-backed company is one of several that have seen contracted sales slump.
China debt crunch

China real estate crisis batters state developers seen as better off

Units of 'central companies' hold edge on private peers but log double-digit sales drops

30 August 2024
Garment employees work in a sewing section of the Fakhruddin Textile Mills Limited factory in Gazipur, Bangladesh.
Commodities

Bangladesh garment sector short on cotton as floods worsen protest backlog

Production down 50% in crucial industry as disruptions hit supply chain

30 August 2024
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, right, and his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, at a press conference in Manila after signing letters of intent to bolster bilateral defense cooperation. (Photo by Ramon Royandoyan)
South China Sea

Philippines and Vietnam plan to seal defense MOU this year

Defense ministers sign letters of intent to bolster security ties

30 August 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House on April 10: They declared their nations would be "global partners for the future."
Editor-in-Chief’s Picks

Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: A very special relationship

Shin Nakayama shares his weekly reflections and recommendations

30 August 2024
The U.S. and China are both looking to accelerate their autonomous driving industries. (Screenshot from Tesla's website) 
Technology

Can Tesla's self-driving ambitions navigate U.S.-China tensions?

Washington looks to ban Chinese software as Beijing doubles down on autonomous vehicles

30 August 2024
Leaders pose for a photo at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Nuku'alofa, Tonga on Aug. 26.
International relations

China condemns support for Taiwan at Pacific leaders' forum

Envoy calls language in joint communique 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake'

30 August 2024
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Podcast: News Roundup

Coffee producers hit by soaring prices

Tune in to Nikkei Asia's podcast, bringing the region's key news to global listeners

30 August 2024
An employee works at a Tokyo supermarket in early 2023. Inflation figures for the Japanese capital are considered a leading indicator of nationwide trends.
Inflation

Core inflation in Japan's capital rises 2.4% in August

Consumer price data backs case for more BOJ interest rate hikes

30 August 2024
Travelers weigh their options at Shin-Osaka Station as a slow-moving typhoon bears down on the region on Aug. 29. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama)
Natural disasters

Japanese typhoon weakens but train and flight disruptions continue

Shinkansen service between Nagoya and Shin-Osaka resumes; Tokyo-Nagoya still suspended

30 August 2024
EVs and hybrids are driving robust auto sales in Malaysia. One dealer said demand for hybrids has been "exceptionally high" this year. (Photo by Norman Goh)
Automobiles

Malaysian auto sales close in on ASEAN leader Indonesia

Gap between region's top two markets narrowed to 8,000 units in Q2

30 August 2024
Container ships at Laem Chabang port in Thailand: The country's exports jumped in July, helped by lower inflation and improved consumer purchasing power. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) 
Trade

Thailand, Malaysia see strong export rebound on tech upcycle

Trade-oriented ASEAN countries logged double-digit growth in July

30 August 2024
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to CNN in her first interview since she became the Democratic Party's candidate for the November presidential election. (Screenshot from CNN's website) 
U.S. elections 2024

Harris recounts fateful Biden call in first campaign interview

VP says president phoned her about dropping out after Sunday pancakes

30 August 2024
GIC's purchase of a logistics facility in Yokohama follows the Singapore sovereign wealth fund's acquisition of several other warehouses across Japan last year. (GIC)
Property

Singapore's GIC acquires logistics facility in Japan for $400m

Sovereign wealth fund expands local real estate assets amid e-commerce demand

30 August 2024
Mohammed Abrar Asif, co-chief executive officer at Hades Financial says entrepreneurs are building companies in such sectors as consumer goods in India.(Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Finance

Saudi Arabia's Hades Financial readies $750m for India investment

Growing number of Middle Eastern funds look to back Indian startups and venture funds

30 August 2024
South Korea's Constitutional Court Chief Justice Lee Jong-seok, center, and other judges sit upon their arrival at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on  Aug. 29. 
Climate Change

Court orders South Korea to specify carbon emission cut plans through 2049

Decision hands partial victory to activists who say climate change affects 'fundamental rights'

30 August 2024
State-run Vietnam Electricity has been building hundreds of kilometers of transmission lines. (Vietnam News Agency)
Energy

Vietnam completes grid improvements to prevent power outages

Lines linking north and central regions double transmission capacity

30 August 2024
Marriage of convenience? Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard has made an ambitious, preliminary takeover approach for the Japanese company that owns 7-Eleven. (Photos by Reuters and Yuji Murakami)
Business Spotlight

With 7-Eleven on buyout menu, Japanese owner Seven & i reaches crossroads

Couche-Tard targets food business, U.S. market; regulatory, antitrust issues weigh

30 August 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol discussed reworking the national pension system in a news conference on Aug. 29.
Politics

South Korea's Yoon vows to reform pension plan set to run dry in 2055

Facing aging population, government eyes benefit adjustments and higher premiums

30 August 2024