U.S. chipmaker Micron is one of the global chip leaders that has ramped up investment in Japan in recent years, with this plant in Hiroshima prefecture. (Photo by Toshio Fukuhara)
SHIN NAKAYAMA

Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: Japan's chip reboot

Shin Nakayama shares his weekly reflections and recommendations

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SHIN NAKAYAMA
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Japan's controversial Technical Intern Training Program will be scrapped but its replacement looks to be only marginally better. (Photo by Rie Ishii) 
Hilary J. Holbrow and Qiaoyan Li Rosenberg

Japan has to do more for migrant rights than drop 'intern' label

New guest worker program preserves unfair restrictions on job mobility

Hilary J. Holbrow and Qiaoyan Li Rosenberg
In June 2023, the Court of Appeal of Paris upheld Malaysia's challenge against an order recognizing a purported award of $14.9 billion to self-proclaimed heirs of the last sultan of Sulu.
Azalina Othman Said

Malaysia has the law on its side in $15bn Sulu legal case

Outcome of Sabah challenge should lead to scrutiny of litigation funders

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Azalina Othman Said
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TSMC headquarters in Hsinchu: The manufacturing sector was a key driver of Taiwanese economic growth after the island's market bubble burst.
Paul Cavey

Taiwan's post-bubble recovery holds lessons for China

Active monetary and industrial policy played key roles in island's turnaround

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Paul Cavey
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Protesters in Lahore on Jan. 19 condemn Iran's attack on targets in Pakistani border areas: Public pressure played into both governments' actions. 
Vali Kaleji

Clash with Pakistan shows Iran must take its neighbors more seriously

Tehran should focus on frontier security rather than rely on cross-border strikes

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Vali Kaleji
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Indonesia's leading presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, left, and his vice-presidential running mate, Gibran Rakabuming, wave to supporters in Jakarta on Feb. 14.
Nikkei Editorial

Indonesia's next president must not roll back democracy

Progress made over past quarter century should be protected

Nikkei Editorial
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida faces questions in the Diet about LDP funding controversies, but the real scandal of 2024 may be economic malpractice.

New Nikkei 225 high should be an unmissable cue for Kishida

With growth slumping, Japanese prime minister needs to lay out reform plan

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Presidents Joe Biden, left, and Xi Jinping in California in November: Washington's use of diplomacy signals confidence in its ability to engage Beijing from a position of strength.
Nathaniel Sher

Renewal of dialogue does not mean Biden has gone soft on China

Through engagement from a position of strength, U.S. can advance policy goals

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Nathaniel Sher
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Chameleon is the word many analysts have used to describe Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, a former army general. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and AFP/Jiji) 
Hamish McDonald

Prabowo must resist temptation to apply more force in Papua

New face of kindness likely to be tested by push for indigenous rights

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Hamish McDonald
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Then-U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, left, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing in August: Policy toward China has been neither coherent nor consistent of late. (Pool via Reuters) 
Connor Horsfall

China cannot count on a policy reset if U.K. PM Sunak loses

Labour Party leaders appear to converge with Conservatives on policy toward Beijing

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Connor Horsfall
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The Belgian Parliament commemorates the death of Alexei Navalny on Feb. 22: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has not said a word. (Sipa via AP Images)
James D.J. Brown

Silence over Alexei Navalny's death will win Japan no favors

Tokyo has to show its support for international human rights is more than rhetoric

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James D.J. Brown
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A counselor arranges chairs inside a family counseling room at the Center for Family Ministries in Quezon City: Dissolving a Philippine marriage is a complex, discouraging process.
AJ Alfafara

For the health of its families, the Philippines needs a divorce law

Current system deprives non-Muslim women of equal choice

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AJ Alfafara
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A portrait of former Pakistani army chief Raheel Sharif on a truck in Peshawar in 2023: The army has been downgraded in the public's estimation.
Ayesha Siddiqa

Pakistan's army was the clear election loser

Defiant votes for Imran Khan's PTI reflect resentment of military interference

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Ayesha Siddiqa
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An engineer works on a K9 self-propelled howitzer at Hanwha Aerospace's factory in Changwon, South Korea, in September 2023. The company is leading Seoul's mission to become a world leader in defense exports. 
SHIN NAKAYAMA

Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: K-defense

Shin Nakayama shares his weekly reflections and recommendations

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SHIN NAKAYAMA
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 2nd from right, with the presidents of Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands in Washington in 2022. (Pool via Reuters) 
Derek Grossman

Gridlock has put U.S. strategic advantages in the Pacific at risk

Failure to fund pacts with 3 island nations would leave void for China to fill

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Derek Grossman
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IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol used to work for OPEC but has been vociferous in demanding a complete halt to new oil and gas investment across the globe. (Ritzau Scanpix via Reuters) 

India should rethink push to join International Energy Agency

Divergence in priorities will leave country marginalized in rich-nation club

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Quad leaders meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May 2023: Another summit is unlikely to happen until early 2025. (Pool via Reuters)

Biden's neglect of the Quad carries Indo-Pacific risks

Summitry seems suspended amid U.S. effort to ease tensions with China

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People line up outside a government hospital for a PCR test in Kathmandu in 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic provided the first substantial stress test for Nepal's federal system.
Kushal Pokharel

COVID proved Nepal's new federal system works

Despite PM's dithering, empowered local governments delivered effective help

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Kushal Pokharel
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Beijing's stepped-up efforts to clamp down on espionage is making foreign investors more hesitant to park their money in China.
Nikkei Editorial

China should not underestimate impact of inward FDI plunge

Focus on Communist Party power consolidation, anti-spying campaign turn off overseas investors

Nikkei Editorial
Ho Chi Minh City's rapid transit network has been funded in part by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and built by Hitachi. (Photo by Tomoya Onishi)
Guanie Lim

Japan's economic presence in Southeast Asia is not fading away

Competition with Chinese companies for regional opportunities is not zero-sum

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Guanie Lim
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News coverage of Pakistani strikes in Iran on Jan.18, two days after Tehran said it attacked militant bases in Pakistan.
Salman Rafi Sheikh

New Pakistan PM's foreign policy must focus on trade, not insurgents

Country cannot afford confrontational stance with three neighbors at once

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Salman Rafi Sheikh
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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., right, and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong at a welcome ceremony in Hanoi on Jan. 30. (VNA via AP)

ASEAN members are finding ways around bloc paralysis

'Minilateral' cooperation is bringing together Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia

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Many worry that Prabowo Subianto, apparent winner of Indonesia's presidential election, has little commitment to democracy. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir

Prabowo's victory won't bring authoritarian rule back in Indonesia

Competition among predatory elites will actually help preserve democracy

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Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir
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Tighter bank lending policies and higher interest rates are key drivers of the growth of private credit in Asia.
Ee Beng Soh

Private credit can help fill Asia's growing financing gap

Regulators should welcome alternative for SMEs that can't turn to banks or bonds

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Ee Beng Soh
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Minister of Education and Skills Development Dimple Thapa is the only woman in Bhutan's 10-member cabinet. (Ministry of Education and Skills Development)
Chencho Dema

It is up to Bhutan's women to preserve their place in politics

Country's parties say few qualified females are willing to run for office

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Chencho Dema
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