Shareholders arrive for Toyota Motor's annual meeting in June: A record 90 companies held votes on shareholder proposals during this year's annual meeting season. (Photo by Kazumi Saito)
Michael Allen

Japan's shareholder resolutions are off target

Proposals to raise incentive pay could be better received -- and more effective

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Michael Allen
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Apple CEO Tim Cook visits his company's first India store in Mumbai in April: Domestic iPhone 14 production suggests that supply chain pessimism about the country has started to fade.
Ganeshan Wignaraja

India can be a bigger winner in the supply chain shift from China

U.S. and allies see the country as a trustworthy alternative sourcing hub

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Ganeshan Wignaraja
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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen casts a ballot at a polling station in Kandal province on July 23. He has intensified his crackdown on opposition parties. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Nikkei Editorial

Cambodia's destruction of democracy is unacceptable

Hun Sen's party dominated a rigged, illegitimate election

Nikkei Editorial
Then-U.S. President Barack Obama, center, visited Laos for the 2016 ASEAN leaders' summit: Vientiane's upcoming chairmanship is likely to bring more international attention.
David Hutt

Laos should be held accountable for shootings of dissidents

West cannot be silent as it seeks Vientiane's favor as incoming ASEAN chair

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David Hutt
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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. waves before his speech to Congress on July 24 in Manila: His first year in office was a quintessential political honeymoon.

Marcos will not be able to keep playing safe on everything

Philippine president has avoided confrontation but has tough decisions to make

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Shipping containers in Bangkok: Southeast Asia now accounts for 8% of global exports and has surpassed the European Union as China's largest trading partner.
Amanda Murphy

Southeast Asia's economic outlook is only brightening

Supply chain moves, digitalization and net zero shift drive region's momentum

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Amanda Murphy
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Robots assemble EVs at Leapmotor's factory in Jinhua, China: Investment in fixed assets in the automotive sector has grown at least 15% a year in recent years. (China Daily via Reuters)
Li Cui

China can pull through without major economic stimulus

With new growth areas emerging, reforms key to lifting outlook

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Li Cui
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Boys play at a gaming festival in Dubai in 2019: The Middle East gaming market has been experiencing remarkable growth.
Gedaliah Afterman and Yossi Mann

Japan should look beyond energy in its Middle East outreach

Growth of region's gaming market has created opportunity for Tokyo's soft power

Gedaliah Afterman and Yossi Mann
Students in a classroom on Ghoramara Island, India: The government is revising history textbooks to downplay the Muslim period and highlight Hindu achievements.
Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar

India's golden era does not lie in the past. It has just begun

GDP, personal income stagnated during historical era of Hindu rule

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Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar
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Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat leaves parliament on July 19 after the suspension of his membership by Thailand's Constitutional Court. (Photo by Ken Kobyashi)
Aim Sinpeng

Thailand just isn't ready yet for Move Forward's agenda of change

Despite election victory, Pita's party lacks enough support to have its way

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Aim Sinpeng
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The Japanese Supreme Court weighed the interests of a transgender government official in using their preferred restroom against the discomfort of other users. 
Stephen Givens

Japan Supreme Court toilet ruling no victory for transgender rights

Order that worker be allowed to use bathroom of choice just an evasive compromise

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Stephen Givens
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Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Donald Trump in 2019: Trump's administration sought to make life difficult for Beijing but rarely caused real economic pain.

Xi Jinping is cheering for Trump to win

Biden's targeted policies are holding back China's economic rebound

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Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, left, with Japanese counterpart Yasukazu Hamada in Tokyo in 2022. (Pool via Reuters)
Tom Corben

The right lessons to take from Australia-Japan defense cooperation

RAA negotiations should be seen as exceptional rather than as a benchmark

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Tom Corben
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A woman works on a rice farm in Thailand: Agricultural technology companies are supporting small-scale farmers to better access finance in the country.
A. Alisjahbana, W. Um and K. Wignaraja

'Nexus thinking' is key to resetting development in Asia

Stronger partnerships needed to safeguard food, energy and financial systems

A. Alisjahbana, W. Um and K. Wignaraja
A man crosses the road near Beijing's central business district. China's economic growth rate in the April-June quarter fell short of market expectations.
Nikkei Editorial

China should not hesitate on needed economic stimulus

Risk of deflation rising as demand stagnates amid property slump

Nikkei Editorial
Malaysia should seek to attract Japanese retirees with engineering or technical expertise as many played key roles in their country's postwar economic miracle.
Guanie Lim and Aaron Pek

Japanese retirees can boost Malaysia's industrial advance

Build Look East 2.0 on country's 'soft' advantages over Southeast Asian rivals

Guanie Lim and Aaron Pek
Tech leaders attend a generative AI meeting in San Francisco in June: U.S. and Chinese technology companies are training their systems using parallel data sets.
Brian Wong and George Chen

AI risks require China and U.S. to work together

Technology development without global guardrails could threaten human existence

Brian Wong and George Chen
Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field and an adjoining solar power farm in Namie, Japan: Hydrogen production using renewables can bring down emissions.
Rebecca Mikula-Wright and Anjali Viswamohanan

Japan can win over investors by clarifying its hydrogen strategy

More supply should be produced locally, using green energy

Rebecca Mikula-Wright and Anjali Viswamohanan
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, was seated in a highly unusual, and by diplomatic protocol, subordinate position when he met with Xi Jinping in June. (Pool via Reuters) 
Brian P. Klein

One-way easing of U.S.-China tensions does not help much

Beijing should reciprocate official visits, move ahead with joint climate action

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Brian P. Klein
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Shoppers in Ahmedabad, India: Consumption helped lead the initial phase of the country's economic recovery.
Chetan Ahya

Asia's growth outperformance has just started to come back

China to regain momentum with further policy easing

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Chetan Ahya
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Students from China walk along the Sydney waterfront: Education is Australia's third-largest export but students are sometimes exploited as cheap labor.
Satyajit Das

Australia's immigration experience holds lessons for aging Asia

Influx has boosted economy, but not always matched country's needs

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Satyajit Das
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Singapore offers businesses and the foreigners who live, work and invest in the city-state an environment that is both safe and stable. 
Steven R. Okun

Singapore stands out as a global tech hub amid U.S.-China tensions

Favorable policies are drawing foreign talent and investment

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Steven R. Okun
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches his Make in India campaign in 2014: It is only now that the promise of manufacturing and hard tech is being realized.
Henny Sender

India's new era of manufacturing is starting small

Spending on defense and infrastructure stimulates Bengaluru 'hard tech' startups

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Henny Sender
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Advertisements for nonfungible tokens at the Hong Kong Web3 Festival in April.
Henry Liu

Hong Kong is serious about becoming a 'Web3' hub

Involvement of Chinese state-owned institutions underscores city's role as test bed

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Henry Liu
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