Politics

Foreign students in Japan are allowed to work in unskilled-labor positions, such as convenience store work, for up to 28 hours per week. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
Japan immigration

Japan intensifies crackdown on student visa overstayers

Number of countries subject to stricter checks to increase tenfold

11 February 2020
Despite the fanfare surrounding use of Gwadar port for trade with Afghanistan, experts say the facility has a long way to go before China sees any return on its investment.
Belt and Road

Beijing-backed Pakistan port opens as hub for Afghanistan trade

Gwadar challenges Indian interests in region, but China's ROI remains unclear

23 January 2020
Central Asia's most populous country has the veneer of a multiparty system but no true opposition.
Politics

Uzbekistan election exposes limits of image-polishing reforms

China's economic influence will inevitably become political, experts say

19 December 2019
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in a written interview with the Nikkei Asian Review, said joining the World Trade Organization and cracking down on corruption are among his immediate priorities.
Interview

Uzbekistan plans over $6bn in joint projects with Japan

President Mirziyoyev to pitch resource development during Japan trip

18 December 2019
Tetsu Nakamura speaks to Nikkei on Sept. 14, 2018 in Fukuoka. (Photo by Mamoru Yago)
Obituaries

Japanese doctor who watered Afghan deserts: Nakamura in his own words

Tetsu Nakamura talked about his life and mission in 2018 Nikkei interview

9 December 2019
Tetsu Nakamura in the Gamberi Desert, Afghanistan in 2008
Obituaries

Tetsu Nakamura: Humanitarian who devoted his life to Afghanistan

Slain Japanese doctor wanted to 'shine light into dark corners'

5 December 2019
A Chinese freight train travels through the Marmaray Tunnel under the Bosporus in Istanbul early Thursday. The journey was the first uninterrupted freight train journey from Turkey to Europe, transporting cargo from China while skirting Russia. (Anatolia News Agency)
Belt and Road

Chinese freight train skirts Russia on new route into Europe

Japan-built Bosporus tunnel allows Beijing to diversify cargo transportation

9 November 2019
The talks between representatives of Taliban militants and a number of Afghan political factions in Beijing come as the U.S. has yet to resume peace talks with the Taliban. (Nikkei Montage)
Belt and Road

China to host Afghan rivals in drive to expand Belt and Road

Taliban included in peace talks as Beijing aims to isolate Xinjiang separatists

27 October 2019
Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani speaks in an interview with the Nikkei Asian Review in Tokyo on Oct. 22. (Photo by Shihoko Nakaoka)
Interview

Afghan president wants direct talks with Taliban, if reelected

Ghani says Pakistan holds key and needs 'to be constructive' toward peace process

22 October 2019
Khaltmaagiin Battulga's first state visit to India is an example of the way smaller countries on China's periphery are seeking allies to balance their neighbor's growing might.
Opinion

Mongolia needs allies to withstand China's looming threat

Ulaanbaatar turns to US and India in face of Beijing's military and economic might

9 October 2019
The liberal visa requirements are helping to expand tourism and foster regional integration.
Interview

Uzbekistan still pushing 'Silk Visa', trade minister says

More Japanese business investment wanted as Chinese presence reigns supreme

8 October 2019
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga attend a welcoming ceremony ahead of their September talks in Ulaanbaatar.
International relations

Russia renews interest in Mongolia to counter Chinese influence

Rebuilding ties with former close ally crucial to Moscow's pivot to the east

3 October 2019
Since the 1990s, all aspects of Kazakh-Sino relations -- delimiting the common border, bilateral trade, Chinese companies' arrival in the Kazakh oil and gas sector -- have been 99% closed to public scrutiny, one analyst says.
International relations

Kazakh president's upcoming Beijing trip stokes Sino-phobia

Transparency needed if Kazakhstan is to benefit from China projects: analysts

10 September 2019
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, center, hand shakes with Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani, right, and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi prior to a meeting in Islamabad on Sept. 7.
International relations

China edges closer to Afghanistan as US cancels peace talks

Taliban attacks irk Trump, opening the door for Beijing's overtures to Islamabad

9 September 2019
From left, Naypyidaw, Putrajaya and Astana (source photo from Reuters)
Politics

A short history of relocating capitals in Asia

Indonesia's move has precedents in places such as Myanmar and Malaysia

30 August 2019
Chinese and Afghan national flags flutter on a lamppost on the Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Belt and Road

Afghanistan peace talks open way for China's Belt and Road

As US looks to end its longest war, Beijing cultivates ties with Taliban

27 August 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping is pushing his signature Belt and Road Initiative with the goal of creating a massive economic zone that will link China to Europe by land and sea.
Comment

Russia is in danger of being overrun by China's Belt and Road

A new Eurasian order is in the making, with Beijing in the driver's seat

17 August 2019
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in St. Petersburg in June: Though the two leaders have found common cause in opposing Washington, their friendship has limits, experts say.
Comment

Russia and China romance runs into friction in Central Asia

US strategists call for driving wedge between the traditional rivals

29 July 2019
Kazakhstan's interim president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has promised to write off the mortgage and tax debts of low-income people, straining the government's budget.
Economy

Kazakhstan's political uncertainty weighs on its currency

Transition to permanent president and the ruble to determine tenge's value

29 July 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, greets Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House in Washington on July 22.
International relations

US and Pakistan mend ties as Washington seeks Afghanistan exit

Trump also surprises Khan with offer to mediate Kashmir dispute with India

23 July 2019
In South Asia, cricket is a continuation of war by other means.
Opinion

Cricket world cup highlights South Asia's fault lines

Fans use matches to score political points against regional rivals

12 July 2019
As global average temperatures warm, glaciers are retreating.
Opinion

Himalayan states must unite to protect mountain environment

Time for a Himalayas Council to manage and safeguard vital water supplies

10 July 2019
Putin's approval rating has dropped significantly in recent years as excitement following the annexement of the Crimean peninsula wore off and his reform of the pension system by raising the retirement age proved unpopular.
Comment

What Putin can learn from Kazakhstan's 'retired' leader

Nazarbayev's neat succession plot could set example for Russian president

23 June 2019
Kazakhstan's then-interim President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev takes the oath of office during a ceremony in a joint session of parliament in Nur-Sultan on March 20. 
Politics

New Kazakh president under pressure as youths demand reform

Nation elects first non-Soviet president, but Nazarbayev still holds reins

19 June 2019
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev looks set to win a snap election in Kazakhstan on June 9.
Politics

Eurasian integration tops Kazakhstan election campaign

Critics say ex-president's post in Russian-led union pose a threat to independence

6 June 2019