Politics

Asian arms importers are leveraging their contracts to soak up technology and build up their own defense industries. (© Nikkei photo illustration)
Asia Insight

India-Russia pact marks turning point in Asian arms race

South and Southeast Asia use buying power to win tech transfers

24 September 2019
A man swims in a pool inside a condominium in Singapore. The proposed change to the 1962 water agreement has been a point of contention between Malaysia and Singapore.
Interview

Malaysia to propose new water tariff to Singapore

Foreign minister 'hopeful' on agreement over South China Sea

20 September 2019
Huawei is a longtime supplier of broadband routers, network controllers and data center switches to Malaysian telecommunications companies.
Huawei crackdown

Malaysia open to Huawei for 5G equipment, authority chief says

Security agency has 'no objection' after investigating cyberespionage claims

19 September 2019
A woman covers her face with a scarf in front of the Malaysian prime minister's office, which is shrouded in haze, in Putrajaya on Sept. 17.
Environment

Haze-plagued Malaysia to press companies over Indonesia fires

Mahathir weighs new law and looks to shame culprits with satellite pictures

18 September 2019
Firefighters try to extinguish forest fires in Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia, on Saturday.
Environment

Indonesian forest fires disrupt hundreds of flights

Spreading blazes have sparked a blame game with Malaysia

16 September 2019
Fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, has become a central figure in Malaysia's 1MDB scandal. (Nikkei Montage/Getty Images)
Politics

Malaysia's 1MDB trial reveals Jho Low's alleged role as mastermind

Fugitive financier choreographed Najib's visit to China for bailout projects

11 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
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, right, meets with Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad in Hanoi on Aug. 27. (Photo by Tomoya Onishi)
International relations

Vietnam seeks 'peaceful' solution to South China Sea tensions

Prime minister urges cooperation by neighbors as US and China trade barbs

28 August 2019
A palm plantation in Indonesia: Palm oil was the country's second-biggest export in 2018, bringing in over $20 billion.
Asia Insight

Palm oil: Indonesia and Malaysia push back as EU clamps down

Producers threaten legal action while rushing to shore up industry

27 August 2019
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Japanese leader Shinzo Abe: Their governments are arranging another samurai bond issuance. 
Economy

Malaysia set to issue second samurai bond, Mahathir says

Japan offers access to 'cheap money' to repay debt and fund infrastructure

26 August 2019
The G-7 seemed out of its depth on Trump's trade war.
Opinion

US-Japan trade deal is bright spot at chaotic G-7 summit

World seems no closer to avoiding ugly economic shocks in 2020

26 August 2019
People hope that their children's lives will be far better than theirs.
Opinion

Growing Asian economies breed high expectations among citizens

Governments must handle slowdown carefully to avoid rise of populism

22 August 2019
"This is about world trade, and we have to look into trading practices first," Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said in an interview. "If it breaches any international law, of course, we will go to the international court." (FIle photo from June 2018 by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Interview

Exclusive: Mahathir weighs taking EU to court over palm oil ban

Malaysian leader and Indonesia's Widodo 'disappointed' over negative sentiment

19 August 2019
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is said to have prioritized strengthening relations with Japan since he returned to office. 
International relations

Malaysia's 'Look East' revival rekindles student interest in Japan

Mahathir policy buoys 'hellish' gateway program for Japanese universities

18 August 2019
Desalination plants, such as this one in Singapore's western Tuas district, are part of the city-state's effort to raise its self-sufficiency in water.(Photo by Mayuko Tani)
Economy

Singapore pours $7.2bn into underground sewer superhighway

City-state aims to reduce dependence on neighboring Malaysia

17 August 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews a naval flotilla during the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy near Qingdao, China on April 23.
Comment

What Beijing really wants from South China Sea code of conduct

Beijing shows cooperative face, but its quest for regional dominance continues

12 August 2019
Alibaba Group Holding President Michael Evans could face jail time and a fine if found guilty.
Politics

Alibaba President Evans among 17 charged over Malaysia's 1MDB

Current and former Goldman directors cited for lack of oversight

10 August 2019
The EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, right, is greeted by Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi on Aug, 5. (Photo from Vietnam government's press release)
Opinion

EU should expand maritime activity in Southeast Asia as China looms

New defense pact with Vietnam foreshadows bigger role in global security

9 August 2019
Solar panels could provide an efficient option in tropical nations requiring significant new generating capacity.
Opinion

Asia is the right place for a US 'Green New Deal'

Funding environmentally friendly projects would curb emissions and provide BRI alternative

7 August 2019
An anti-China protest on July 12 in Metro Manila: Duterte is facing popular backlash over his relations with China.
Opinion

China's overreach provokes backlash across Southeast Asia

Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia all show signs of rejecting Beijing's influence

31 July 2019
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, seen here in Brussels in May, told the Nikkei Asian Review: "It is the EU as a whole that has decided to enhance its engagement on security issues in and with Asia, and we are intent on delivering on that objective."
Interview

EU keen to strengthen security ties with Asia: foreign policy chief

Korean Peninsula and South China Sea 'matter to all of us,' Federica Mogherini says

30 July 2019
The recent controversy over a sex video could impact who will succeed Mahathir Mohamad as Malaysia's next prime minister.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia succession race in disarray after Anwar-aide arrest

Sex tape mudslinging hurts front-runners while Mahathir's son shows interest

19 July 2019
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks during a news conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on July 15.
17 July 2019
Mukhriz Mahathir, left, the son of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, said he is willing to take on a bigger political role if asked.(Photo source by AP)
Interview

Mahathir's son ready to inherit Malaysia's political legacy

Mukhriz denies timeline for succession, notes PM needs time to repair economy

11 July 2019
Cannabis legalization is slowly spreading from Western countries to Asia. Many Thai companies are seeking opportunities to enter related markets.
Asia Insight

Pot of gold? Thailand leads slow push to legalize weed in Asia

Potential $8.5bn market looks tempting but experts advise caution

9 July 2019