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
Medical staff work in the isolated intensive care unit in a hospital in Wuhan, China on Feb. 6. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Feb. 1 to Feb. 8 brings supply chain strain

US citizen dies in Wuhan as impact on business begins to crystallize

8 February 2020
At least 61 people are infected with the novel coronavirus on the Diamond Princess, seen anchored at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, on Feb. 7.
Coronavirus

No port in a storm: Cruise ships left adrift over coronavirus

Luxury liners struggle to drop anchor as countries turn them away

7 February 2020
U.S. national security adviser Robert O'Brien attended the ASEAN summit and related events in Bangkok in November 2019, in place of President Donald Trump.
International relations

Five ASEAN leaders to attend 'olive branch' summit with US

Members want South China Sea in spotlight as Washington refocuses on region

4 February 2020
Vietnam authorities are intensifying efforts at factories to curb the risk posed by the coronavirus outbreak. A worker in the Knauf Gips KG factory in Haiphong, Vietnam, 30 October 2016. 
Coronavirus

Vietnam moves to block coronavirus risk to supply chain

Factories in Haiphong told to report their numbers of Chinese workers

3 February 2020
Indonesia's President Joko Widodo stands on the deck of its naval ship at Selat Lampa Port, Natuna Islands which overlap with the tip of China's nine-dashed-line on Jan. 8.
Opinion

ASEAN members start standing up to China's maritime aggression

Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia are challenging Beijing in court and at sea

3 February 2020
A doctor puts on protective goggles before entering the isolation ward at a hospital in Wuhan, China.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: How the outbreak unfolded from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1

As cases surpassed 10,000, countries rushed to fly citizens out of China

1 February 2020
A Union Jack flag on the tag of a mattress in a store in Bangkok: total two-way trade between Britain and ASEAN amounted to more than $48 billion in 2018.
Opinion

Post-Brexit UK should prioritize Southeast Asia trade deals

London is well-placed to surpass Brussels in relations with ASEAN

30 January 2020
Vietnamese porters carry goods from China in the border city of Mong Cai in 2018. The coronavirus crisis is reverberating in this and other border towns.
Coronavirus

Coronavirus fears haunt Vietnam and Myanmar border towns

Communities reeling from lack of Chinese visitors race to protect themselves

29 January 2020
Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi delivers a speech at COP25 in Madrid last December.
Environment

Japan minister seeks review of coal-fired plant in Vietnam

Environment chief Koizumi questions government support for Vung Ang plant

24 January 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is flanked by U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting at the G-20 leaders summit in Osaka in June 2019.
Comment

Is China following Japan into the haven of Southeast Asian nations?

US adjusts trade policies in an attempt not to repeat Plaza Accord mistakes

18 January 2020
An oil refinery in Japan: the country wants access to Southeast Asian refineries should its own become unavailable due to natural disasters.
Commodities

As Mideast tensions rise, Japan to share oil reserves regionally

Tokyo eyes diplomatic goodwill and access to region's refineries in return

17 January 2020
Hoang Trung Hai's oversight of a state-owned steelmaker during his tenure as Vietnam's deputy prime minister "seriously damaged the financial position and properties of the state," the Communist Party said in its warning.
Politics

Hanoi chief disciplined in corruption crackdown

Communist Party finds violation in oversight of state-owned steelmaker

11 January 2020
Singapore Airlines has regular flights to more than 10 European cities. Other Asian carriers may follow its lead and divert flights away from Iranian airspace.
Iran tensions

Singapore Airlines avoids Iran airspace as regional tension rises

Flights between SE Asia and Europe face disruption as country lies along route

8 January 2020
China has unleashed its armada of coast guard.
Opinion

2020 look ahead: China faces up to tough regional challenges

South China Sea, Belt and Road Initiative and Taiwan are all on Xi's to-do list

3 January 2020
Stream article image
Asia Insight

Asia's flashpoints: What could go wrong in 2020

Missiles, military clashes, defaults and political crises in the cards

31 December 2019
Vietnamese residents take photos as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un goes past in Hanoi on Feb. 26.
Photos

2019 in pictures: Looking back at a year of celebrations, confrontations and more

A selection of striking images from across Asia, and the stories behind them

29 December 2019
Trump got none of what he really needed.
Opinion

Donald Trump's China deal will not stop him widening trade war

He has Thailand, Vietnam and rest of Asia in his sights as reelection bid flails

19 December 2019
A television factory in Shenzhen, China. The U.S. has additional tariffs coming on Dec. 15 that already have Chinese manufacturers scurrying.
Trade war

China Inc's search for factories hits technological wall in Cambodia

US tariffs and threat of more put manufacturers in tight spot

10 December 2019
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, center, prepares for a photo shoot at the ASEAN-China Summit in Bangkok on Nov. 3.
International relations

Beijing presses ASEAN anew for South China Sea code by 2021

Premier Li touts 'ever stronger' ties with bloc in Trump's absence

3 November 2019
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has left rice farmers fuming over a policy that was supposed to curb inflation but also enhance their competitiveness. (© Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images)
Asia Insight

Duterte's war on inflation hammers Philippine farmers

Backlash over cheap rice imports casts doubt on agricultural reform

29 October 2019
A recruiting event for foreign students in Japan: Companies are looking for international talent to offset a labor shortage. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Japan immigration

Record 25,900 foreign students landed jobs in Japan in 2018

Asian countries accounted for 95%, led by China, Vietnam and Nepal

23 October 2019
The animated film "Abominable," which was released in the Philippines in early October, elicited a strong negative reaction on social media in the country over a scene showing Beijing's "Nine-Dash Line" on a map.
International relations

Philippines slams DreamWorks film showing China's 'Nine-Dash Line'

Foreign minister calls for boycott after Vietnam pulls movie from its cinemas

16 October 2019
Tsai Ing-wen rejuvenated the New Southbound Policy in 2016 while Beijing launched its measures to bring Taipei back into line.
Opinion

Taiwan's New Southbound Policy is decreasing its reliance on China

Looking to regional neighbors for closer trade relationships is bearing fruit

4 October 2019
Military vehicles carrying YJ anti-ship missiles march during the military parade in September 2015: China's new weapons will make the South China Sea a deadly environment.
Opinion

China's military buildup is worry for neighbors and warning for US

Hypersonic missiles and stealthy jets bolster Beijing's might

1 October 2019