Politics

A Chinese Coast Guard vessel near the Spratly Islands in March: Many ASEAN nations have complained about China's activities in the South China Sea.
Opinion

ASEAN shouldn't give up on idea of South China Sea naval drill

Indonesia can revive proposal with other interested members

3 August 2023
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He says his People's Action Party has taken a hit over recent controversies.
Politics

Singapore political drama exposes frailty of Lee's succession plan

Ruling PAP 'has taken a hit' over minister's graft probe, speaker's resignation

3 August 2023
Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew, center, speaks during a news conference in Bangkok on Aug. 2. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Thai election

Pheu Thai splits from Move Forward to secure PM vote for Srettha

Pro-democracy coalition's breakup puts Thailand election winner into opposition

2 August 2023
Aung San Suu Kyi still faces a 27-year sentence for charges her former economic adviser called "absurd." (File photo by EPA/Jiji) 
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's Suu Kyi 'pardon' sets stage for new diplomatic theater

Generals have reasons to strike softer tone -- and to think the world may buy it

2 August 2023
A new presidential palace is going up in Nusantara: Some government functions will be transferred from Jakarta to the new capital in 2024. (Photo by Nana Shibata)
Economy

Indonesia's new capital aims to be 'economic growth center'

Nusantara construction 'on schedule'; 60,000 people expected in 2024: officials

2 August 2023
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing inspects troops during an Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyitaw on March 27.  (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar military tightens grip on power but vexed by public backlash

Government again delays general election by extending state of emergency

2 August 2023
Aung San Suu Kyi was taken into custody during the February 2021 military takeover and sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison, for corruption and other alleged crimes.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar regime partially pardons Suu Kyi, cutting her sentence

Move announced on state TV as military faces pressure at home and abroad

1 August 2023
China, in recent years, has supplied 90% of the world's germanium and over 90% of its gallium. New Chinese export restrictions on the elements are expected to affect global chipmakers. 
Your Week in Asia

China's chip material control, Australia rate, Japan-Italy drill

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

30 July 2023
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, right, appears with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on a sign for Subianto's Gerindra Party. (Photo by Bobby Nugroho)
Politics

Jokowi keeps successor options open, even former rival

Indonesia's outgoing president courted by Subianto ahead of registration deadline

30 July 2023
Blackpink -- from left: Lisa, Jisoo, Rosé and Jennie -- headlines the Coachella festival on April 22 in Indio, California.
International relations

Blackpink takes Vietnam by storm, riding Korean economic wave

Superstars' concert is just one way South Korean influence has engulfed country

29 July 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, is steeping down in August to hand power to his son, Hun Manet, left. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi)
Cambodia's new leadership

On topic: Who is Hun Manet, Cambodia's next prime minister?

A collection of stories to catch up on a recent hot topic

29 July 2023
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen will pay a two-day official visit to the Philippines from July 31 and meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (Source photo by Reuters)
International relations

EU's Von der Leyen to make first state visit to Philippines

Territorial rights over South China Sea expected to be among items on agenda

29 July 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, greets Indonesian counterpart Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in Chengdu on July 27. (Photo courtesy of Indonesia's presidential office)
International relations

Jokowi bags $13bn in investment pledges after meeting with Xi

China's Xinyi to build glass, solar panel factories in Indonesia in $11.5bn plan

28 July 2023
Stream article image
Asia's Age of Hydropolitics

Vietnam's Mekong Delta is sinking, but innovations offer hope

From lotus farms to 'floating rice,' farmers get creative in face of China dams, climate change

28 July 2023
Hun Manet, son of Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, attends an election campaign in Phnom Penh on July 21. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Politics

Hun Manet's path to power contrasts with father's Khmer Rouge past

Long groomed for top job, West Point graduate will be Cambodia's first new PM in 38 years

27 July 2023
Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Nov. 16, 2022.
International relations

Indonesia's Jokowi off to China to meet Xi

Two leaders to discuss South China Sea and investments in 'strategic projects'

27 July 2023
Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has reportedly been moved from prison to house arrest.
Myanmar Crisis

Suu Kyi's reported move to house arrest signals shift in Myanmar

Military government eases stance with eye on extending state of emergency

27 July 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, right, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks at a joint press conference on July 26. (Photo courtesy of Malaysia's Prime Minister Office) 
Myanmar Crisis

Anwar, Marcos discuss 'giving flexibility' to Myanmar approach

Leaders touch on possible engagement 'without sacrificing human rights issues'

26 July 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, and his son, Hun Manet, are seen voting in these July 23 shots. (Photos by Ken Kobayashi)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodian PM Hun Sen says to step down, hand power to son

Long-awaited announcement comes after victory in election seen as a sham

26 July 2023
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)
The Nikkei View

Cambodia's destruction of democracy is unacceptable

Hun Sen's party dominated a rigged, illegitimate election

26 July 2023
Thailand's parliament was supposed to convene on July 27 to elect a new prime minister, but the vote has been postponed. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Thai election

Thailand postpones parliamentary PM vote

Caretaker cabinet approves six-day holiday from July 28 to Aug. 2

25 July 2023
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.
Opinion

Marcos will not be able to keep playing safe on everything

Philippine president has avoided confrontation but has tough decisions to make

25 July 2023
Taliban soldiers guard a mosque in Kabul on June 28.
International relations

Taliban visits Indonesia in attempt to gain global recognition

Afghanistan's slumping economy seen behind regime's diplomatic overture

25 July 2023
High smartphone use is making Vietnam a growing market for the likes of Netflix and TikTok, a market that authorities aim to tax. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Technology

Vietnam's tax agency turns to AI to spot evasion, increase revenue

Payments by Big Tech firms also rise as one-party state steps up scrutiny

25 July 2023
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. emphasized his country's diplomacy-based foreign policy in the speech. (Photo courtesy of Philippines Presidential Communications Office)
International relations

Marcos vows to protect Philippine territory in key policy speech

President touts success in building international support on South China Sea issue

25 July 2023