Ukraine war

PetroChina says it does not plan to snap up cheap Russian oil.
Energy

PetroChina has no plan to buy extra Russian fuel at discount: CFO

State oil producer says Moscow sanctions affecting dollar and euro payments

7 May 2022
The Singapore Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large says countries are increasingly taking an issue-by-issue approach to diplomacy, rather than simply aligning themselves with one big power or another.
Interview

ASEAN's Ukraine split shows desire for space between powers: envoy

Singapore's Chan Heng Chee says neither West nor China should take others for granted

6 May 2022
Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference in Moscow on Feb. 1: The outward-facing rhetoric will be moderate, and many observers will interpret it as a theatrical way for the state to seek reasonable ends.
Opinion

We should listen to dictators when they tell us their plans

Autocrats who preach irredentism usually follow words with actions

6 May 2022
The OPEC+ alliance is expected to ratify plans for a production increase for June of 430,000 barrels a day. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Commodities

OPEC offers Europe little hope of quitting Russian oil

Cartel set to keep policy of only modest production increases at meeting

5 May 2022
Tugboats guide a liquefied natural gas tanker at the Cheniere Sabine Pass LNG export unit in Louisiana. Japanese firms are involved in an LNG project in the U.S. state.
Energy

Japan considers financial support to boost U.S. LNG output

Tokyo and Washington to discuss cutting energy dependence on Russia

5 May 2022
Russia has adopted measures allowing Aeroflot and other domestic airlines to retain aircraft leased from foreign companies. 
Ukraine war

Asian lessors take losses on failure to recover jets from Russia

Avolon and Aircastle record $550m in asset write-offs for stranded planes

4 May 2022
Western energy companies have started pulling out of the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 (pictured) oil and gas projects in Russia's Far East. Japan's international reputation could be on the line if it does not follow suit.
The Big Story

Walking a tightrope: Ukraine war puts Japan's energy security on thin ice

As Western sanctions on Russia pile up, Tokyo weighs pulling out of Sakhalin projects

4 May 2022
American troops prepare to fire Stinger missiles from an armored vehicle during a drill. The U.S. agreed to deliver 250 of the missiles to Taiwan by 2026.
Indo-Pacific

Taiwan faces delays in U.S. arms deliveries due to Ukraine war

Likely postponement of howitzers and Stingers impacts Taipei's defense strategy

4 May 2022
Taiwanese troops demonstrate a dual-mount Stinger missile system in Taipei on August 11, 2005. The missiles' effectiveness in Ukraine has put them in high demand.
International relations

Taiwan presses U.S. regarding risk of Stinger missile delays

Demand heats up for weapons that have kept Russian aircraft at bay in Ukraine

3 May 2022
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center left, and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, center right, meet in Bangkok on May 2.
International relations

Japan PM touts unity on Ukraine in Southeast Asia tour

Tokyo and Bangkok sign defense equipment pact and eye South China Sea cooperation

3 May 2022
Ukrainian presidential aide Oleksiy Arestovich speaks during an online interview with Nikkei Asia on May 1. (Photo courtesy of Ukrainian Presidential Office)
Interview

Ukraine to launch counteroffensive by mid-June: Zelenskyy aide

Arms deliveries from U.S., Europe enable fight back against Russian troops

2 May 2022
Russia's invasion of Mariupol and other parts of Ukraine has given Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida three important lessons. (Source photos by Uichiro Kasai and Reuters)  
Comment

Russia's Ukraine invasion serves as wake-up call for Japan

War underscores urgency of buttressing nation's defense system and alliances

2 May 2022
The lockdown in Shanghai and Russian invasion of Ukraine have disrupted supply chains for companies and heightened uncertainty for investors. (Nikkei montage/AP/Reuters)
Market Spotlight

Ukraine war, China lockdowns drag down 70% of Asia's biggest equities

Commodity stocks in India, Indonesia, Malaysia defy broader sell-off

2 May 2022
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha attend the EU-ASEAN meeting in Brussels in October 2018: Any exercise in alliance building requires reliability and trustworthiness.
Opinion

Ukraine war highlights Europe's failure to reassure ASEAN

Southeast Asia should remember that EU offers a real alternative in a bipolar world

1 May 2022
Tokyo has only a limited number of facilities that can be safe shelters, such as stations on the Toei Oedo Line that lie more than 40 meters underground. (Photo courtesy of B Lucava) 
Ukraine war

Can Japanese subway system work as a bomb shelter in time of war?

Invasion of Ukraine highlights nation's unpreparedness for crisis

30 April 2022
China has maintained trade with Russia even as major economies like the U.S. impose extensive sanctions on Russia.
Ukraine war

Chinese regions chase business opportunities in Russia as West exits

Authorities keen on greater trade but wary of encouraging new investments

30 April 2022
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, holds a news conference in Jakarta with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on April 29. (Pool/Kyodo)
International relations

Japan PM kicks off tour to bridge East-West divide on Russia

Kishida and Jokowi agree that war in Ukraine is 'unacceptable'

30 April 2022
United Overseas Bank, DBS and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. remain hopeful that the recovery from the pandemic will continue. 
Finance

Singapore banks warn of Ukraine war impact as profits dip

ASEAN's largest lenders win fewer wealth management fees as uncertainty rises

29 April 2022
Half the oil Japan imports from Russia comes from the Sakhalin-1 project. (Photo courtesy of Exxon Neftegas via Kyodo)
Ukraine war

Exxon downsizes staff as it prepares to exit Russia's Sakhalin-1

Oil giant starts cutting production as it declares force majeure

29 April 2022
Sinopec runs this compressing station at a shale gas field in Chongqing, China. The country is also increasing natural gas imports from Russia.
Energy

Sinopec resells LNG to Europe despite China's sanctions snub

Top oil refiner says transactions are purely market driven

29 April 2022
UnionPay had drawn interest in Russia as an alternative to Visa and Mastercard.
Finance

China's UnionPay shuns Russian banks as sanctions force caution

Bank card company forgoes new opportunities to maintain global connections

29 April 2022
CNOOC's Liuhua 16-2 oil field in the South China Sea. Chinese oil companies are reportedly in talks with Western peers seeking to exit Russia. (Photo courtesy of CNOOC)
Energy

China oil major CNOOC has 'no plan to exit' any region: executive

Company 'closely monitoring' developments with Western energy assets in Russia

28 April 2022
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of their meeting on April 28. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai) 
Energy

Germany, Japan tap hydrogen to reduce Russia dependence

Scholz and Kishida agree to launch intergovernmental consultations next year

28 April 2022
Russia accounts for about 15% of Japan Tobacco's operating income. (Source photos by Reuters and Akira Kodaka)
Ukraine war

Japan Tobacco eyes sell-off of Russia business

As other cigarette makers plan to pull out, JT keeps four factories running

28 April 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin told lawmakers in St. Petersburg on April 27, "If someone intends to intervene in the ongoing events from the outside ... our retaliatory strikes will be lightning-fast." (Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Kremlin via Reuters)
Ukraine war: Free to read

Ukraine from April 12 to April 28: Putin warns West of 'lightning-fast' retaliation

Japan Tobacco eyes sell-off of Russia business; Biden to visit South Korea, Japan in May

28 April 2022