Ukraine war

An Aeroflot flight takes off. Though more companies are evacuating employees from Russia, many airlines, including the Russian flag carrier, are suspending service to and from the country.
Ukraine war

From Toyota to JT, corporate Japan pulls staff out of Russia

Evacuations pick up steam as weak ruble and blocked credit cards disrupt daily life

8 March 2022
Palladium and copper prices both hit all-time highs on Monday. (Source photos by Reuters)
Commodities

Palladium, copper and nickel hit historic highs on Russia sanctions

Manufacturers scramble for supplies of crucial metals in cars, batteries

8 March 2022
A crude oil tanker at Qingdao Port. Crude is one of China's key imports from Russia.
Trade

Chinese trade with Russia jumps 38% in January-February

Beijing seen extending economic hand to Moscow before Ukraine invasion

8 March 2022
Oil prices touched $130 a barrel on Monday for the first time since 2008.
Ukraine war

Oil soars over question of who can replace Russia

OPEC sticks to gradual output increase while U.S. shale hardly moves

8 March 2022
Uniqlo does not plan to shut its 50 locations in Russia for now. 
Ukraine war

Uniqlo to continue selling clothes in Russia

'Clothing is a necessity,' says Yanai, CEO of parent Fast Retailing

8 March 2022
The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney transits the Bosporus Strait in August 2018. Warships of outside countries like the U.S. cannot stay more than 21 days in the Black Sea. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Ukraine war

Why can Turkey block the Bosporus? 5 things to know

1936 Montreux Convention and geography give it leverage over Russia

7 March 2022
Migrant workers from Uzbekistan collect potatoes at a agrarian field in Beryozovka near Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk: their remittances to their families back home are a crucial source of income.
Opinion

Central Asia braces for economic catastrophe

Sanctions aimed at Russia will have serious knock-on effects

7 March 2022
SBI Sumishin was slated to go public on March 24 with book building scheduled to start on Tuesday. (Source photo by Ken Kobayashi)
IPO

Japanese online bank delays IPO as Ukraine war scares investors

SBI Sumishin Net Bank's move derails one of country's biggest listings this year

7 March 2022
Major economies are looking to ensure cryptocurrencies are not used as a tool for dodging financial sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine war

Russia sanctions put spotlight on crypto: 5 things to know

Authorities, industry consider ways to limit use in dodging financial sanctions

7 March 2022
Brent was quoted $12.73 higher at $130.84, while U.S. crude rose $9.92 to $125.60.
Markets

Brent crude hits $130 a barrel; Nikkei plunges

U.S., Europe ban on Russian products and delayed Iran nuclear talks spark fears

7 March 2022
Nearly 300,000 people have joined Ukraine's IT army, according to Alex Bornyakov, deputy minister for digital transformation. (Image from online interview)
Ukraine war

Ukraine urges 70 tech firms to help in digital fight against Russia

'More and more' companies joining besieged country daily, deputy minister says

7 March 2022
One Southeast Asia scholar says China may take advantage of a U.S. distracted by events in Ukraine to cement its grip on the South China Sea. (Source photos by Rie Ishii, AP and Reuters) 
Ukraine war

Ukraine crisis leaves ASEAN jittery over South China Sea

Russian, Chinese moves seen as unilateral attempts to change status quo

6 March 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of their meeting in New Delhi on Dec. 6, 2021.
Comment

Ukraine war exposes limit of India's strategic independence

Timid response from New Delhi threatens its delicate balancing act

6 March 2022
An LNG ship arrives at a port in Sodeshicho, Shizuoka. Japan has been investing for years in Russia's Sakhalin oil and gas projects to reduce its dependence on Middle East energy.  
Ukraine war

Japan exit from Sakhalin LNG would let China swoop in: ex-minister

LDP's Seko says Tokyo must be pragmatic on Russia sanctions regarding energy

6 March 2022
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Russia's Vladimir Putin meet in Moscow on Feb. 10, two weeks before the invasion of Ukraine. 
International relations

Ukraine war casts Kazakhstan's reliance on Russia in harsher light

Tokayev struggles to avoid angering 'unpredictable' ally -- and his own people

6 March 2022
An Ocean Network Express container vessel. The Japanese shipper has stopped taking orders to ship goods to Russian ports such as St. Petersburg. (Photo by Kazuto Shimada)
6 March 2022
Demonstrators hold a giant European Union flag as they attend an anti-war rally, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Czech Republic capital of in Prague.
6 March 2022
The UNHCR says 4 million Ukrainians could flee their war-torn country in the coming weeks and months. (Source photos by Reuters, Shihoko Nakaoka and Kyodo)
Ukraine war

Japan Inc. steps up fast to offer support to Ukraine refugees

Don Quijote to care for 100 displaced households; Uniqlo and Rakuten join effort

5 March 2022
Singapore has announced details of its sanctions on Russia -- aligning itself with many other countries.
Ukraine war

Singapore sanctions 4 Russian banks, blocks crypto loophole

Asia financial hub calls Ukraine invasion 'clear violation of international law'

5 March 2022
Ukrainians protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine outside the Russian Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 28.
Comment

South Korea presidential hopefuls spar over Ukraine as poll nears

Main contenders criticize each other's phrasing while offering little relief

5 March 2022
A wheat field near Kyiv. Ukraine and Russia are both major producers of grains and vegetable oil.
Ukraine war

Southeast Asian companies brace for impact from Ukraine invasion

From Phuket tourism to food prices, Russian sanctions expected to hit hard

5 March 2022
Komatsu will stop shipping its products to Russia.
Ukraine war

Komatsu and Hitachi Construction halt shipments to Russia

Duo join Panasonic in ceasing operations, citing supply chain issues

5 March 2022
Units of the Russian armed forces enter Kyiv region on Mar. 3: this time, it is China's partner Russia that has gone to war, not its rival, America.
Opinion

Was China duped on Ukraine?

Beijing is now in damage control mode

5 March 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin, an ex-KGB agent, has long been a "hard target" for Western espionage.
Ukraine war

What is Putin thinking? Spy agencies size up Ukraine moves

Sanctions said to enrage isolated Russian leader with finger on nuclear button

5 March 2022
Business at the Tigre de Cristal casino near Vladivostok, seen here on its opening day in 2015, has been hit hard by COVID.
Ukraine war

Cambodian casino group NagaCorp halts Russian project

Ukraine war provides chance to escape problematic commitment, analysts say

4 March 2022