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September 13th, 2018

Abe’s quiet revolution

The hawkish prime minister is opening up Japan

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The Big Story

Shinzo Abe's quiet social revolution

The hawkish prime minister is opening up Japan

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has brought significant change to Japan since returning to power in 2012. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga convinced Shinzo Abe to stage a comeback and has heavily influenced the prime minister's policies in the six years since. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
The Big Story

How Abe's right-hand man has shaped policy in Japan

Yoshihide Suga has been a driving force behind the prime minister's pro-business approach

Lippo Group founder Mochtar Riady, center, and his son James, left, look poised to pass the baton to a third generation led by James' son John, right. 
Asian Family Conglomerates

Lippo tycoon looks to young-gun grandson to build digital empire

Mochtar Riady's heir apparent, John Riady, makes mark in Indonesian e-payments

Didi Chuxing, China's biggest ride-hailing service, has been key to the growth of the country's sharing economy.
Sharing Economy

Didi ride-share halt threatens to cool China's sharing economy

Passenger killings add to strain on $780bn sector as bike-shares also struggle

Jack Ma has previously stated that one should "never, ever do business with government." 
Companies

Timing of Jack Ma's retirement minimizes risk for Alibaba

Founder's outsize profile poses hidden dangers in China

TSMC builds some of the world's most advanced processors for mobile devices, but has ceded memory chips to the likes of Samsung and Toshiba. © (Courtesy of TSMC)
Companies

Deal-shy chipmaker TSMC says it's open to memory acquisition

Apple supplier under pressure to diversify as demand shifts beyond phones

TSMC Founder Morris Chang believes there is plenty of room for innovation in the chip industry. (Photo by Cheng Ting-Fang)
Business trends

TSMC founder Chang warns of Chinese dominance in chips

Industry icon sees 6% growth in sector over 20 years, double that of global GDP

The e2oPlus electric car was developed by Indian company Mahindra Electric Mobility, but uncertainty about government policy is raising concerns in the industry.
Business trends

India's pivot to electric vehicles hinges on government policy

Industry impatient with lack of guidelines from Narendra Modi's government

A man tends his garden on a balcony turned into a rooftop garden with solar panels and wind power in Bangkok.
Business trends

Thailand braces for surge of blockchain-enabled solar power

Regulator weighs fee on households as peer-to-peer energy trading threatens state utility

Garuda Indonesia CEO Pahala Mansury, second from left, and JAL Executive Vice President Tadashi Fujita, pose during a news conference in Jakarta on Sept. 6. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Companies

Garuda expands US routes with Japan Airlines code-share deal

Indonesian airline to maintain alliance with JAL rival ANA 'for the time being'

Tourists in South Korea and Japan will be able to use the linked ride-hailing apps from Kakao Mobility and JapanTaxi. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Business deals

Kakao to link Korea-Japan taxi-hailing apps

South Korean company will invest $14m in JapanTaxi

The sales of Jaguar have been sagging in the U.S. amid weak demand for cars and a slow pace of adoption of its E-Pace models.
Companies

Tata sees Jaguar luxury car sales fall for 11th month in US

Demand for Land Rover SUVs helps automaker post a 2% increase in overall North America sales

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has plans to launch the economy into the world's top 10, but now he is turning more inward. (© Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters)
Asia Insight

Widodo turns inward as rupiah slides and election looms

Indonesian president does about-face from bold vision he offered in 2014

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, raises the hand of  Li Zhanshu, China's third-ranking official, during a parade on Sept. 9, marking the 70th anniversary of North Korea's founding in Pyongyang.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea keeps ICBMs out of sight at 70th anniversary parade

Kim signals commitment to nuclear talks with US and close China ties at event

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants to issue a declaration with the U.S. and South Korea officially ending the Korean War.
Workers fix a ceiling in Terminal 1 of Kansai International Airport, damaged heavily by Typhoon Jebi. (Photo by Tomoki Mera)
Economy

Disaster-hit Japan hurries recovery ahead of Chinese holiday

Airports and power plants gradually restart operations but scars remain

India and the U.S. have held joint military exercises before, but next year's will be the first to involve land, sea and air forces.
International relations

US to hold joint drills with India and supply military technology

Inaugural defense and foreign ministers meeting makes no mention of Iran oil

Transgender people and college students take part in the Gay Pride Walk in Bhubaneswar, in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, on Sept. 1. (Getty Images)
Politics

India's supreme court overturns homosexuality ban

Colonial era law declared unconstitutional, but experts say change will be slow

South Korea's New Export Orders Index hit a four-month low and could drop further if the U.S.-China trade standoff continues.
Trade war

Asian exports face headwinds from US-China trade war: PMI survey

Overseas demand weakens as August index for ASEAN falls to 20-month low

The U.S. has been exporting more coal from mines like this one outside Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Datawatch

US shovels more coal exports into Asia

Visualizations make it clear just how much more

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad did not mince his words in referring to a new form of colonialism during his recent visit to China.
Opinion

Mahathir, China and neo-colonialism

Beijing will not forget Malaysian premier's barbed attack on Belt and Road

Asia should look at the West's pension problems and prepare better for their aging populations.
Opinion

Asians must wake up to the hidden costs of retirement

With rapid aging, countries cannot sustain today's pension systems and must cut a fast-growing bill

China is spending more on technology and fast catching up.
Opinion

Japan must boost R&D to keep rising Chinese rivals at bay

Better to focus on lead in autos and machinery than making up lost ground in chips

Most Rohingya refugees remain in camps, such as this one in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, out of fear of being persecuted if they return to Myanmar. (Reuters)
The Nikkei View

Myanmar, the Rohingya crisis has lasted too long

The government must give refugees reasons to feel safe to return

Some expressed concerns congestion is hurting Tamania's quiet environment.
Life

Australia's 'clean, green' Tasmania confronts downside of boom

Rising star destination encounters warnings about over-tourism

The charming interior of one of Rajabori Villas' wooden houses, set in a lush garden on the unspoiled riverine island of Koh Trong. (Photo by Kit Yeng Chan) 
Life

Mekong region's boutique hotels raise the bar

Character and warm guest relations are key to success of small hoteliers

Kettles for boiling water in the eastern Chinese city of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province
Tea Leaves

Some like it hot: why China cold-shoulders ice water

Japanese-style thirst quencher has little appeal for Chinese drinkers