alt

January 17th, 2019

Cleaner and safer

The world’s biggest toilet-building project is empowering India’s women

View all editions

The Big Story

World's biggest toilet-building project empowers India's women

Modi's plan to build 100 million toilets is lauded, but critics question data

Women in the village of Gadoj, whose lives have improved with the recent arrival of indoor toilets under Modi's $14 billion campaign. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
The holy, yet highly polluted Ganges river in Varanasi, India, which Modi has promised to clean up by October next year. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
The Big Story

Is Modi's plan to clean 'Mother Ganges' working?

Environmentalists say project is underfunded as pollution rises

Ctrip's nerve center at its Shanghai headquarters gathers data from 300 million users to make suggestions tailored to their preferences. (Photo by Sanmiao Photo)
Company in focus

China's Ctrip faces turbulence in journey to the top

Online travel giant forced to fend off rising tech rivals in uncertain economic times

Attendees pass by a Huawei booth during the 2019 CES in Las Vegas last week. Chinese startup companies participating in the event believe Beijing's commitment to the "Made in China 2025" policy remains unchanged.   
China tech

Chinese tech startups confident Made in China 2025 plan will carry on

Beijing still driving strategy that sparked trade war tensions with Washington

Models walk on the ramp during the event, "Khadi - Transcending Boundaries." 
Business trends

Humble Indian fabric enjoys limelight under Modi

Worn by Gandhi, handmade 'khadi' now finds favor with designers and Bollywood

Real estate conglomerate Vingroup launched its first electric motorbike in November. The company is one of several striving to help achieve the Vietnamese government's target of becoming a fully industrialized nation by 2020.
Business trends

From bikes to phones, 'Made in Vietnam' grows with foreign help

Companies tap new fields, but nation needs local suppliers to reach 2020 industrial goal

A mobile phone store in Hefei, China. Apple and Samsung have both issued earnings warnings due to weakness in the Chinese economy.
Companies

Samsung falls victim to China slowdown, following Apple

Headwinds slam memory chip and smartphone segments

Over the past decade, Singapore’s largest telecom service provider has diversified into areas such as mobile wallets, cybersecurity and digital advertising.
Nikkei Markets

Singtel beefs up e-wallet with remittance service to Myanmar

Slowing growth in telecom services puts focus on diversification

Top Glove's push for deeper automation at its factories to reduce reliance on manual work force also follows recent labor abuse allegations.
Nikkei Markets

Top Glove to spend about 400 million ringgit in annual capex

Seeks to modernize, automate plants as it expands capacity amid strong demand

More than 25 million Indians have begun using the JioPhone since the 4G handset with some smartphone features was introduced in July 2017. (Photo by Akira Hayakawa)
Companies

'Extreme affordability' puts JioPhone atop Nikkei's superior products list

Souped-up feature phone from India opens up internet to low-income users

Stream article image
Technology

Tech standouts go full on, all the time

The 2018 Nikkei Superior Products and Services winners are all about connecting

© Illustration by Michael Tsang
Asia Insight

Populist curse hangs over Thai economy as public awaits election

Agriculture, education and labor reforms will fill next leadership's to-do list

A vendor smokes beside his cigarette stall along a busy street in Manila.
Politics

Southeast Asian smokers face a cloud of new antismoking measures

Governments hike tobacco taxes to mitigate health threats and fund infrastructure

Women work at a garment factory in Hai Duong province, outside Hanoi. 
Economy

Vietnam privatizations hit wall as TPP arrives

Hanoi poised to miss 2020 goal of easing control of economy

South Korean President Moon Jae-in warned Tokyo against politicizing the court rulings on Japanese companies in wartime labor cases.
International relations

Moon tells Japan not to play politics with wartime labor cases

Tokyo lawmakers seek tougher measures as communication with Seoul fails

An American fighter jet during military drills between the U.S. and South Korea. Washington so far has shied away from the dispute between its East Asian allies South Korea and Japan over an alleged radar lock.
International relations

Washington steers clear of Japan-South Korea radar row

Neither side inclined to back down three weeks after incident

Textile goods account for about 70% of Cambodia's total exports.
International relations

Cambodia and Myanmar walk 2 paths on EU pressure

Phnom Penh adopts political reforms but Naypyitaw unresponsive on refugees

Thailand's removal from the European Union's illegal-fishing watch list has been welcomed by the country's fisheries industry. (Photo by Marimi Kishimoto)
Business trends

Thai seafood industry buoyed by lifting of EU 'yellow card'

Removal from watch list keeps door to key export market open

China is seeking to strengthen ties with Afghanistan, as the U.S. makes plans to withdraw part of its troops which were deployed there soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
Belt and Road

China has economic aims as it quietly builds bonds with Afghanistan

As US plans to scale down military presence, Beijing seeks to fill the void

1MDB case highlights need for greater financial transparency. (NurPhoto/Getty Images)
Opinion

1MDB scandal -- a call to redouble Asia's fight for transparency

Companies and governments must stop tolerating lax local standards

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat gives a speech in April in Singapore.
Opinion

Same-old in Singapore

As in Malaysia, a stale political cocktail needs a good shake

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina knows China and India must court her. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Opinion

Victory strengthens Hasina's foreign policy hand

Election win reinforces Bangladesh leader's position in dealings with New Delhi and Beijing

Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn continues to maintain his innocence. (Photo by Maho Obata)
The Nikkei View

Prosecutors need convincing proof in Ghosn case

Nissan must acknowledge the heavy responsibility it bears

Chef Andrew Wong's restaurant Kym's in London focuses on the "art and technique" of Chinese roasting. (Courtesy of Kym's)
Life

London's hot food trend: Refined Chinese

Chefs introduce the cuisine's unfamiliar flavors and its 'QQ' textures

Shinta Ratri, a transgender Muslim in Indonesia, copes in a culture with strictly defined gender norms.
Life

Prayers of a transgender Indonesian

One Muslim's decadelong effort to embrace differences while keeping the faith

Indonesian President Joko Widodo stands near the collapsed Hotel Mutiara Carita after it was hit by a tsunami in Pandeglang, Indonesia, on Dec. 24. (Photo by Antara Foto/Bayu Prasetyo via Reuters)
Tea Leaves

Indonesian politicians offer no hope for disaster zones

With election looming, campaign is focused on religion, not citizens' needs