alt

September 5th, 2019

Kick start

Asian rugby’s breakthrough moment

View all editions

The Big Story

Japan's 'epoch-making' Rugby World Cup: false dawn or breakout moment?

To enter the big leagues, game seeks to untangle itself from Japan Inc ownership

Japan's Rugby World Cup -- the first to be held in Asia -- aims to launch the niche sport into the region's multibillion-dollar market.
World Rugby says overseas fans will stay an average of 21 nights in Japan, boosting consumption in the country by 105.7 billion yen. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
The Big Story

World Cup gives embattled Airbnb a second chance in Japan

Home-sharing and luxury hospitality hope to score ahead of 2020 Olympics

Takeshi Hakamada, the founder of ispace and an avid Star Wars fan, dislikes flying but aims to send landers and rovers to the moon. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Startups in Asia

Lunar startup ispace raises Japan's hopes for a giant leap

Venture aims to lead us back to moon -- and to galaxies far, far away

(Courtesy of Icicle and S.Deer)
Industry in focus

Homegrown Chinese fashion comes into style on world stage

Designers leverage garment supply chains and local talent to take on Western rivals

Crushing levels of household debt and a cooling real estate market are conspiring against appliance retailers, which are suffering either net losses or plummeting net profits.
Consumer

China's cash-strapped families forgo new appliances

Household debt hits $6tn and leaves industry with 48.6m unsold air conditioners

Google's smartphone business is still small enough to shift away from China with relative ease, analysts say.
Tech scroll Asia

Google to shift Pixel smartphone production from China to Vietnam

Internet giant aims to double shipments in 2019 in aggressive hardware campaign

Thonburi Healthcare Group invested 4 billion baht to build a new hospital with 600 beds in Bangkok. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
Health Care

Fee caps force Thai hospitals to focus on rich foreign patients

Privately run chains place big bets on new equipment and facilities

Indonesian ride-hailing operator Go-Jek entered the Vietnamese market in 2018. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Startups

Vietnam startups gain on Indonesia and Singapore with new funding

E-tailer Tiki receives lion's share of $246m investment in first half of 2019

AirAsia is the largest budget carrier in Southeast Asia.
Nikkei Markets

AirAsia Group 2Q net profit plunges 95% on year as India associate drags

Malaysian airline 'positive' full-year core results will improve in 2019

Stream article image
Nikkei Markets

ICBC vows credit support to China factories amid trade war

ICBC and China Construction Bank downplay impact from PBOC's rate reform

Fadil hatchbacks began rolling off the assembly line at VinFast's $3.5 billion factory in June.
Automobiles

Vingroup leans on government and ride-hailer to boost auto sales

Vietnam conglomerate also eyes foreign markets to achieve ambitious targets

Stream article image
Asia Insight

Yahoo and Recruit dramas expose Japan Inc.'s chronic risks

Listed parent-unit pairs and cross-shareholdings draw scrutiny

The first decrease in GFI in 10 years reflects the increasingly uncertain outlook for economic activity amid the trade war between the U.S. and China. 
Datawatch

Trade war hammers foreign investment in China and Southeast Asia

New greenfield investment falls to 2009 level as globalization reverses course

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, left, and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi. (Source photo from Reuters and Nikkei)
International relations

India and Pakistan's Kashmir dispute stirs nuclear fears

Rhetoric intensifies as rivals rush toward sea-based launch capability

Paintings are displayed at a gallery handling North Korean art in Dandong, China. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Chinese banks face restrictions on converting the yuan to other currencies. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Currencies

China clamps down on capital flight risk as yuan weakens

Banks and real estate developers pressed to keep funds within the borders

Ever since the Cultural Revolution, China's taxman has seen revenues rise. That has now changed.
Economy

China's tax revenue on track for first drop since Mao

Large tax cuts and economic slowdown weigh heavily on government intake

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise of increased economic development has failed to meet expectations, despite his five years in office. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Economy

India's growth rate dips to 6-year low

Government under increased pressure to accelerate stimulus measures

Singapore plans to keep water at bay by building giant seawalls.
Opinion

Asia's megacities must learn from Indonesia's capital move

Few others can afford Singapore's pricey climate crisis plan

Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands, but Cambodia needs to be careful about its relationship with its more powerful regional neighbor
Opinion

It is time for US and Cambodia, in China's shadow, to reset ties

Both sides need to repair rock-bottom relations with frank discussions

Gambling has caused tensions in the Philippines: environmental activists display placards to protest the construction of a Chinese-backed casino.
Opinion

Philippine online casino ban highlights Duterte's unwise China policy

Gambling has brought flood of money but also corruption, xenophobia and threats

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at a meeting in Osaka on June 29. The two countries remain deeply divided on trade.
The Nikkei View

US and China only build tension with tit-for-tat tariffs

Trade war will not end without compromise from both sides

Perry Dino works on an oil painting on June 12 shortly before being engulfed in tear gas. "It’s invaluable," said the artist. "Not many paintings have tear gas as a raw material." (Courtesy of Taylor Ng at Chick Chack Studio)
Hong Kong protests

Painting with tear gas -- the art of Hong Kong’s protest movement

From comics to poetry, creations are cleverly and constantly delivered to keep the movement alive

Lamima, the world's largest working wooden yacht at 65 meters, charters for $20,000 per day. (Courtesy of Lamima)
Life

Indonesia finds luxury use for humble sailing vessel

Wooden ships augmented by rock-star features provide leisure cruises

Cable TV, telephone and internet wiring all strung from the same concrete poles. (Photo by Ken Barrett)
Tea Leaves

Bangkok grapples with 'sky spaghetti' in modernization push

Bill Gates' earlier criticism prompts government to bury the city's overhead cables