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October 31st, 2019

Divide and conquer

Nationalism and populism fuel Sri Lankan strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resurgence

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The Big Story

Divide and conquer: Sri Lankan strongman plots an election return

Pro-China, populist Rajapaksa family looks to lead the debt-burdened nation

Nearly five years after a humiliating defeat, the Rajapaksa clan gears up for a return. 
"We want to be here ... for the long term," say the new Chinese-Sri Lankan joint-venture operators of Hambantota Port. (Photo courtesy of Hambantota International Port Group)
The Big Story

Sri Lanka's 'debt trap' port thriving, Chinese owners claim

Seen as an emblem of Beijing's expansionist goals, business is picking up in Hambantota

Mahinda, left, and presidential candidate Gotabaya side by side at a campaign event: Although Gotabaya is the one running for office, his brother has been ever-present on the campaign trail.
Okinawa Autotech's electric motorcycles displayed at a New Delhi showroom: India's sales of electric two-wheelers more than doubled in the year ended March, before the government abruptly changed a subsidy program. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
Industry in focus

Electrifying market: India poised to rival China in e-motorbikes

Manufacturers accelerate production despite Modi policy curveballs

SoftBank Group is betting on WeWork's brand power as it seeks to turn around the coworking startup. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Commuters pass by a Gojek advertisement in Singapore. The startup aims to be a Southeast Asian "super app" that lets users hail rides, make payments and more.
Startups

After WeWork flop, Indonesia's Gojek eyes dual listing

Unicorn moves on from charismatic leader, heavy promotions and cash burning

Of Hong Kong's big four property developers -- Adrian Cheng, Raymond Kwok, Li Ka-shing and Lee Shau Kee -- only three have answered Beijing's call to resolve the city's housing crisis. (Nikkei montage/Getty images/AP/Reuters)
Hong Kong protests

Payback: China presses Hong Kong magnates to share the wealth

Beijing pushes super-rich to help solve city's chronic housing shortage

Construction progresses on Bangkok's Bang Sue Grand Station, which will serve as a hub for the high-speed rail line linking three airports. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Companies

Thai conglomerate says high-speed rail on track to success

Despite daunting costs, CP Group eyes lucrative real estate development along line

Fanuc's industrial robots are enjoying brisk demand even as sales of the company's machine tools slump.
Companies

Fanuc robots lose bounce as China order book fails to fill

Trade war looms heavily over auto-reliant Japanese company

The Singapore Exchange earlier this year tightened the rules for listed companies appointing auditors. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Nikkei Markets

Singapore Exchange's quarterly profit hits decade high

Debt program of S$1.5 billion hints at acquisitions

A liquidity crunch has hobbled spending on infrastructure in Asia's third-largest economy, driving it into the slow lane.
Nikkei Markets

L&T beats estimates despite construction slowdown

Company expects to grow its orders by 10% to 12% this fiscal year

Chinese competitors are poised to encroach on LG Display's dominance in OLED displays for televisions.
Electronics

LG Display 'survival at risk,' CEO warns as loss hits

World's top LCD maker struggles against Chinese supply glut

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has left rice farmers fuming over a policy that was supposed to curb inflation but also enhance their competitiveness. (© Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images)
Asia Insight

Duterte's war on inflation hammers Philippine farmers

Backlash over cheap rice imports casts doubt on agricultural reform

Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to the Nikkei Asian Review on Oct. 23 in Tokyo. (Photo by Wataru Ito)
Interview

Suu Kyi: Myanmar constitution must change for 'complete democracy'

De facto leader calls Rohingya crackdown a response to 'terrorist attack'

A banner of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, right, and his deputy Ma'ruf Amin is on display in Jakarta on Oct. 20. Widodo was sworn the same day for his second and final five-year term. 
Politics

Jokowi's choice of ministers leaves many scratching heads

Untested nominees puzzle observers over economic policy

A woman holds a replica green card sign during a protest march to demand immigration reform in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Politics

Battle for US green cards: Indians and Chinese split over reforms

Senate debates scrapping country cap, in boost for Indian tech engineers

Malaysia estimates that the drone tech sector will generate $127 billion in value by 2025.
Economy

Malaysia moves to become a drone hub for Southeast Asia

Western multinationals are in talks with Mahathir Mohamad's government

Indigenous people have fought for decades to halt climbing on Uluru.
Politics

Uluru climbing ban takes effect as indigenous peoples make strides

Governments and business increasingly recognize rights of native populations

A worker welds a bicycle rim at a sports equipment factory in Hangzhou: Discrepancies continue between the sum of GDP figures from localities and the numbers coming from the central government.
Economy

China cracks down on false economic stats by localities

Audits and harsher penalties seek accuracy, but risk consolidating data control

Japan need, somehow, to increase the workforce and their productivity. (Photo by Hirofumi Yamamoto)
Opinion

World has learned wrong lessons from 'Japanification'

Governments should focus on raising productivity, not on specter of deflation

Greta Thunberg waits backstage before speaking to a crowd on Oct. 11 in Denver, Colorado: Environmental activism needs to mature beyond spewing vitriol at easy targets.
Opinion

Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion cannot wish oil and gas away

Climate activists need to be pragmatic about how much renewables can deliver

Fires burn off virgin rainforest cleared to plant oil palm trees in Tripa, Indonesia: China can no longer escape its responsibility.
Opinion

Chinese companies must share blame for global deforestation

Demand for soy, palm oil and beef leads to forest fires in Brazil and Indonesia

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, and South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon greet the press before their talks in Tokyo on Oct. 24.
The Nikkei View

Japan and South Korea need more dialogue -- and compromise -- soon

Diplomatic feud continues to poison business and cultural exchanges

"Birthday" by Kunio Kaneko, 2019 woodcut, 39 by 58 cm, ed 150. (Courtesy of the College Women's Association of Japan)
Arts

Six decades on, Japanese printmaking show still captures zeitgeist

Annual exhibit brings modern techniques to traditional art

The wooden vessels operated by Cat Ba Sailing Junk are equipped with septic tanks so as not to dump sewage into Lan Ha Bay, where they operate in northern Vietnam. (Photo by Ian Lloyd Neubauer)
Life

Fresh wave of foreign 'invaders' perplexes Vietnamese

Hanoi faces growing opposition to tourism policy as visitor numbers soar

Exhibits of Japanese infrastructure building at the Sun Moon Lake museum. (Photo by Humphrey Hawksley)
Tea Leaves

Taiwan holds lessons for 'good' and 'bad' dictatorships

Beijing should follow Taipei's model of gradual liberalization