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November 28th, 2019

Fallout

Indian startups prepare for life after SoftBank

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The Big Story

Fallout: SoftBank's next big crisis may be brewing in India

Overfunding and bloated valuations have destabilized the country's startups

SoftBank Group's investment firepower has been a force in India, where there was traditionally little domestic risk capital. (Illustration by Eric Chow)
TKP manages conference rooms and shared workspaces like this Regus-brand location in Tokyo. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Company in focus

A WeWork that works? TKP turns heads by turning profits

Japan office rival puts new dent in SoftBank's 'kingmaker' strategy

In its drive for technological self-sufficiency, Beijing has pumped billions of dollars into building a semiconductor industry led by ChangXin Memory Technologies and Yangtze Memory Technologies. (Nikkei montage/Reuters).
China tech

China memory chip output zooms from zero to 5% of world total

Mass production to start in 2020 as Beijing guns for technological self-sufficiency

Singapore's central bank hopes that a group of tech-savvy new entrants will be able to carve a niche among the country's 150 deposit-taking institutions with a total asset size of $2 trillion. (Nikkei Montage)
Finance

Tech-savvy upstarts race for Singapore digital banking licenses

More than 40 companies set to apply for five slots by Dec. 31

Singapore led the Asia region in the latest world talent rankings by the Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development, mainly due to its quality education provision.
Economy

Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan surge in global talent ranking

Japan slips to 35th place, sinking behind South Korea for the first time

Uber Eats is one of the two big food delivery services in Taiwan. (Photo courtesy of Uber Technologies)
Sharing Economy

Taiwan's college grads follow the money to become food deliverers

Fast-growing sector offers chance to outearn office workers, but carries risks

Japanese diamonds are highly sought by international dealers. (Photo by Karina Noka)
Most read in 2019

World awakens to Japan's sleeping diamonds

Traders flock to Tokyo as '80s-era gems once kept in homes return to market

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes, the man who brought budget airlines to Asia, is ready to take his low-cost model to Cambodia. (Nikkei Montage/Source photo by Yuki Nakao)
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Exclusive: AirAsia's Fernandes plots Cambodia expansion

Budget airline pioneer eyes China and Myanmar amid digital push

Factory-floor workers will be affected by up to one-third of the job cuts at Tata Steel Europe.
Companies

Tata Steel to slash 3,000 jobs, trimming European team by 10%

Indian steelmaker reduces costs after aborted ThyssenKrupp merger

Vingroup forays into TV production to cement its position as one of the country's foremost tech manufacturers. (Nikkeimontage/AP)
Technology

Vingroup secures Google's backing to launch smart TVs

Vietnamese conglomerate seeks 'world-class partners' as it embarks on tech domination

JD.com logistics staff sort out packages for the Singles Day shopping holiday. The Chinese e-tailer held a domestic market share of 25.7% in the third quarter.
Retail

JD.com's profit crashes 80% in race with Alibaba over rural China

Chinese e-tailer's one-day delivery in small cities led to huge costs

Illustration by Michael Tsang
Asia Insight

Pope Francis' Japan visit spotlights a safe haven for Catholics

Tour brings hope to believers facing persecution in Asia and beyond

Both Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, pictured, and leader-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim have said that Malaysia cannot accept LGBT rights. 
Politics

Malaysia's LGBT community under siege as government ignores abuse

Jail terms stoke fears of rollback on human rights promises

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of Thailand's anti-military Future Forward Party, talks to pedestrians in Bangkok on Nov. 20. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
Politics

Popular Thai opposition leader loses parliamentary seat

Constitutional Court rules Thanathorn violated media shareholdings law

Pakistan's moves to free itself from the current CPEC inertia come as China has turned chilly toward the series of big infrastructure projects. (Nikkeimontage/Reuters/Getty Images)
Belt and Road

Pakistan seeks Iran, Saudi help for Belt and Road projects

Beijing-friendly minister hired as Islamabad scrambles to revive momentum

Apartment prices in Seoul accelerated more than 6% in 2018 from the previous year.
Property

South Korea scrambles to tame soaring Seoul apartment prices

Amid weak growth, real estate has become something of a national obsession

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has seen a surge in approval ahead of elections. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the President)  
Politics

Taiwan youth gravitate to Tsai as Hong Kong fears cross strait

President has 13-point lead on Kaohsiung mayor ahead of January election

Hong Kong has become a real-life laboratory experiment about the long-term public health consequences of tear gas.
Opinion

The Hong Kong government must come clean about tear gas

With most city neighborhoods exposed, officials need to clarify health risks

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, pictured at the ASEM leaders summit in Brussels in October 2018: external pressure is unlikely to transform the mindset of those in power.
Opinion

European trade threats risk pushing Cambodia closer to China

Beijing offers financial backing under framework of noninterference

Special Task Force soldiers stand guard as supporters of Sri Lankan President-elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa celebrate in Colombo on Nov. 17.
Opinion

South Asia's turn to illiberal democracy

In Sri Lanka, the Rajapaksa brothers' return confirms region's autocratic drift

Victorious pro-democracy district council candidate Kelvin Lam, right, shakes hands with Erica Yuen, who unsuccessfully sought the same seat in two previous elections.
The Nikkei View

Hong Kong elections show public thirst for political change

Government must heed message sent by opposition's landslide

An Australia-inspired offering at Bali's Sea Circus.
Life

Modern Australian cuisine makes waves in Bali

Expatriate chefs rule culinary roost on Indonesian resort island

American-born historian Thant Myint-U had front-row seats to Myanmar's opening up and uncertain transition toward democracy.  
Life

Historian gives inside view of Myanmar's bumpy journey

New book by former adviser Thant Myint-U brings difficult transition to life

Former Korean Air Lines Vice President Cho Hyun-ah, the central figure in the infamous "nut rage" incident, is transferred to a detention house, in Seoul in December 2014.
Tea Leaves

In Asia, 'sorry' can be lost in translation

Knowing when and how to apologize is tricky, especially for foreigners