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May 14th, 2020

ON THE SIDELINES

Is Japan withdrawing from the humanitarian system?

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The Big Story

Japan's refugee conundrum: open wallet, closed borders

Tokyo's humanitarian pullback reveals waning global ambition

Japan's generous donor status gave it international influence. But at home, one policy has long been out of step. (Illustration by Eric Chow)
Li & Fung thrived as a sourcing agent for western retailers but now faces headwinds. To revive its fortunes Chairman William Fung, left, and CEO Spencer Fung plan to take the company private. (Nikkei Montage/Source photo by Getty Images)
Business Spotlight

Hong Kong's Li & Fung plots future as global supply chain frays

Century-old business icon pounded by e-commerce, coronavirus and protectionism

Workers fill orders for prescriptions at a traditional Chinese medicine clinic in Beijing. 
Pharmaceuticals

Traditional Chinese cures battle for acceptance in COVID-19 fight

Herbal medicines being used on the coronavirus frontline, but mainly in China

Shanghai Disneyland reopened on May 11 by limiting customers to 20% of the venue's capacity as a precaution against the virus.
Travel & Leisure

Shanghai Disneyland reopens, but without the magic and parades

Tickets sold out, while capacity is capped at 20% of usual

Japanese banks are expected to acquiesce to Mazda's request for financing.
Automobiles

Mazda seeks $2.8bn from Japanese banks

Coronavirus further weakens automaker's sales as cash flow turns negative

A pop-up shop operated by Itoham Foods group sells lunchboxes in Tokyo featuring plant-based meat. (Photo by Ken Furusawa)
Business trends

Japan's plant-based meat industry beefs up its menu

Nippon Ham and Itoham Foods see growth in synthetics as consumers focus on health

Despite stellar economic growth over the past decade, many Bangladeshis have no safety nets and economic survival outweighs COVID-19 concerns. 
Asia Insight

Coronavirus risks pushing millions of Bangladeshis back into poverty

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's leadership severely tested by food and income setbacks

A woman with her baby at a hospital in Jakarta. Health care facilities in Indonesia are being forced to juggle a rise in dengue cases with the coronavirus outbreak. 
Coronavirus

Indonesia deals with dueling outbreaks as dengue cases spike

Rise in 'breakbone fever' adds stress to shaky infrastructure battling COVID-19

The number of foreign students in Japan has increased to 310,000 in 2019, from 164,000 in 2011. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Education

Japan's foreign students struggle to stay and study amid pandemic

Vanishing part-time jobs upends government strategy to recruit young talent

A Chinese worker talks to his colleague at an oil production facility in Sudan in December 2010: China's foray into Africa coincided with the peak of the commodity supercycle.
Opinion

China's expensive bet on Africa has failed

Coronavirus crash in commodity prices has wasted $200 billion in investment and loans

The launch ceremony of Shanghai crude oil futures at INE on March 26, 2018: when opportunity knocked, China was not ready.
Opinion

China missed its moment to shine in oil trading

When Texas crude prices went negative, Shanghai's risk-bound market froze

Cho Hee-sook in her Michelin-starred restaurant, Hansikgonggan, in Seoul. (Courtesy of Hansikgonggan)
Life

Meet Cho Hee-sook, the godmother of Korean cuisine

Michelin-starred chef started as home economics teacher before winning renown

In Tokyo, mask-wearing is part of daily life.
Tea Leaves

Empire of the masks

The world follows Japan’s lead on face coverings