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September 10th, 2020

SOFTBANK WANTS TO BURN MONEY

Masayoshi Son is investing millions in digital payments -- in a notoriously cash-obsessed market

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The Big Story

SoftBank wants to burn money

Masayoshi Son zeros in on Japan, where he is ready to lose billions in a battle to conquer cash

With his reputation on the line, Japan's most controversial tech investor needs a win with the PayPay app. (Illustration by Nakako Shiotsuki/Michael Tsang)
A Chinese customer uses Alipay to make a purchases at a store in Singapore. Alipay operator Ant Group has big plans for Southeast Asia.
Business Spotlight

China's Ant eyes Southeast Asia e-payment dominance with IPO

Shakeup in crowded industry expected as COVID pushes cashless demand

A casino dealer collects chips at a roulette table in Manila. Chinese account for a fifth of foreign visitors to the Philippines.
Travel & Leisure

China's foreign casino ban risks snake eyes for Vietnam and rivals

Macao stands to lure high rollers from destinations like Philippines and Singapore

A "for sale" sign outside a home in London. An average apartment in Hong Kong costs more than $1.2 million, according to a report, almost twice that of London at $650,000.
Property

Hong Kong residents seek overseas properties for exit plan

UK sees home demand surge after citizenship offer in response to security law

Major Japanese companies are contributing to the development of smart cities in Japan, like this project in the city of Susono in Shizuoka Prefecture, seen here in an artist's rendering.
Business trends

Small Japanese towns look to lead world in smart-city tech

Residents control data to allay privacy concerns troubling US and China projects

Washington and Taipei have drawn closer under presidents Donald Trump and Tsai Ing-wen, pictured. Taiwan is now bracing for the outcome of the election between Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden in November. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Getty Images)
Asia Insight

Taiwan pins hopes on US election winner staying tough on China

Trump's support welcomed as Biden fights perception Democrats are soft on Beijing

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attends a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacanang on Aug. 31. (Photo courtesy of the Presidential Communications Operations Office)
US-China tensions

Philippines pushes deals with Chinese company blacklisted by US

Manila says it is 'not a vassal state' and needs Chinese money for infrastructure

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves at the 150th-anniversary celebration of Kolkata Port Trust on Jan. 12 in Kolkata, India. 
Economy

Modi calls for 'trustworthy' supply chains, in alternative to China

Japan adds India and Bangladesh as eligible sites for relocation subsidies

Mobile data rates have become a contentious issue between the Japanese government and telecoms. (Nikkei montage)
Japan after Abe

Japan phone carriers fear rate cuts under a Prime Minister Suga

Rakuten stands to gain from 'worst-case scenario' for Docomo and others

A woman buys Red Bull energy drink cans in a supermarket in Bangkok in August. 
Turbulent Thailand

Red Bull boycott: From Thai pride to symbol of inequality

Concentration of wealth receives new scrutiny as anti-government protests rage

Electric Power Development's Nunobiki Plateau Wind Farm in Koriyama: Japan's energy mix will need to include 50% renewable power by 2030 for an orderly transition to net-zero emissions.
Opinion

Japan must not forget climate change as it plans COVID-19 recovery

Climate change seen as a core financial risk by investors, regulators and companies

Modi relies too heavily on a select group of bureaucrats to implement his vision.
Opinion

Narendra Modi has left India's economy a shattered mess

Instead of bold reforms, PM has relied on cash handouts and divisive culture wars

From left, U.S. President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi show their unity at the G-20 summit in Osaka in June 2019. Japan and the U.S. share the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. 
The Nikkei View

US alliance grew under Abe, but Asian agenda left unfulfilled

North Korean abductions remain an open issue as Japan's PM departs

Enatsu the ace takes on home run star Sadaharu Oh in April 1969.
Life

Lessons from a Japanese baseball maverick

Yutaka Enatsu would have wowed America if he had played in the MLB

A young sahib out for a ride in what today is known as Mumbai, circa 1910. To the writer Rudyard Kipling, the British living in India were simply another caste in a country where each group defined itself by its hereditary occupation.
Tea Leaves

What Kipling can still teach us

As statues topple and history is revised, is it time to reread 'Kim'?