May 27th, 2021

IT'S SOFTBANK'S WORLD

Masayoshi Son's tech investment strategy never came down to earth

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The Big Story

How SoftBank taught the market to love lossmaking startups

A slew of IPOs may vindicate Masayoshi Son's growth-at-all-costs view

"There were many investment failures, such as WeWork, Greensill and Katerra," Masayoshi Son told Nikkei in May. "But what I regret more is the missed opportunities to invest."

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison: If Canberra follows allies in adopting Magnitsky-style sanctions, it could create yet another flashpoint in the countries' tense ties.

Asia Insight

Australia pressed to dispense 'bitter pill' Xinjiang sanctions

Morrison faces calls to match allies' Magnitsky laws but risks China backlash

A May 18 Indonesian newspaper ad promotes the merger between Gojek and Tokopedia.

Business Spotlight

GoTo sets up three-way battle for Southeast Asian tech dominance

Listing plans by Grab and Gojek-Tokopedia put focus on profitability

While Toyota will continue to focus on hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, Honda says it will only launch EVs and fuel-cell vehicles in 2040 -- becoming the first Japanese automobile company to announce the phaseout of gasoline-powered cars. (Source photos by Konosuke Urata and Getty Images)

Automobiles

Toyota and Honda take separate paths toward carbon neutrality

Analysts split over feasibility of hybrids versus EVs amid global electric push

TSMC is ramping up production of auto-related chips amid a severe global shortage.

Semiconductors

TSMC to increase auto chip output by 60% in 2021

Taiwan chipmaker taking 'unprecedented' steps to alleviate global shortage

Big Japanese apparel and sporting goods makers will stop buying cotton from Xinjiang due to suspected human rights violations there. (Source photos by Maho Obata, Yoshiyuki Tamai and Getty Images)

Business trends

Japan's World and Mizuno to stop use of China's Xinjiang cotton

Companies face scrutiny over forced labor concerns in autonomous region

U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in participate in an expanded bilateral meeting at the White House on May 21.

International relations

Biden and Moon align on North Korea but walk fine line on China

US leader names veteran Sung Kim special envoy and aims for 'practical progress'

Students hold placards protesting the military's plan to reopen schools in June. They were part of a massive crowd in Nankham, North Shan State, on May 4 demonstrating against the coup and demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar Crisis

As Myanmar school year nears, teachers and students say no to junta

Military wields penal code against educators but fails to snuff out opposition

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks during the 26th International Conference on The Future of Asia on May 20. (Photo by Kai Fujii)

The Future of Asia 2021

Cambodia's Hun Sen: 'If I don't rely on China, who will I rely on?'

PM calls criticism of close Beijing ties 'unjust' at Nikkei forum

Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks to Nikkei Asia during an online interview on May 20.

The Future of Asia 2021

'Old' Quad strategy risks provoking China: Malaysia's Mahathir

Veteran leader also urges Beijing to tread carefully regarding Taiwan

Japanese Prime Minister Suga speaks to the media after visiting a large vaccination center in Tokyo on May 24. (Photo by Rie Ishii)

Coronavirus

Japan Self-Defense Forces start mass-vaccination mission

PM taps 'last bastion' to inoculate people 65 and older as Olympics near

Sprinters race in a test event at Japan National Stadium in Tokyo on May 9.

The Nikkei View

Authorities must quickly lay out path to safe and secure Olympics

Detailed measures to mitigate infection risk are still lacking

It is not the case that everything involves Beijing's baselines.

Opinion

China and the West see each very differently and that is the problem

Bellicose rhetoric on both sides is drowning out moderate voices

Vaccine passports may be the next method for governments to marginalize migrants.

Opinion

Vaccine passports are catnip for Big Tech

Digital certificates must be carefully scrutinized to avoid mission creep

Minoru Onoda, "Work 61-14," 1961, oil and glue on plywood, 91.8 x 133 cm. (Courtesy of the Estate of Minoru Onoda and Himeji City Museum of Art)

Arts

Japanese artist's work highlights legacy of Gutai avant-garde

Onoda retrospective celebrates 'negation and rebellion' through ever-propagating circles

A migrant worker from Myanmar is seen at a construction site in Bangkok after the Thai government eased some protective measures following a COVID-19 outbreak in June 2020.

Tea Leaves

A wake-up call to Asia, tackle your own 'Asian hate'

Bangkok cab ride shows that COVID-19 tensions are bringing discrimination into the open