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May 26th, 2022

Getting Real

Kishida's move beyond pacifism marks a 'new era' for Asian diplomacy

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The Big Story

Getting real: Kishida marks 'new era' in diplomacy as Japan looks beyond pacifism

PM looks to 'radically' strengthen country's defenses in age of Ukraine war

Just eight months after taking office, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is faced with a new global order following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He spoke to Nikkei about his new, 'realist' approach to diplomacy. (Photo by Hirofumi Yamamoto)
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaks with Nikkei in an exclusive interview on May 20. (Photo by Takashi Nakano)
Interview

Singapore to join Biden Indo-Pacific pact, back China's CPTPP entry: Lee

Prime minister stresses need to 'maintain a balance' in exclusive interview

Like the Trump administration before it, the Biden administration takes the position that unfettered trade liberalization hurts American workers. (Source photo by Reuters) 
Biden's Asia policy

Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is not an FTA: 5 things to know

Tailored pact seeks to counter China's clout while protecting U.S. workers

Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder of the software group Atlassian, has committed 1.5 billion Australian dollars ($1.05 billion) to climate projects. (Source photos by Getty Images)
Business Spotlight

Software billionaire takes on Australia's biggest carbon emitter

Mike Cannon-Brookes uses election-style tactics in bid to halt AGL's coal power demerger

The Ukraine war, inflation and lockdowns in China are the top factors affecting the smartphone industry this year, said an executive at a supplier to Samsung, Xiaomi and Honor. (Source photos by AP and Getty Images)
Supply Chain

China's Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo trim smartphone orders by 20%

Trio hit by lockdowns and inflation woes while Samsung and Google less impacted

Indian startups such as Swiggy, Zomato and Zept are making aggressive moves to deliver groceries in less than 20 minutes. (Source photos by Reuters, Getty Images and Zept webpage)
Startups

India's 'quick commerce' delivery expands beyond groceries

Emerging sector attracts startups looking to challenge Walmart and Tata

A damaged bust of D.A. Rajapaksa, father of both the president and the former prime minister, lies amid wreckage at a museum in the family stronghold of Hambantota on May 11.
Asia Insight

Flight of the Rajapaksas: Sri Lankan dynasty faces reckoning

Accused of mismanagement and corruption, the nation's top clan is down but not out

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a pharmacy in Pyongyang on Sunday.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea turns to China for help as COVID cases explode

Pyongyang likely to think hard before accepting vaccines from abroad

A farmer harvests rice in Thailand. The country plans to produce more electricity by burning chaff, the residue generated during the grain harvesting process.
Environment

Thailand taps rice, sugar biomass to wean itself from fossil fuels

Nation shifts to renewables with private sector leading the charge

An East Timor flag is displayed on independence day.
International relations

China looms large in East Timor 20 years after independence

By strengthening commercial ties, Beijing raises presence in western Pacific

The G-20 must not allow its members to break up.
Opinion

G-20 must stick together to save the global economy

Cooperation requires mutual trust and respect

Narendra Modi, right, and Vladimir Putin greet each other in New Delhi in December 2021: India cannot antagonize Russia in light of continuous Chinese expansion across the Himalayan border.
Opinion

India wants strategic partnerships, not friends with common values

Understanding New Delhi's response to the war in Ukraine

In Southeast Asia, home to some of the world's most authoritarian and straight-laced societies, heavy metal, punk and hip-hop music still functions as a loudspeaker for protest. (Nikkei montage/Source photos from Defying Decay, Terror, YouTube)
Arts

Rebel music is alive and kicking in Southeast Asia

Musicians are still making risky protests against repressive governments

Lanterns diffuse the light in the Omoide Yokocho alleyway near Tokyo's Shinjuku Station. (Photo by Stephen Mansfield)
Tea Leaves

Japan sheds light on shadows of the past

How the country's 'dark valley' of 1930s paved the way for a brilliant future