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July 14th, 2022

Japan after Abe

An uncertain political future

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The Big Story

Japan after Abe: Political stability under threat?

Leaderless conservatives, economic challenges and uncertain future for Kishida all loom

Shinzo Abe, photographed here for an exclusive interview with Nikkei in 2018, was Japan's longest-serving prime minister. His assassination shocked the nation and leaves the future of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party uncertain. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Quick commerce startups such as Swiggy, Blinkit, Dunzo and Zepto promise rapid deliveries of everything from chocolate to diapers. (Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters)
Business Spotlight

India's ultrafast delivery apps race to grab market share

Promise of 'instant gratification' shakes up the retail landscape

The university is located in Icheon, a city 60 kilometers from the central section of Seoul, and has a cooking room on the first floor of its new annex, which looks like a large homemaking education room. (Photo by Kotaro Hosokawa)
Food & Beverage

South Korea's Genesis BBQ sends its global ambitions to Chicken University

COVID delays fried chicken chain's determination to overtake McDonald's

Fintech startup MarCoPay operates a platform that provides a range of financial services for Philippine sailors through a smartphone app. (Screenshot from NYK group Youtube site)
Startups

Philippines startup MarCoPay gives sailors financial freedom at sea

App has grown from wage payment into wider financial services including lending

VAT refunds are heaping pressure on local governments already forced to take on a bigger share of China's overall tax bill -- just as revenue from land-use rights is drying up.
Asia Insight

China's hefty tax rebates batter COVID-hit local governments

Property crunch and virus policy heap pressure amid severe structural imbalance

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited Kyiv and Moscow amid pressure from the public for relief from inflation and farmers for access to Russian fertilizer, as well as the threat of a boycott of the G-20 summit in November. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Getty Images) 
Ukraine war

Indomie diplomacy: How inflation drove Jokowi to Kyiv and Moscow

From noodles to palm oil, high prices raise stakes of diplomacy for G-20 chair

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with business leaders to discuss legislation about manufacturing more semiconductor chips in America in Washington D.C. on March 9.
Semiconductors

Chip giants threaten to scale back U.S. expansion without subsidies

Intel, TSMC and others issue warnings as CHIPS Act stalls in Congress

In Thailand, issuances from companies such as food producer Thai Union and Skytrain operator BTS have surged from 2018 to 2021.
Bonds

ASEAN governments rush to issue green bonds

From Thailand to Singapore, sustainable financing up in the face of climate change

Xiaomi and other Chinese smartphone makers face increasing scrutiny in India, where they have been gobbling up market share.
International relations

Indian raids on Chinese phone makers: 5 things to know

Experts say clampdown marks latest fallout from geopolitical tensions

Yoon Suk-yeol, center, talks with South Korean and U.S. military officials at Camp Humphreys on April 7: More conservative Yoon administration has indicated it will move to increase its defense spending. (Handout photo from U.S. Forces Korea)
Opinion

Add South Korea to the Quad to ease Seoul-Tokyo tensions

Yoon Suk-yeol seems interested in a higher level of cooperation with Japan

The Loire River near the Anjou-Bretagne bridge in Ancenis-Saint-Gereon, France, was no more than a dry riverbed on June 13: No one is immune.
Opinion

U.N. Secretary-General: We need a renewables revolution

Rescuing our burning planet depends on accelerating our transition

Simone Mantellini, from the University of Bologna, directs the Uzbek-Italian mission at Kafir Kala, an ancient fortress on the outskirts of Samarkand. Excavations began in the early 2000s. (All photos by Sara Perria)
Life

Uzbekistan races to save Silk Road legacy

In Samarkand, ancient sites have been lost to arable farming

Yayoi Kusama's polka-dotted pumpkin on Naoshima. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Laugh, marvel and live: a philistine visits Japan's art island

Brief but concentrated exposure to Naoshima makes a contemporary art cynic think again