alt

February 9th, 2023

Eyes on the skies

How Japan is tackling the looming threat of space debris

View all editions

The Big Story

Japan's war on space junk

Record numbers of satellite launches by China, Russia and U.S. are crowding Earth's orbit

Japan's war on space junk
Visitors examine a Wuling Air electric vehicle, right, at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in Tangerang, Indonesia, on Aug. 18, 2022. 
Business Spotlight

Indonesia's nickel riches spur local company EV, battery ambition

Old economy conglomerates, businesses pounce as government pushes industry takeoff

Singapore-based Coda Payments was among the handful of new Southeast Asian unicorns last year, and Lazada ranked first in the region in overall deal value. (Source photos by screenshot from Coda Payments' website and Reuters) 
Startups

ASEAN startup fundraising slumped in 2022 but still up from 2019

Investors turn to early-stage deals amid dimmer IPO prospects for tech ventures

India is important to Apple not only as a sizable market but also as a growing manufacturing hub. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Kosaku Mimura)
Technology

Apple 'bullish' on India amid China production chaos, sales drop

South Asian country saw double-digit revenue growth against overall decline

The Erawan Shrine in Bangkok is on the itineraries of many Chinese visitors to Thailand. (Photo by Yohei Muramatsu)
Travel & Leisure

Thailand, Indonesia battle for Chinese group tours post-COVID

Southeast Asia airlines, hotels have edge on Japan, U.S. as travel resumes

Yoo Choe-an crams himself into a steel cage in an attempt to win a pay raise from a South Korean shipyard in June 2022. The sign reads: "We can't live like this." (Photo by Byeon Baek-seon, Korean Metal Workers Union)
Asia Insight

South Korea cage match: President Yoon vs. the unions

Nation's leader pushes for drastic shake-up of the nation's labor system

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 16, 2022. Modi is managing "to amplify the voice" of India.
Comment

Why India as new superpower could spell trouble for the West

World's largest democracy drifts away from ideal as its power grows

Gautam Adani's personal wealth has been hit hard in the fallout from a blistering report by a U.S. short-seller. (Nikkei montage/AFP/Jiji/AP/Reuters)
Adani Group

Gautam Adani's empire in crisis: 5 things to know

Indian billionaire and his conglomerate are reeling from short-seller attack

Pedestrians in Bangkok, Thailand, which is considered a middle-power country, according to the Lowy Institute's Asia Power Index 2023. Southeast Asia has become "more diplomatically dynamic than ever," the institute says. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Indo-Pacific

ASEAN grows dynamic while China, Japan wane: Asia Power Index

China's COVID isolation exacted 'heavy toll' on regional standing, Lowy says

Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae with scientists, engineers and military officials involved in the test-firing of the Hwasong-17 missile: The North Korean leader may have a reason to reveal a possible successor early.
Opinion

Kim Jong Un has started his succession planning

North Korean leader seeks to make sure heir's authority will be accepted

Jacinda Ardern is embraced as she arrives at the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch in 2020 to unveil a memorial plaque in memory of the victims of a 2019 terror attack: She demonstrated how a woman leader can be both firm and empathetic.
Opinion

Jacinda Ardern did 'have it all' as New Zealand's prime minister

Despite sexist attacks, pioneer leaves with track record of policy successes

A leather upper fitted to a wooden shoe last: "Japanese shoemakers have a strong sense of curiosity, taking much time and effort to find prewar materials about shoemaking," a magazine editor says. (Photo taken at Orma, in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture)
Arts

Passion and precision: Japanese artisans conquer the shoe world

How law and architecture students plus consumers reshaped a hot fashion trend

The 1968 yakuza movie "Big Time Gambling Boss" was recently rereleased on Blu-ray Disc by U.K. company Radiance Films in a limited edition of 2,000 copies. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Radiance Films)
Tea Leaves

A yakuza movie makes the case for videodiscs

How a fading medium can revitalize a message