alt

February 15th, 2024

Staking on space

Japan's manufacturing prestige hangs on upcoming rocket relaunch

View all editions

The Big Story

Japan stakes manufacturing reputation on H3 space rocket launch

Industrial heartland, long geared toward automakers, finds a second life in aerospace

Japan's latest foray into space exploration, the H3 rocket, is expected to be relaunched this month from Tanegashima island, following a failed launch attempt in March 2023. 
The world is bracing for a surge in exports of cheap building materials from China as the country continues to face a housing glut, which reached an equivalent of 50 million homes at the end of 2023.
Datawatch

Housing glut leaves China with excess homes for 150m people

Market hit by a double whammy of weak sales and population drop

Elon Musk gets in a Tesla in Beijing in May 2023: Musk seems to be admitting that the company could lose its edge to Chinese carmakers as the EV industry matures.
Opinion

Elon Musk gave a lot away with his call for new China tariffs

If innovation was still Tesla's strength, it wouldn't be seeking corporate welfare

Comparing the iPhone 15 Pro and the Huawei Mate 60 Pro in Shanghai: Huawei's HarmonyOS could displace Apple's iOS as China's second-most used operating system this year.
Opinion

U.S. should learn from its failure to take down Huawei

Chinese tech company's rebound shows limitations of sanctions strategy

A Ukrainian soldier prepares to launch rockets toward Russian troops near the front line in Ukraine's Donetsk region on Feb. 4.
The Nikkei View

Financial aid to Ukraine should not be stalled

Delays in U.S. and EU action only benefit Russia

DMAT medical assistance staff set up Starlink equipment at a shelter in Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, following a major earthquake on Jan. 1. (Photo courtesy of KDDI)  
Business Spotlight

Elon Musk's Starlink aids Japan quake relief, but X is a mixed bag

Reliance on private companies to provide disaster services raises concerns

Chairman Ho Kwon Ping says a corporate reshuffle is necessary to unlock the Banyan Group's value. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Property

Singapore's Banyan eager to split hotel, property units, chairman says

Hospitality group puts 'high priority' on restructuring as shares underperform

Luang Prabang, the historic royal capital and spiritual heartland of Laos, is a prime tourist destination in the Southeast Asian nation. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Travel & Leisure

New railway from China boosts tourism in Laos' ancient capital

Sector is on the rise, but high inflation is threatening economic recovery

 South Korean marines lock the entrance to a beach on Yeonpyeong island, near the 'northern limit line' sea boundary with North Korea on Jan. 8, 2024. 
Asia Insight

South Korean flashpoint island frets as war whispers grow louder

Kim Jong Un's weapons development sprint creates new level of threat, locals say

A garment factory in Gazipur, Bangladesh. The country has sustained companies with cash incentives on their exports, but it is dialing them back.
Economy

Bangladesh weans garment industry off subsidies for new-look economy

Dhaka faces outcry over early transition from a 'least developed country'

This undated, file photo shows Yang Hengjun and his wife Yuan Xiaoliang.
International relations

Yang Hengjun's death sentence shows power of China's secret service

Ministry of State Security sends message to would-be pro-democracy activists

The Vietnamese Community of Independent Learners hosts "eco-travel schools" taking tourists to places like Ulsan, South Korea, to promote volunteering and quality of life without excessive consumerism. (Photo by VCIL)
Economy

Asia develops an appetite for degrowth 'doughnut economics'

Movement pushes measures of education, health and the environment over GDP

Sustainability, local sourcing and plant-based foods are themes that are increasingly informing Japan's restaurant culture. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Virtu, Maz Tokyo and Florilege)
Life

What's cooking in Japan's food scene

Trends to watch, from female sushi chefs to 'destination restaurants'

A waxwork-like effigy of the late heroin warlord Khun Sa in his parlor -- now part of a museum in his honor -- in the Thai town of Thoed Thai, near the border with Myanmar. (Photo by William Mellor)