Supply Chain

VinFast hopes to construct plants in India and Indonesia, each assembling 50,000 electric cars annually. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Automobiles

VinFast to invest $400m on India, Indonesia EV factories

Founder of Vietnam's Nasdaq-listed carmaker to sell 46m shares to raise cash

6 October 2023
The release of Huawei's first new 5G phone using homegrown chips has been a boon for the shares of the Chinese smartphone maker's suppliers. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by AP) 
Supply Chain

Huawei supplier shares jump amid China chip self-sufficiency push

Some stocks rise more than 400% since rollout of new 5G-capable phone

6 October 2023
Iridium is a key material in Toshiba's equipment for making greenhouse-gas-free "green" hydrogen.
Materials

Toshiba eyes iridium supply network for green-hydrogen production

Partner company Furuya has expertise in recycling the rare metal

6 October 2023
EVs at a Toyota dealership in California. The Japanese auto giant plans to increase annual global EV sales to 1.5 million in 2026, up from 24,000 in 2022. (Photo by Ryotaro Yamada)
Automobiles

Global EV shift forces Toyota to diversify battery supply chain

Auto giant's mighty keiretsu system hits turning point

5 October 2023
TSMC's Kumamoto plant is nearing completion, with the chipmaker's moves in the region spurring investments by Japanese industry players. (Photo by Toshiki Sasazu)
5 October 2023
Japan will introduce an overtime cap of 960 hours a year for truck drivers in April 2024. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Supply Chain

Japan aims to double marine, rail shipments to take load off truckers

New limits on overtime for drivers create need for alternatives

5 October 2023
TSMC's $8 billion plant in southwestern Japan is set to start production by the end of 2024. (Photo by Toshiki Sasazu) 
Semiconductors

TSMC's $8bn Japan chip project steams ahead as U.S. site hits snags

Tool installation at Kumamoto plant to start in October, production to begin in 2024

3 October 2023
A nickel refinery in Indonesia. The U.S. and China are competing to boost ties with mineral-rich developing nations.
Materials

U.S. seeks EV-battery mineral deals beyond China: diplomat

Undersecretary notes interest from Indonesia, Philippines in bilateral deals

3 October 2023
Vietnam is courting global chipmaking companies after years of stalled attempts to grow its semiconductor industry. (NIKKEI montage/Source photos by AP and Getty)
Semiconductors

South Korea's Hana Micron to invest $1bn in Vietnam chip production

Samsung supplier begins moving equipment into new plant as Hanoi courts chipmakers

2 October 2023
Warren Buffett has taken significant stakes in five of the largest sogo shosha, helping push the Nikkei 225 index back to a level unseen in decades. (Nikkei montage)
Opinion

Warren Buffett is right to be 'proud' of Japan's trading companies

'Sogo shosha' have become key players in supply chain transformation

2 October 2023
Micron Technology's semiconductor plant in Higashihiroshima City.  (Photo by Ryosuke Eguchi)
Semiconductors

Japan allocates $1.2bn subsidy for Micron's Hiroshima chip plant

Tokyo ratchets up financial support for U.S. chipmaker to bolster supply chains

29 September 2023
Chula Sukmanop, head of Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor Office, has high hopes for the special economic zone. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Kenya Akama and Takaki Kashiwabara)
Supply Chain

Thailand investment chiefs look to enter new phase under Srettha

Steering agencies aim to boost EVs, electronics supply chain

29 September 2023
Malaysia relies heavily on foreign players like Intel to sustain its chip industry. (Photo courtesy of Intel)
Business Spotlight

Malaysia aims for chip comeback as Intel, Infineon and more pile in

Country aims to regain semiconductor edge as companies seek supply chain stability

29 September 2023
A Geely plant in Chengdu, China. The Chinese group is part of a new effort to boost chip self-sufficiency in the country's auto industry.
Semiconductors

China auto industry steps up chip supply chain cooperation

GAC- and Geely-linked investment companies form alliance to lower risks

29 September 2023
Wind turbines in Calahorra, Spain: Europe's biggest challenge lies in manufacturing the super magnets essential for sophisticated systems like electric vehicles and wind turbines.
Opinion

Europe can go green and rely less on China at the same time

Bloc must 'de-risk' clean energy supply chains to reduce dependence

28 September 2023
The iPhone 15 series is displayed at an Apple store in Shanghai on Sept. 22.
Materials

iPhone 15 counts Toyota unit as key material supplier

Admatechs commands 90% share in fine silica powder for high-end semiconductors

27 September 2023
ASML's extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment and technical support are key to making cutting-edge semiconductors. (Photo courtesy of ASML)
Semiconductors

Chip tool maker ASML to open Japan support center for Rapidus plant

Overseas chipmakers, others spread their bets due to China tensions

26 September 2023
Murata Manufacturing will make its mainstay multilayer ceramic capacitors in Thailand for the first time. (Photo courtesy of Murata)
Companies

Apple supplier Murata bucks downturn with new Thailand factory

Japanese company ramps up capital spending on capacitors for phones, EVs

26 September 2023
The Bayan Obo mine in Inner Mongolia, China. The country accounted for 70% of the world's rare earth production in 2022.
Materials

China boosts rare earths production to bolster booming EV industry

Output quota of critical elements for 2023 increases 14%

26 September 2023
Huawei's autumn launch event was highly anticipated after the company quietly put its Mate 60 Pro on sale in late August. (Screenshot from video of Huawei launch event)
China tech

Huawei 'working extra hours' to meet surging smartphone demand

Chinese tech giant quiet on 5G specs but says displays, earbuds use its own chips

25 September 2023
Cotton harvesting in Egypt: Under the new disclosure guidelines, a clothing company will account for emissions related to cotton cultivation and transportation.
Opinion

Asian companies need to start counting suppliers' carbon emissions

New sustainability standards to be phased in across region

25 September 2023
Japan's supply chain for chipmaking materials is receiving an influx of fresh investment. Photo by Tomoki Mera)
Semiconductors

Mitsubishi Chemical to build new Japan plant for chip material

Latest investment in country's semiconductor supply chain follows moves by TSMC, others

24 September 2023
Construction of TSMC's Kumamoto plant in Kyushu is almost complete. Japan is considering tax breaks to promote production of important goods in the country. (Photo by Toshiki Sasazu)
Politics

Japan eyes long-term tax breaks for chips, batteries, biotech

Measures aim to spur investment at home in fields crucial to economic security

24 September 2023
Canadian ambassador to Japan Ian McKay sits for an interview Sept. 15 in Tokyo. (Photo by Anna Nishino)
Interview

Canada to support Japan's EV battery supply chain: diplomat

Ambassador McKay says government will facilitate access to critical minerals

23 September 2023
U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm is eliminating hundreds of jobs in China and Taiwan in the face of a downturn in the smartphone market and China supplying more of its own chips.
Technology

Qualcomm slashes jobs in China and Taiwan amid smartphone slump

Move follows client Huawei's release of phones powered with own chips

22 September 2023