The Big Story

President Joko Widodo with supporters at a rally outside Jakarta on April 7: In the final weeks of campaigning ahead of the April 17 election, he and challenger Prabowo Subianto are facing shifts in the all-important youth vote. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
10 April 2019
Commuters ride the newly opened Jakarta MRT, the city's first subway network. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
The Big Story

Widodo's infrastructure push -- election advantage or drag?

New metro line is a win for president, but debt concerns linger

10 April 2019
International activist funds have stepped up the pace in Asia, with a new set of homegrown players close behind. From left: Elliott Management's Paul Singer, Oasis Management's Seth Fischer and ValueAct Capital's Jeffrey Ubben (Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
The Big Story

Activist funds take aim at Asia Inc's complacent boardrooms

Rising number of Asian companies under pressure over governance

3 April 2019
People walk through the Shanghai Stock Exchange. "At the end of the day, we follow the arrangements of the big shareholder," said newly appointed China Mobile Chairman Yang Jie.
The Big Story

Activist investors meet their match in China

Open attacks on Chinese corporate governance are rare from typically outspoken investors

3 April 2019
In under three years, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio Infocomm has built a significant subscriber base of around 280 million users, targeting cheap data and smartphones to the masses. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
The Big Story

India Tech: How Reliance's low-cost mobile service is transforming society

Jio's cheap smartphones and data hurt rivals, but are a boon to startups

27 March 2019
The spectacular wedding of Isha Ambani, daughter of Mukesh, drew international attention in December 2018, as did that of her brother Akash in March this year.
The Big Story

An Ambani wedding puts the Indian Dream on display

Lavish spectacle held in the shadow of slums sparks joy, not rancor

27 March 2019
Emperor Akihito greets crowds at his last New Year's public appearance on Jan. 2. When succeeded by his son, Naruhito, on May 1, it will mark the beginning of a new imperial era for Japan.
The Big Story

A new emperor, a new era. A new Japan?

After an Imperial age marked by stagnation, nation hopes for a "reset"

20 March 2019
Crown Prince Naruhito, left, and Crown Princess Masako, right, pictured in full imperial dress ahead of their wedding in 1993. (Courtesy of Imperial Household Agency)
The Big Story

Oxford-educated prince to take baton from popular emperor

Year of gilded ceremonies rings in Japan's next age

20 March 2019
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20 March 2019
Asian technology companies are beginning to see earnings pain from global stagnation in smartphone sales. (Illustrations by Eric Chow)
The Big Story

Asian tech companies struggle to adjust to iPhone slowdown

Chip, display companies tighten belts as profit forecasts shrink

13 March 2019
Thai Airways is among the Asian airlines worst-hit by rising oil prices. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
The Big Story

2018's resurgent oil price: Asia's winners and losers

Commodity's comeback lifted Singapore banks, but hit Asian airlines

13 March 2019
Duterte's administration faces midterm elections on May 13, where support for divisive policies -- such as his long-waged anti-drug war -- will be put to the test.
The Big Story

A verdict on Duterte: looming midterms are a referendum on president

Some Senate hopefuls attack popular leader's deadly drug war

27 February 2019
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, a prominent critic of the drug war, has opened 14 Catholic missions in the Manila slums where the anti-drug campaign has largely been waged. (Photo by Vincent Go)
The Big Story

The risky business of corpses and souls in Duterte's drug war

In Manila, funeral homes and Catholic clergy count human cost of the three-year crackdown

27 February 2019
Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd at a campaign-related event in the state of Haryana, on Feb. 12, 2019. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
The Big Story

Has Narendra Modi been good for business?

Tough reforms have recharged confidence, but protectionism and demonetization stain his record

20 February 2019
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The Big Story

Modi's business reforms: Nikkei Asian Review's report card

The prime minister's ambitious agenda receives mixed marks

20 February 2019
Residential buildings under construction in Qingdao, Shandong Province, in 2018.
The Big Story

China's housing glut casts pall over the economy

A building binge leaves cities with 65 million empty apartments

13 February 2019
A near-empty mall in Beijing, prior to Lunar New Year 2019. In sectors from retail to automobiles, spending growth is beginning to flag.
The Big Story

Shop till you stop: Chinese consumers spend less as debt piles up

Tougher times seen for car, construction and some retail companies

13 February 2019
Former Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak faces the first of several 1MDB-related court trials on Feb. 12, widely seen as a test of the Mahathir's government's ability to face pervasive corruption in the country.
The Big Story

Malaysians gripped as Najib’s 1MDB hearing looms

Trial a litmus test for Mahathir’s war on corruption

6 February 2019
Facing some 20 charges related to misconduct in Malaysia's 1MDB state fund, former first lady Rosmah Mansor's private hoard of luxury goods took 150 officials nearly one month to catalog.
The Big Story

Hardly 'shabby' chic: Rosmah Mansor's trial looms

Taste for Hermes and diamonds highlighted in 1MDB case

6 February 2019
Battling criticism and political pressure in the U.S. and EU, Facebook is in advance damage-control mode ahead of major elections -- including Asian polls in Thailand, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. (Source image by Reuters)
The Big Story

Bots and the ballot box: Is Facebook prepared for Asia's elections?

Doubts remain over tech giant's fight against fake election news

30 January 2019
WhatsApp, a favored platform for news-sharing in Southeast Asia, is stepping up measures to curb the spread of misinformation. Above, a Malaysian government "anti-fake news" campaign from April 2018, criticized as a way to crack down on dissent.
The Big Story

WhatsApp grapples with outsized influence ahead of Asia polls

Chat service's strong security makes it easy to trust, hard to monitor

30 January 2019
Karachi, a city of up to 25 million people and Pakistan's economic center, is working to contain the violence that has driven away business from the country.
The Big Story

Can a revival in Karachi spark change in Pakistan?

Violence is declining sharply, but poor basic services plague businesses

23 January 2019
Police disperse a rally in downtown Karachi. The city has been plagued by violence and corruption, setting the scene for superintendent Omar Shahid Hamid's widely read crime novels.
The Big Story

Novelist's hard-boiled fiction reflects his life as a top Karachi cop

Omar Shahid Hamid has survived gunshots and life on a hit list

23 January 2019
Women in the village of Gadoj, whose lives have improved with the recent arrival of indoor toilets under Modi's $14 billion campaign. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
The Big Story

World's biggest toilet-building project empowers India's women

Modi's plan to build 100 million toilets is lauded, but critics question data

16 January 2019
The holy, yet highly polluted Ganges river in Varanasi, India, which Modi has promised to clean up by October next year. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
The Big Story

Is Modi's plan to clean 'Mother Ganges' working?

Environmentalists say project is underfunded as pollution rises

16 January 2019