The Big Story

The Taiwanese island chain of Matsu is closer to the Chinese mainland than to Taipei. Now, some say they are on the frontlines of China's newest tactic: "gray zone" or hybrid warfare, aimed at wearing down or provoking the enemy without firing a single shot.
The Big Story

Line in the sand: Chinese dredgers are stealing Taiwan, bit by bit

Officials split on whether 'gray zone' intimidation or rogue vessels

16 June 2021
Tech underclass: Rapid technological development, paired with poor labor regulations, has created a potential for labor abuse.
The Big Story

China's tech workers pushed to limits by surveillance software

A vicious cycle of monitoring and overwork is fueling productivity -- and backlash

9 June 2021
At home, South Korea's pop industry has followed a strict formula for success. Hybe, the management for idol group BTS, may have worked out how to bring it overseas.
The Big Story

Business of K-pop: Inside the pandemic-proof empire of BTS

How South Korean pop went from niche to global phenomenon

2 June 2021
"There were many investment failures, such as WeWork, Greensill and Katerra," Masayoshi Son told Nikkei in May. "But what I regret more is the missed opportunities to invest."
The Big Story

How SoftBank taught the market to love lossmaking startups

A slew of IPOs may vindicate Masayoshi Son's growth-at-all-costs view

26 May 2021
One and a half million seafarers, enough to populate a city, are keeping the global economy afloat -- but at a huge cost to themselves.
The Big Story

Port in a storm: No end in sight to global shipping chaos

Behind the relentless online boom, stranded seafarers and soaring rates

19 May 2021
From Australia to ZTE, the Asia-Pacific is a puzzle with few right answers and lots of wrong ones.
The Big Story

Biden's big Asia challenge: An A to Z survival guide

US has its work cut out in the world's biggest continent

12 May 2021
Despite previous plans to wean itself off foreign chips, China is still largely dependent on imports. Now U.S. sanctions are a wake-up call for a nascent Chinese semiconductor industry. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Getty Images)
Most read in 2021

US-China tech war: Beijing's secret chipmaking champions

How Washington's sanctions boosted China's semiconductor sector

5 May 2021
A recent ruling by a district court in Sapporo, in Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido, has emboldened supporters of gay marriage and set a landmark precedent. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
The Big Story

Marriage equality in Japan: finally within reach?

In the only G-7 nation to prohibit same-sex unions, the mood is changing

28 April 2021
A bad air day in New Delhi, pictured in January this year: Less than 8% of the world has safe air as defined by the World Health Organization's standards. (AFP/Jiji)
The Big Story

Air pollution: Asia's deadliest public health crisis isn't COVID

As governments fail to curb the world's worst air, millions are dying avoidable deaths

21 April 2021
By one count, over 700 citizens have been killed in Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup. But the international community remains paralyzed, even as the cycle of protests and bloody crackdowns continues.
The Big Story

Failed state: Myanmar collapses into chaos

A divided international response, a fractured country and a murderous regime

14 April 2021
As economies gradually emerge from pandemic restrictions, the companies that managed to weather 2020 will be able to resume business, having passed the ultimate test of their viability.
The Big Story

Asia's hidden high-growth companies reach for the sky

Nikkei-FT-Statista survey shows standout performers in Singapore, Japan, India and more

5 April 2021
Carro founder Aaron Tan: The Singapore-based online used car sales platform heads the Nikkei-FT-Statista High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2021 ranking. (Photo by Dylan Loh)
5 April 2021
A flurry of new health certificates may help restart airlines and tourism. But they risk dividing the world into vaccine "haves" and "have-nots."
The Big Story

Vaccine passports: Can they save travel? Should they?

Fairness vies with economics as governments weigh the risks of opening

24 March 2021
Investors seem to believe that Sea can be all-conquering: The surge in its share price last year seems to price in the likelihood that, one day, it will own the entire region's market.
The Big Story

Cash splash: How Sea became Southeast Asia's biggest public company

E-commerce powered one of the pandemic's biggest winners

17 March 2021
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 1. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)
The Big Story

Fukushima 10 years on: toxic problem, few solutions

Why Japan's nuclear power dilemma has only worsened with time

10 March 2021
In Asia, the pandemic has thrown some of the best-laid plans for gender parity off course. In other ways, it provided an unexpected chance for women to perform under pressure.
The Big Story

Success and suffering: The pandemic's burden on working women

In Japan, Philippines and more, some flourish while others fall further behind

3 March 2021
Could this be the future of driving? In a rare world first for Japan and its car industry, the country is setting the pace for self-driving technology.
The Big Story

Back-seat driver: How Honda stole the lead in autonomous cars

A legal revolution paved the way for an AI breakthrough, but rules are still vague

24 February 2021
In Asia, both rich and poor countries are lagging in the effort to vaccinate.
The Big Story

Vaccines versus the variants: Asia's race against time

For Japan, Philippines and more, a scientific miracle meets a political mess

17 February 2021
Stacked odds: A decoupling world should be pulling apart Asia's two biggest economies. Instead, Japan is leaning even more heavily into China.
The Big Story

Decoupling denied: Japan Inc. lays its bets on China

US-China trade rift creates havoc and opportunity for Asia's economic giants

10 February 2021
After days of stop-start threats by the military, on Feb. 1 the government of Myanmar silently and seamlessly changed hands, without a shot. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
The Big Story

Myanmar: Inside the coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's government

Ending civilian rule is a test for Washington -- and a chance for Beijing

3 February 2021
 2020 was the year that online retailers truly came into their own. Less so, however, for the foot-soldiers of the pandemic: the couriers and other employees crucial to their success. (Photo by Jun Michael Park)
The Big Story

Tech underclass: the harsh reality of Asia's digital commerce boom

How the pandemic economy relies on overburdened and underpaid couriers

27 January 2021
A Grab driver delivers food in Jakarta. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
The Big Story

Unicorns return as pandemic pushes Indonesia online

E-commerce industry gains don't trickle down to its vulnerable employees

27 January 2021
A courier working for food delivery giant Meituan cruises the streets of Shanghai in January.
27 January 2021
A mostly maskless crowd celebrates the new year countdown in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam. 
The Big Story

Asia's COVID recovery: Vietnam's breakout moment

A once-in-a-generation opportunity for the country that got it right

20 January 2021
Four years ago, the Trump administration vowed to bring back industrial jobs from Asia and revitalize American manufacturing. But things haven't worked out as planned. (Nikkei photo illustration)
The Big Story

The next wave of globalization: Asia in the cockpit

Don't worry about the future of globalization. Make sure you have a place in it

13 January 2021