Features

20 March 2025
Xi Jinping's inaction on personnel matters, like those involving foreign minister Wang Yi (left) and defense minister Dong Jun, reflect the defensive crouch Beijing has assumed as China's economy sputters and geopolitics grow unpredictable. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Tomoki Mera and Reuters)
A factory worker makes vanadium flow energy storage battery accessories on an energy storage battery production line in Zhangye, China, on Feb. 25.
Tech Asia

Is it too late for Australia to shake China's grip on vanadium batteries?

Li-ion alternative discovered Down Under is finally coming into its own

19 March 2025
Richard Gaboso, left, and Wilfredo Mortel with their motorized tricycles near their homes in Silang, Philippines. They say their fortunes have been transformed by being able to take out a loan to acquire the vehicles. (Photo by Kimberly dela Cruz)
ASEAN Money

Philippine-grown Japanese fintech lets drivers plot path out of poverty

Startup Global Mobility Service boosts financial inclusion with in-vehicle tracker

18 March 2025
The Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda: The bank is on a mission to transform the economy from one of low growth and low inflation to one with more dynamism. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Wataru Ito and Mizuho Miyazaki) 
Trading Asia

BOJ's tightening campaign gets help from Trump and unions

Consensus grows that policy rate could rise above 1% in current cycle

17 March 2025
The rise of middle-income consumers and the widespread use of social media platforms have driven the demand for homegrown pop music in Southeast Asia.
Datawatch

Southeast Asia's homegrown pop music surges in popularity

In Indonesia, local content outpaces U.S. artists in streaming share

16 March 2025
Everest climbers in April 2024: The mountain's high social media profile increasingly draws inexperienced foreign tourists with money to burn trying their luck at one of the world's best-known challenges. (Photo by Purnima Shrestha)
Big in Asia

Nepal seeks better grip on Mount Everest tourism

Industry waits to see impact on safety and sanitation from new rules

15 March 2025
Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a giant force in telecoms, is also one of the most politically influential people on the planet, raising questions for small island nations like Palau, seen above, as they consider using his Starlink service to improve their connectivity. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP, Getty Images and Reuters)
Policy Asia

Musk's Starlink expansion across the Pacific sparks enthusiasm -- and concern

Deals get remote islanders online, but fears linger over stranded investment, data security

14 March 2025
An electronic board from 1998 shows suspended trading for Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan. The latest decision by China, under President Xi Jinping, to inject huge sums of public money into ailing banks resembles the situation in Japan in 1990s. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Tomoki Mera and Tomohide Yamaguchi)
China up close

Analysis: Will China face same fate as post-bubble Japan?

Beijing moves to inject public funds into state-owned banks, albeit quietly

13 March 2025
NTT has a vision of an all-optic communications network and is keen to bring other companies and organizations on board. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Akira Kodaka)
Tech Asia

Turning on the light: Can Japan's NTT usher in optical telecoms?

Light-based networks could ease power shortages but practical hurdles are high

12 March 2025
Japanese investor Tsubasa Yozawa with his family in their Ritz-Carlton apartment in Bangkok. High-profile luxury brands are increasingly opening residences in Southeast Asia to tap the growing number of wealthy people in the region. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
ASEAN Money

Southeast Asia's luxury real estate market sizzles as rich move in

Thailand the epicenter as high-end brands develop residential projects

11 March 2025
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has vowed to raise the country's economic growth rate, with a new sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, investing in key industries. But some investors worry the fund will become a political tool rather than a growth engine.  (Nikkei montage/Source photo by AFP/Jiji)
Trading Asia

Investors are wary of Indonesia's new sovereign fund, hitting shares of state-owned banks

Authorities' assurances and price-boosting measures have so far failed to win over skeptics

10 March 2025
Many women in South Korea only enter the workforce after raising children, often limiting them to low-paid jobs with minimal benefits in industries like retail. From left: Jung Hong-young, Shin Gyeong-ja and Yang Eun-young pose in front of the stores where they work in Daegu, South Korea, on March 7. (Source photos by Jean Chung)
Big in Asia

South Korea's gender chasm: Women still consigned to dim job and life prospects

Old-school views keep doors closed as world marks International Women's Day

8 March 2025
Many homes in the Villa Kencana Cikarang development are vacant or deteriorating: Then-President Joko Widodo personally inaugurated the project in 2017. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
Policy Asia

Prabowo's Indonesia homebuilding drive shadowed by troubled legacy

Thousands of low-cost units built under Jokowi tainted by quality and transport concerns

7 March 2025
Chinese leader Xi Jinping appears to be prioritizing "regime security" over fixing the nation's ailing economy. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Tomoki Mera)
China up close

Analysis: Xi Jinping prioritizes 'regime security' over fighting economic turmoil

As annual session of NPC opens, leader eyes extending reign beyond 2027

6 March 2025
Beijing is keen to foster the adoption of models developed by China's AI champion DeepSeek. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters)
Tech Asia

China races to govern the country with DeepSeek -- but at what risk?

Worries over AI 'hallucinations' and data security take a back seat to FOMO

5 March 2025
After a bumpy couple of years following the COVID pandemic, Islamic finance appears to be growing robustly in many parts of Southeast Asia and experts say there is still plenty of room for expansion. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Reuters)
ASEAN Money

Islamic finance expands beyond Malaysia in Southeast Asia

Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand push to capture growing demand

4 March 2025
According to government estimates, the average real wage of salaried men in fiscal year ending March 2024 stood at 11858 rupees, about 6% lower than fiscal year ending 2018. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yuki Kohara)
Trading Asia

India's consumer loan growth slows as wage increases disappoint

Lenders' shares hit as they battle rising defaults; economy, businesses suffer

3 March 2025
Lu Wenli examines a 10-year-old boy at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital: The doctor's department treats 400 to 500 children a week for height-related issues at peak periods. (Photo by Wen Xia)
Big in Asia

Chinese kids are taller than ever but families are reaching higher

Heightened competition for spouses and jobs spurs pursuit of growth hormones

1 March 2025
In office since last October, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba saw his cabinet's approval ratings hit a low in February as poll respondents cited the rising cost of living as their most pressing concern. (Photos by Reuters and Arisa Moriyama)
Policy Asia

Japan PM Ishiba set for budget deal, but inflation clouds election hopes

LDP approval ratings down; voters fret on price hikes as summer upper house vote looms

28 February 2025
Jack Ma's appearance with Xi Jinping on Feb. 17 sparked speculation in China about whether the all-but-exiled billionaire has been "rehabilitated." (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi, Yusuke Hinata, and CCTV)
China up close

Analysis: Jack Ma appears as Xi Jinping seeks to adjust course

China's president also nods to Deng Xiaoping as he signals new economic direction

27 February 2025
China is making strides in niche substrates and less advanced chips, threatening to put pressure on global makers. 
Tech Asia

Global tech industry braces for 'China shock' in mature chips

Nation's rapid expansion in older semiconductors is driving down prices

26 February 2025
Now in its fifth season, the D.League has 14 teams competing across all musical genres and dance styles in a head-to-head, round-robin format, with the top six teams advancing to the season-ending championship round in June.  (Photo courtesy of D.League)
Big in Asia

Japan's dance league strikes ambitious pose, targeting Gen Z, women fans

D.League organizers claim world first, boast high-profile athletes, big-name backers

25 February 2025
In addition to advertising physical shops, signboards in Bangkok's Chinatown feature apps through which the public can trade gold. Increasing numbers of younger Thais are buying and selling the precious metal online. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca)
ASEAN Money

Thailand's fascination with gold soars into the cloud

New generation of investors increasingly goes online to speed up trades

25 February 2025
Investors are closely watching how China's stimulus policies will counter deflationary pressures.
Trading Asia

China penny-pinchers produce new stock market winners as deflation woes persist

Blockbuster film fuels hope in consumption stocks; shares related to luxury spending fall

24 February 2025
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, center, with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Feb. 6: Balancing relations with China and the U.S. has required some acrobatics from Paetongtarn and her cabinet.
Policy Asia

Thai government walks tightrope between China and U.S.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn seeks to balance conflicting demands over Uyghurs and arms

21 February 2025
The "Big Three" -- Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin -- signed the Yalta agreement 80 years ago. Now China's Xi Jinping endeavors to take part in a new world-shaping triumvirate. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
China up close

Analysis: Xi seeks to join Trump and Putin for Yalta 2.0

China eyes Ukraine peacekeeping role as a stepping stone toward a new world order

20 February 2025
With the company recovering from Vision Fund losses and accumulating cash, SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son is betting that it is ready to pivot heavily to AI. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
Tech Asia

SoftBank's AI strategy becomes clearer but chip ambitions remain cloudy

Son aims to secure cash-rich company's role as a key player in tech's most heated segment

19 February 2025
High-rise condominiums are a common sight on the Metro Manila skyline. But they are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the middle class due to the impact of government policies toward offshore gambling operators and Filipinos' softening purchasing power.
ASEAN Money

Manila's condo crisis turns spotlight on oversupply

Demand hit by fading purchasing power and gambling policy U-turn

18 February 2025
For Asia, U.S. policy uncertainty is challenging investors to weed out the noise in search of strategies to protect their portfolios. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Akira Kodaka and Reuters)
Trading Asia

Asia currency investors look for ways to protect assets through Trump noise

Chinese yuan, South Korean won, Thai baht expected to weaken; stock valuations look cheap

17 February 2025
The price of a Big Mac is often used as a point of cross-border price comparison. A Nikkei analysis used the data to compare workers' purchasing power.
Datawatch

Big Mac exposes Japan's weak hourly-wage purchasing power

Lower price of hamburgers does not necessarily mean inexpensive for workers

16 February 2025