Features

With rents up nearly 40% in the last five years and vacancies at under 2%, Australia residents are finding it increasingly hard to secure housing. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Getty Images) 
University students today prefer to buy experiences such as concerts over tangible goods like cars and brand-name goods.
Datawatch

Japan university student spending nears bubble-era peak

Higher part-time job wages spur buying of experiences rather than goods

24 August 2024
Indian billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, left, is battling rival Gautam Adani for control of India's cement sector, the world's second-biggest. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Business Spotlight

Indian billionaires Adani and Birla wage 'cement war'

Expansion by rivals could spur price cuts in world's second-biggest market

23 August 2024
Xi Jinping is determined not to be caught off guard by the policies of whoever wins the U.S. presidential election in November, Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yusuke Hinata and Getty Images)
China up close

Analysis: U.S. election could dictate Xi Jinping's political schedule

Bitter lesson from 2016 Clinton-Trump race reverberates through Beijing

22 August 2024
A Batik Air Airbus A320 prepares for takeoff from Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport: The Lion Air Group unit is seeking to position its flights from the airfield as a premium service. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
The Big Story

Southeast Asia's old air hubs are revving back to life

Region's airlines seek business travelers willing to pay more for convenience

21 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra has risen to Thailand's prime ministerial post on the strength of her father Thaksin's influence, but with that influence weakening, tough challenges lie in store for the 37-year-old as she takes up her first role in government. (Photo by Shinya Sawai) 
Asia Insight

Thailand's latest Shinawatra PM walks the same economic, political tightrope

Paetongtarn takes office with growth the key issue as father Thaksin calls party shots

20 August 2024
Coffee prices have been soaring in recent months, with London futures for robusta coffee beans reaching a historic high in July. (Source photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Market Spotlight

Coffee prices volatile on climate, shipping crunch, forest regulation

Unpredictable weather will increase cost of production in the long run

19 August 2024
Many startups in Japan struggle with growth after going public, possibly starved of funding as mature firms refrain from reallocating surplus back to investors.
Datawatch

Japan's startups struggle to grow past '2nd death valley'

Flow of funds from mature firms back to investors seen as key to more dynamism

17 August 2024
Nvidia dominates the AI chip market but newcomers are looking to make their mark. (Nikkei montage/Photo by Yoshiyuki Tamai, AP and Edgecortex website)
Business Spotlight

Nvidia vs. the startups: AI chip challengers chase efficiency

Asia seen as strategic location for applications run by PCs, industrial devices

16 August 2024
Amid surging labor demand in an AI boom, Vietnam aims to train at least 50,000 chip engineers and designers by 2030 as industry giants look to offset severe staff shortages in their home markets. (Illustration by Yoshiko Kawano)
The Big Story

Vietnam turns chip sector magnet with affordable, quality talent pool

US, Taiwan, South Korean players beat path to Vietnam though boom strains resources

14 August 2024
Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin, center, swears in Muhammad Yunus, right, in Dhaka on Aug. 8: The interim government is a diverse, nonpartisan team of activists, academics and retired officials. 
Asia Insight

Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus carries hopes of economic change

Optimists look toward post-protest recovery from trade and business disruptions

13 August 2024
The market fluctuation comes as the government is encouraging more households to direct their cash and savings worth 1,050 trillion yen ($7.1 trillion) into stocks and mutual funds. (Source photos by Yo Inoue and Toshiki Sasazu)
Market Spotlight

Japan retail investors keep the faith in stocks despite historic volatility

Mom-and-pop investors are seen 'buying the dip' in domestic and global stocks

12 August 2024
Australia is putting its mining expertise to work on the moon and beyond. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and AP)
Business Spotlight

Rockets and rocks: Australia's mining tech finds its way to space

Experts see potential for innovations to fight climate change, boost productivity

9 August 2024
With recently announced draft regulations calling for national internet IDs, Xi Jinping is seen maneuvering to further control online speech. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Kyodo, Reuters, and Yusuke Hinata)
China up close

Analysis: Xi Jinping's draft internet ID law sparks '1984' fears

Online criticism goes viral, then disappears on eve of Beidaihe meeting

8 August 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris' jump to the top of the Democratic Party's 2024 presidential election ticket caught many Washington diplomats off guard. While they weigh whether she will extend President Joe Biden's current Asia policies, they must also prepare for the prospect of a new, unpredictable term for former President Donald Trump.
The Big Story

Harris takes on Trump: Asia braces as U.S. heads toward poll

As diplomats weigh policy hints, VP picks Walz and Vance vie for working class votes

7 August 2024
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te, left, and Defense Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung, center, attend a ceremony with new army recruits at a military camp in Taichung in June.
Asia Insight

Taiwan turns to own 'Iron Duke' Wellington Koo to deter China

Civilian defense minister aims to sharpen asymmetric warfare capabilities

6 August 2024
The skyline of Shenzhen, China. The country has been struggling to recover property investment sentiment since it launched a crackdown in 2020. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata)
Market Spotlight

As China's property market slumps, foreign investors get pickier

Singapore capital ticks up while Western buyers shy away from commercial sites

5 August 2024
Despite ongoing labor shortages in Japan, workers in their 40s or early 50s face a raft of challenges getting promotions and pay raises.
Datawatch

Japan's 'lost generation' faces slow pay growth, lack of promotion

Survivors of 1990s hiring 'ice age' are now in their 40s or early 50s

4 August 2024
Construction on Rapidus' first plant is underway in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, with mass production slated for 2027. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Kyodo and Yuki Nakao) 
Business Spotlight

Rapidus: How a phone call from IBM reignited Japan's chip ambitions

Startup preparing to begin test production of high-tech semiconductors in April

2 August 2024
President Xi Jinping must know property-related tax reform is needed, but party cadres with vested interests stand in his way. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yusuke Hinata)
China up close

Analysis: 'Chinese dream' gives way to an urban legend in Shenzhen

Real estate heartache leads to a tale of couples feigning divorce to get a loan

1 August 2024
While Southeast Asian retailers and manufacturers are seeking relief from what they see as unfair competition, government officials are trying to persuade Chinese companies to invest in local production, especially in high-tech sectors.
The Big Story

Southeast Asia pushes back on cheap Chinese imports

E-commerce and EVs force balancing between tariffs and pursuit of high-tech investments

31 July 2024
With To Lam, center, assuming interim leadership of the Vietnamese Communist Party after the death of Nguyen Phu Trong, right, observers wonder whether the former security chief may be more influenced by China than the U.S. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AFP/Jiji, EPA/Jiji and AP) 
Asia Insight

Vietnam veers into unknown as career cop makes Communist Party power play

Death of party chief Trong brings fears of tilt toward China-style leadership

30 July 2024
The Bank of Japan is grappling with policy as a deeply depreciating yen stokes import prices and saps consumers' purchasing power. (Source photos by Nanami Sato and Pool)
Market Spotlight

'Wishy-washy' BOJ keeps investors guessing on next move

Central bank set to release tapering plan, mull timing of rate hike

29 July 2024
Tokyo continues to attract unmarried women from other areas, bringing down the city's overall birth rate to the lowest in Japan.
Datawatch

Influx of single women drives Tokyo birth rate to lowest in Japan

Yet married women in the city continue to exceed the national average in childbirth

27 July 2024
A Hyundai showroom in Mumbai in 2022. The company's sales and service network covers hundreds of Indian cities. 
Business Spotlight

Hyundai celebrates Indian success with plan for largest IPO

South Korean carmaker under pressure from Chinese rivals to raise its game in EVs

26 July 2024