Politics

9 August 2024
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has canceled his trip to Central Asia. (Photo by Toshiki Sasazu)
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh pledged to increase bilateral cooperation when they met in November 2022. (Photo by Yo Inoue)
Defense

Japan, Mongolia to agree on defense equipment cooperation at summit

Ulaanbaatar pursues diverse tie-ups as China and Russia build up military

5 August 2024
Election workers hold up ballots as manual counting begins in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in the early hours of June 29.
Politics

Mongolia ruling party wins slim majority, early election results show

MPP finds itself in less-dominant position after parliament expansion

29 June 2024
Campaign posters are seen in Ulaanbaatar ahead of the June 28 parliamentary elections. (Photo by Anand Tumurtogoo)
Politics

Mongolia votes in historic election under revamped system

Parliament expanded to promote inclusion but public shows little enthusiasm

28 June 2024
Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, center, attends a commencement ceremony for underground production at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in the Gobi Desert in March 2023.
Economy

Mongolia digs in against doubts over fund to spread mining wealth

PM insists resources should benefit all; some question implementation, transparency

1 June 2024
Gombojav Zandanshatar, chairman of the State Great Hural of Mongolia, speaks at the Future of Asia forum in Tokyo on May 23. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
The Future of Asia 2024

Top Mongolian politician stresses commitment to eliminating corruption

Parliament chief Gombojav Zandanshatar says enlarged legislature adds checks and balances

23 May 2024
President Emmanuel Macron welcomes his Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh to the Elysee Palace in Paris as part of his state visit.
Materials

Mongolia opens way for uranium mining with $1.7bn French deal

Production at southwestern site could start in 2028, says French miner Orano

13 October 2023
A medical worker prepares an injection of the Sinophorm vaccine in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. (Photo by Chadraa Chadraabal)
COVID vaccines

Mongolia's mass jabs fail to suppress COVID spread

Nation has Asia's highest rates of vaccinations and confirmed infections

26 July 2021
Former Prime Minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa declared victory Wednesday night in Mongolia's presidential election.
Politics

Mongolia presidential vote: ex-PM Khurelsukh declares victory

Head of ruling party solidified support with track record against coronavirus

10 June 2021
Sodnomzunduin Erdene, right, delivers a speech during his presidential campaign. (Photo by Baramsai Chadraabal)
Politics

Mongolian presidential vote to turn on handling of COVID

Former PM Khurelsukh stands on People's Party's record in offering aid

9 June 2021
Older Mongolians lined up outside health centers on Thursday hoping to get their second shot of COVID vaccine, but the public vaccination program only resumed Friday. (Photo by Byambasuren Byamba-Ochir)
COVID vaccines

Mongolia resumes vaccinations as worst outbreak rolls on

Free from COVID in 2020, nation of 2m grapples with a sudden surge

23 April 2021
Mongolians stand in an hourslong line in bitter cold to get tested for COVID-19 in order to leave Ulaanbaatar and return to their native provinces. (Photo by Anand Tumurtogoo)
Coronavirus

Mongolia loses battle to stay COVID-free

People cry foul at impromptu measures imposed following months with no cases

16 December 2020
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wears a protective face mask on Sept. 29. 
30 September 2020
Ulaanbaatar's residential area, the district where the poorer part of the population lives: nearly a third of the nation's 3.2 million people live below the poverty line.
Opinion

Mongolia's economy is stuck between China, Russia and US

Reelected prime minister must navigate geopolitical tensions

29 June 2020
Supporters of the Mongolian People's Party rally in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, ahead of the country's parliamentary elections. (Photo by Anand Tumurtogoo)
Politics

Mongolian ruling party set to retain power with virus success

As economy slips, prime minister pushes Wednesday poll despite calls for caution

23 June 2020
Delegates applaud as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for the opening session of China's National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 22. (Xinhua via AP)
Politics

Xi's Hong Kong power grab deftly masks domestic shortcomings

With a single stroke, president shuts down critics in his party and justifies US tensions

23 May 2020
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lambasted China for its treatment of its Muslim minorities on his visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
International relations

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan spurn US call to confront China

Pompeo's plea to end 'repression' of Muslim minorities also draws Chinese ire

13 February 2020
Foreign students in Japan are allowed to work in unskilled-labor positions, such as convenience store work, for up to 28 hours per week. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
Japan immigration

Japan intensifies crackdown on student visa overstayers

Number of countries subject to stricter checks to increase tenfold

11 February 2020
Despite the fanfare surrounding use of Gwadar port for trade with Afghanistan, experts say the facility has a long way to go before China sees any return on its investment.
Belt and Road

Beijing-backed Pakistan port opens as hub for Afghanistan trade

Gwadar challenges Indian interests in region, but China's ROI remains unclear

23 January 2020
Central Asia's most populous country has the veneer of a multiparty system but no true opposition.
Politics

Uzbekistan election exposes limits of image-polishing reforms

China's economic influence will inevitably become political, experts say

19 December 2019
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in a written interview with the Nikkei Asian Review, said joining the World Trade Organization and cracking down on corruption are among his immediate priorities.
Interview

Uzbekistan plans over $6bn in joint projects with Japan

President Mirziyoyev to pitch resource development during Japan trip

18 December 2019
Tetsu Nakamura speaks to Nikkei on Sept. 14, 2018 in Fukuoka. (Photo by Mamoru Yago)
Obituaries

Japanese doctor who watered Afghan deserts: Nakamura in his own words

Tetsu Nakamura talked about his life and mission in 2018 Nikkei interview

9 December 2019
Tetsu Nakamura in the Gamberi Desert, Afghanistan in 2008
Obituaries

Tetsu Nakamura: Humanitarian who devoted his life to Afghanistan

Slain Japanese doctor wanted to 'shine light into dark corners'

5 December 2019
A Chinese freight train travels through the Marmaray Tunnel under the Bosporus in Istanbul early Thursday. The journey was the first uninterrupted freight train journey from Turkey to Europe, transporting cargo from China while skirting Russia. (Anatolia News Agency)
Belt and Road

Chinese freight train skirts Russia on new route into Europe

Japan-built Bosporus tunnel allows Beijing to diversify cargo transportation

9 November 2019
The talks between representatives of Taliban militants and a number of Afghan political factions in Beijing come as the U.S. has yet to resume peace talks with the Taliban. (Nikkei Montage)
Belt and Road

China to host Afghan rivals in drive to expand Belt and Road

Taliban included in peace talks as Beijing aims to isolate Xinjiang separatists

27 October 2019