Coronavirus

19 November 2024
Daiichi Sankyo seeks to secure production volume by tapping overseas markets. (Photo by Hinako Banno)
Chinese President Xi Jinping's COVID-19 policy was a target of criticism by unusually candid businessman Ren Zhiqiang, who was later jailed for alleged corruption. (Source photos by Yusuke Hinata and AP)
Politics

Daughter of jailed, outspoken Chinese businessman sends open letter to Xi

Ren Zhiqiang, sentenced to 18 years after criticizing president on COVID, said to be gravely ill

4 October 2024
Researchers from Japan's Kyoto University discovered a technique to produce white blood cells that attack COVID-infected cells. (Photo by Yo Inoue)
Coronavirus

Japanese researchers eye COVID treatment derived from stem cells

Immunotherapy creates killer T cells that detect coronavirus markers

30 July 2024
Shuttered businesses in the Japanese city of Kitakyushu. (Photo by Shotaro Mori)
Business trends

Japan corporate bankruptcies hit 9-year high with end of COVID lifelines

Tally could top 10,000 in fiscal 2024 as cost pressure rises

9 April 2024
India and other emerging countries are pushing for broader access to technology from drugmakers to ensure more equitable distribution of vaccines and treatments.
6 April 2024
Singapore's Marina Bay Sands is set to begin expanding its downtown property next year. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Travel & Leisure

Singapore's Marina Bay Sands to build fourth tower by 2029

After COVID delay, landmark casino resort to start hotel expansion next year

5 April 2024
Cathay Pacific Airways last recorded a net profit in 2019, of HK$1.69 billion. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Transportation

Cathay posts first profit in 4 years, but delays capacity target

COVID impact has passed but pilot recruitment remains tricky

13 March 2024
Shionogi President Isao Teshirogi said swift U.S. approval for Xocova would speed the process in other countries. (Photo by Keiichiro Sato)
Pharmaceuticals

Japan's Shionogi eyes early 2025 for U.S. release of COVID pill

Drugmaker looks overseas for Xocova sales growth as public funds dry up at home

12 March 2024
People line up outside a government hospital for a PCR test in Kathmandu in 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic provided the first substantial stress test for Nepal's federal system.
Opinion

COVID proved Nepal's new federal system works

Despite PM's dithering, empowered local governments delivered effective help

21 February 2024
Travelers walk through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Dec. 20. As the number of tourists surges across Southeast Asia, so too are COVID cases. (Photo by Norman Goh)
Coronavirus

Malaysia and Singapore put guard up as COVID cases surge

Southeast Asia asks public to mask up and get vaccinated as travel season begins

21 December 2023
The Temple Street Night Market, once a famous tourist spot, has lost many visitors and shops. (Photo by Kensaku Ihara)
Society

Hong Kong's night markets fade along with its freedoms

Some fear government crackdowns have robbed city of what made it great

22 October 2023
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addresses the Nikkei conference via video. (Photo by Yutaka Miyaguchi)
Society

WHO chief Tedros calls for world to unite to prep for next pandemic

Nikkei/FT conference address touts 'One Health approach,' multiple sectors working for public benefit

16 October 2023
A black bear at a reserve in China's Heilongjiang province in 2021. A compound found in bear bile might prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 infections. (FeatureChina via AP)
Caixin

China struggles to wean itself off bear bile farming

'Medical gold' alternative slow to emerge despite concern over extraction methods

5 October 2023
Travelers at Singapore's Changi Airport, which plans to introduce "passport-free" immigration clearance next year.
Travel & Leisure

Singapore airport to introduce 'passport-free' departure in 2024

City-state taps biometrics as Hong Kong, Japan also implement smooth procedures

24 September 2023
Palace Hotel Tokyo increased its number of high-end suites during the pandemic to increase average spending per customer. (Photo courtesy of Palace Hotel Tokyo)
Travel & Leisure

Tokyo luxury hotel rates soar faster than New York, London

Prices up 30% from before pandemic as weak yen draws in foreign tourists

4 September 2023
Hong Kong's population had been declining since 2020 as residents fled due to a security law and pandemic concerns.
Society

Hong Kong population returns to growth with post-pandemic influx

Eased COVID measures, talent recruitment efforts help reverse decline

16 August 2023
Few shoppers are seen at a shopping center in Shanghai in July. (Photo by Iori Kawate)
Economy

China consumer prices swing into decline as deflation risks build

July CPI took a 0.3% year-on-year fall, the first in more than two years

9 August 2023
Boxes of COVID-19 vaccines are seen at a packaging workshop inside the Beijing Institute of Biological Products of Sinopharm's China National Biotec Group in Beijing, February 26, 2021.
Caixin

China's medical exports tumble as world moves on from COVID

Medicines and equipment hit by weak demand amid slow global recovery

7 August 2023
As nearly 12 million Chinese graduates leave college this summer, they face doors slamming shut on job creation by private businesses after years of Beijing's mistrust and harsh regulatory scrutiny of the sector.
Asia Insight

China's jobless graduate army falls through cracks in economy

Record youth unemployment after Beijing clampdown on private sector, FDI slump

25 July 2023
A 32-year-old man who livestreams his video games moved to a soundproof apartment because of complaints from his next door neighbor where he used to live. (Photo by Hideki Yoshikawa)
Business trends

Shout it out loud: Soundproof apartments catch on in Japan

Nearly 3,000 people on waiting list as COVID changes lifestyles

16 July 2023
Coming to Shenzhen was once a pathway to success, but COVID-19 and overpopulation have dulled the city's promise. (Photo by Takashi Kawakami)
Economy

Shenzhen, China's 'city of young migrants,' at point of inflection

First ever population drop in 2022 as COVID-19 and new policies take toll

9 July 2023
Crowds of foreign tourists are returning to Japan, like these ones in Tokyo's Ginza district. 
Economy

Japan's key land prices rise for 2nd straight year in COVID recovery

Land along major roads becomes more expensive as tourists return after pandemic

3 July 2023
At popular sightseeing spots in Kyoto, QR codes are posted on signboards. The codes take smartphone users to websites with disaster information in five languages. (Photo by Yo Inoue)
Society

Foreign tourists in a disaster-hit Japan: Follow drones to safety

More local governments get serious about helping visitors in event of earthquake

28 June 2023
European Union business sentiment in China plunged to all-time lows during the pandemic, as overseas operators grappled with Beijing's strict zero-COVID policies (Source photos by Getty)
Interview

China 'must do more' to restore investment stature: EU Chamber head

Jens Eskelund says market access, clear regulation key for European companies

26 June 2023
Employees of minpaku operator Matsuri Technologies make a bed at a private lodging in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward.
Travel & Leisure

Private room rentals pick up in Japan after COVID slump

Prices rise as overseas visitors lead recovery in alternative lodgings

21 June 2023
Image of influenza A-type virus. (Courtesy of Japan's National Institute of Infectious diseases) 
Health Care

Unseasonal flu epidemic hits Japan amid lower immunity after COVID

School closures pick up across country after disease spreads at festivals

10 June 2023
Japan's tax revenue for fiscal 2022 is expected to hit a record 70 trillion yen (around $500 billion), but many businesses are still struggling with the upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 
Datawatch

Japan's $500bn puzzle: Why are tax revenues surging amid slow growth?

Fiscal 2022 collection likely to hit record as 'K-shaped' recovery deepens

3 June 2023
Japan's total fertility rate likely fell for the seventh year in a row to about 1.2 in 2022. (Photo by Yosuke Kurabe)
Society

Japan's birthrate fell to 1.2 range in 2022, lowest in 17 years

Causes include declining marriages amid pandemic, delayed economic recovery

30 May 2023
Shares in Tokyo Disneyland operator Oriental Land fell as much as 6% at one point on May 24. (Photo by Taro Saeki)
Markets

Japan stock rally hits speed bump on China COVID wave concerns

Japan Airlines and Tokyo Disney operator slump amid doubts about tourism recovery

25 May 2023
The Friendship Bridge and the Broken Bridge are illuminated at night over the Yalu River, which separates North Korea's Sinuiju from China, in Dandong
N Korea at crossroads

From wigs to seafood, North Korea scrambles for China trade

Exports return to pre-COVID levels, but new flare-up in Chinese infections poses risk

25 May 2023