author

 
 

Meta

Faris Mokhtar
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto (front) stands next to Indonesia's new Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin during a handover ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in Jakarta on Oct. 22.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 31, 2024
Indonesia’s new president faces $186 billion debt dilemma
Indonesia might have as little as $70 billion in government coffers after debt servicing and the required fund transfers to regional governments.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrives for his inauguration ceremony in Jakarta on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 21, 2024
What to expect in the first 100 days of Prabowo’s rule in Indonesia
The former general has set an ambitious 8% growth target for Indonesia in the next two to three years.
Singapore Prime Minister-designate Lawrence Wong at the Group of 20 finance ministers' meeting in Indonesia in 2022
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 14, 2024
Singapore PM-designate Lawrence Wong keeps old guard in reshuffle
Wong picked Trade Minister Gan Kim Yong as his deputy, keeping the Cabinet of outgoing leader Lee Hsien Loong largely intact.
Indonesia's new president Prabowo Subianto and vice president Gibran Rakabuming Raka wave after the country's election commission officially announced them as the presidential election winners at General Election Commission (KPU) headquarters in Jakarta, on April 24.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 13, 2024
Indonesia won’t take sides in U.S.-China row, Prabowo tells TV
China is Indonesia’s biggest economic partner and is pouring more than $7 billion into the nation’s commodity processing capacity.
The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, even faster than the shinkansen. However, demand for the new railway service remains lacking.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 29, 2024
Linking 17,000 islands in Indonesia tests a nation on the rise
President Joko Widodo's grand vision for the world’s largest archipelago is colliding with financial realities.
Singapore's former Transport Minister Subramaniam Iswaran (center) and his defense counsel Davinder Singh (left) leave the Singapore State Courts on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2024
Singapore minister quits after biggest graft case since 1986
The scandal has cast a pall on the city-state known for its clean governance. If convicted, the minister faces fines and a possible jail term.
At KIPI, a 1.06 gigawatt coal-fired plant will power the $2 billion Adaro Minerals Indonesia aluminum smelter due to begin operating in 2025.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 24, 2023
A coal-powered industrial boom is testing Indonesia’s green goals
The reality to support a low-emission ambition lies years in the future
TikTok can advertise to more than 100 million users in Indonesia, but they now need to go on a different app or site to buy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2023
TikTok’s e-commerce ambitions stall as global backlash grows
Complaints about how TikTok is squeezing local players has stalled the Chinese-owned social media platform's e-commerce ambitions
Cirebon-1, an 11-year-old coal power station in West Java, Indonesia, is set to close early, sparing the planet millions of tons of carbon dioxide.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 16, 2023
Indonesian facility shows cutting coal is a hard sell for banks
The early closure of the Cirebon-1 coal plant could be a decarbonization model for Asia, but big banks have been shy about fueling the transition.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 20, 2023
Backroom deals position Joko Widodo to impact Indonesia for decades
While speculation had swirled that his allies would try to help him stay in power, the president is now focused on ensuring his influence continues well after he steps down.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 3, 2023
Widodo's dynasty takes shape with another son entering politics
The president’s popularity can bolster his family members in the polls and a political dynasty may give him leverage to decide on future candidates in the ruling party.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 8, 2022
What expats and tourists need to know about new sex laws in Indonesia
The country has sought to assure foreigners that their privacy would be upheld and they shouldn't worry about being prosecuted unless their family members file a complaint.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 5, 2022
Ambitious plans to build Indonesia a brand new capital city are falling apart
With his final term running out, President Joko Widodo is struggling to finance a project that could resettle millions of people and cement his own legacy.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 27, 2022
Singapore debate on LGBTQ rights heats up in test for leaders
The fallout shows the new generation of leaders taking over will have their work cut out to control a divisive issue in the city-state's multicultural society.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 19, 2022
Indonesian president says Xi and Putin will attend G20 summit
Putin's attendance could also bring him face to face with Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time since Russia's invasion.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 16, 2021
Singapore confronts the division and fear that come from living with COVID-19
Singapore had seemed like a poster child for pandemic management, but now it is looking like a real-time illustration of how challenging the pivot away from 'zero COVID-19' is going to be.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 28, 2021
Singapore braces for a leap of faith in its COVID-19 strategy
The tiny city-state that relies on being globally connected is eyeing the resumption of some international travel by September.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 12, 2021
Singapore faces biggest-ever challenge to succession planning
The rumblings started shortly after Singapore’s ruling party won 89% of seats in last year’s election.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 13, 2021
Myanmar faces wider business fallout after Kirin retreat
Companies and investors are weighing the impact of a military coup that has thrust the once-thriving nation into a state of emergency.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 21, 2020
Singapore’s new city of the future is its greenest project yet
The project is part of the city-state's effort to reduce a carbon footprint that's bigger than some countries that are 50 times its size.

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition