Tag - asia

 
 

ASIA

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 16, 2020
IMF sees Asia-Pacific economic growth at standstill in 2020
Economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region will likely slow to a standstill in 2020, something that hasn’t happened in the last 60 years, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 15, 2020
COVID-19 pandemic is no soft power victory for China
There is no doubt that China is assisting the world in taking on the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is not experiencing a global soft power victory by attracting new partners to its side.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 14, 2020
Chinese dams held back Mekong waters during drought, study finds
China's Mekong River dams held back large amounts of water during a damaging drought in downstream countries last year despite China having higher-than-average water levels upstream, a U.S. research company said in a study.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 13, 2020
Taiwan says Chinese carrier group held military drills near island
A Chinese naval flotilla led by the country's first aircraft carrier passed by the eastern and southern coasts of Taiwan on Sunday to carry out drills, the island's Defense Ministry said, in the latest uptick in military tensions.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 10, 2020
Virus gives embattled Thai premier chance to consolidate power
Thailand’s coup-chief-turned-premier Prayut Chan-ocha has regained sweeping emergency powers to fight the coronavirus outbreak, pinning his political fate to the response he crafts as discontent grows.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Apr 7, 2020
Singapore proposes banning gatherings amid coronavirus
Singapore is considering new laws that would ban both public and private gatherings of any size as the city-state ramps up social distancing measures to fight the coronavirus, said health minister Gan Kim Yong.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 3, 2020
In Taiwan, anger at China over coronavirus drives identity debate
Anger at being confused with China amid the coronavirus outbreak and Beijing's stepped-up efforts to assert sovereignty is stirring heated debate in Taiwan about how to further distance itself from its giant and often threatening neighbor.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 3, 2020
Poorer nations least prepared for pandemic lockdowns
As countries around the globe try to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, nowhere is the task more challenging and the risk greater than in the developing world.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 1, 2020
Mass disinfections to combat coronavirus pose another health hazard
A drone dispersed clouds of disinfectant in the sky above Indonesia's second-largest city Surabaya on Tuesday, a response to the coronavirus pandemic which is catching on around the world despite warnings from health experts.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 1, 2020
U.S. and South Korea near tentative troop-funding deal, report says
The U.S. and South Korea have tentatively reached a military cost-sharing agreement, the Yonhap news agency reported, potentially ending months of bickering over demands from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for a massive increase.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 1, 2020
In scrappy Cambodian casino town, Chinese plan future beyond coronavirus
When casino owner Kang Qiang looks out the window of his 20th floor office in this city on the remote Cambodian coast, he sees construction cranes sitting idle.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2020
Singapore planning penalties for companies that don't follow social distancing rules
Singapore is working on potential penalties for companies that don’t follow regulations on social distancing and telecommuting during the coronavirus crisis, the country’s manpower minister said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 1, 2020
How a gulf prince charmed Indonesia's Jokowi and poured money into the country
During a visit last summer where he strolled through the tropical gardens next to Indonesia’s summer Presidential Palace, Abu Dhabi’s crown prince offered to build a grand mosque for his host, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. If that seemed like a generous gesture, the two men struck a bigger bargain within...
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 31, 2020
U.S. base workers set for furlough in blow to South Korea alliance
The U.S. military is set to put almost half of its 8,500 South Korean civilian workers on furlough, as the two sides bicker over the Trump administration’s demands for a massive increase in troop funding.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2020
Alibaba suffers culture conflicts
At Lazada, the Southeast Asian arm of Alibaba Group Holding, staffers are furious over demands that they submit health reports daily and other coronavirus-prevention steps seen as too invasive, highlighting a long-running culture clash with management from China.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 25, 2020
Gunmen in Afghanistan kill 25 in raid on Sikh complex
Unidentified gunmen and suicide bombers raided a Sikh religious complex in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Wednesday, killing 25 people before security forces killed all of the attackers, the government said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Mar 20, 2020
Why South Korea trounced U.S. in race for coronavirus test
In late January, South Korean health officials summoned representatives from more than 20 medical companies from their Lunar New Year celebrations to a conference room tucked inside Seoul's busy train station.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 19, 2020
Cambodia puts plans for mainstream Mekong dams on hold for 10 years
Electricity-starved Cambodia will not develop new hydropower dams on the Mekong River for the next 10 years, a senior energy official said on Wednesday, as it reviews its policy to seek energy from coal, natural gas and solar.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 17, 2020
You don't have to be Asian to wear a face mask in an epidemic
The social ritual of wearing face masks may play a role in sustaining humane sentiments of solidarity, decency and cooperativeness in such crises.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.