Japan
Inside Malaysia’s $107bn semiconductor gamble
By betting big on chips, Malaysia is not just investing in factories and engineers, it’s investing in long-term technological sovereignty. As the global race for semiconductors accelerates, Malaysia is proving it intends to play for keeps.
South Korea and Japan eye strategic icebreaker advantage in US tariff talks
Japan’s Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, has signalled interest in positioning icebreaker cooperation as a key point in negotiations with President Donald Trump, scheduled for final talks during the G7 summit in Canada this June.
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BLOG: Efforts to tackle methane emissions continue, despite Trump’s regulatory rollback
Momentum behind improved methane monitoring, quantification and mitigation continues to build in the US – even without the same regulatory pressure.
COMMENT: Ranking the top 60 economies’ exposure to US tariffs
US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 50% tariff hike on the EU has put the cat amongst the pigeons again. If he follows through then Europe, which is highly dependent on US trade, will be amongst the most damaged economies in the world.
COMMENT: Why Japan-China relations remain key to Asian economic and regional stability
While headlines often dwell on the China-United States rivalry or regional disputes in the South China Sea, it is Sino-Japanese relations that may well determine the trajectory of Asia’s economic prosperity.
Japan's tourism boom: April sees record-breaking 3.91mn foreign visitors
Cumulatively, the first four months of 2025 have seen approximately 14.45mn foreign arrivals, a 24.5% rise from the corresponding period in 2024.
India poised to become world's third-largest economy by FY2030–31
Despite this, India continues to maintain its status as the fastest-growing large economy, even amid a moderation in real GDP growth projected for FY2024–25.
Lee VS Kim; a look at South Korea’s leading presidential candidates on foreign policy issues
Whichever way it goes, the result of the presidential election in Korea will play a crucial role in shaping both South Korea and the wider East Asia region’s geopolitical landscape for the foreseeable future.
COMMENT: Vying for influence in Southeast Asia – Russia VS America
Although both nations have engaged with the region historically and continue to do so in the present day, their roles, influence, and staying power differ markedly.
ASIA BLOG: South Korea needs political stability now more than ever
iKorea's current political crisis is deeply troubling. The ongoing impeachment proceedings against the disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol, regardless of one’s political leanings, are not merely a domestic affair.
COMMENT: The West keeps betting against Japan – and keeps getting it wrong
The West keeps betting against Japan because it doesn’t play by Western rules of visibility, disruption and hype. It forgets that resilience doesn’t always look like growth charts or come in the form of venture capital buzzwords.
Nissan’s global retrenchment: factories close, jobs lost
The seeds of Nissan’s current predicament were sown back in fiscal year 2019. The company’s global vehicle sales fell by over 10% to just under 5mn units, with major slowdowns across critical markets.
Japan’s auto industry left reeling under tariff pressure as Honda and Nissan feel the pain
The twin disclosures from Honda and Nissan underscore how devastating tariff uncertainty, EV disruption and internal financial strain are converging to threaten Japan’s automotive dominance.
COMMENT: Taiwan is playing with darkness by abandoning nuclear power
Japan has restarted many of its nuclear reactors, recognising their role in energy security and climate targets. South Korea has also reinstated nuclear as a core component of its energy strategy. Taiwan, by contrast, is marching backwards.
COMMENT: Why Asia should not follow the failed European model
Over the past 15 years, Europe’s trade frameworks have faltered, integration has stalled, and a number of its core political and economic ideas have failed under real-world pressure.
ASIA BLOG: Beijing’s South China Sea strategy is about Taiwan — and the world needs to sit up and take notice
Even as Taiwan is described as potentially the most dangerous flashpoint in Asia, it is actually the fulcrum upon which the future of the Indo-Pacific — and by extension the global balance of power — may pivot.
From occupied hosts to strategic partners: the evolving role of Japan and South Korea in US Asia Strategy
Incidents ranging from theft and assault to more egregious acts like rape and murder have periodically reignited public anger such as in the case of the 1995 abduction and gang rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three US servicemen.
ASEAN aligns with Japan, China and South Korea in warning against protectionist risks
Meeting on the sidelines of the recent Asian Development Bank’s annual gathering in Milan, Italy, the officials reiterated their support for a rules-based, free and fair multilateral trading system.
Empty shelves and soaring costs hit Japan’s rice supply
Japan is grappling with a major rice shortage, as stores struggle to keep up with demand and soaring prices put the staple food out of reach for many households.
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Chipping point – the climate toll of AI chip-making in East Asia
The meteoric rise of AI is sparking a parallel and largely overlooked environmental challenge: the significant climate impact of chip manufacturing, particularly in East Asia, says a new report from Greenpeace.