43 h. ago Carney meets Xi after touting importance of ties with China amid ‘new world order’

Carney meets Xi after touting importance of ties with China amid ‘new world order’  The Japan Times

Politics

4 d. ago India overtakes Japan, Bali mulls bank check requirement: 7 Asia highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. India overtakes Japan in economic size – while prosperity trails far behind India ushered in the new year with a symbolic triumph as its economy edged past Japan’s to become the world’s fourth largest by nominal gross domestic product. 2. Nearly 94% of Malaysians who...

Politics

5 d. ago Japan launches world’s first deep sea trial to secure own rare earth supply

A Japanese mining ship departed on Monday for a remote coral atoll to probe mud rich in rare earths, part of Tokyo’s drive to curb its reliance on China for critical minerals as Beijing tightens supply. The month-long mission of the test vessel Chikyu near Minamitori island some 1,900km (1,200 miles) southeast of Tokyo, will mark the world’s first attempt to continuously lift rare earth seabed sludge from 6km deep onto a ship. Japan, like its Western allies, has been reducing its dependence on...

Politics

5 d. ago Japan launches world’s first mission to lift rare earth from deep sea

Japan launches world’s first mission to lift rare earth from deep sea  South China Morning Post

Events

8 d. ago India overtakes Japan in economic size, but prosperity trails far behind

India ushered in the new year with a symbolic triumph as its economy edged past Japan’s to become the world’s fourth largest by nominal gross domestic product. The achievement unleashed a wave of national pride in New Delhi and among business leaders, but behind the celebrations lingers a question: can the world’s fastest-growing economy turn rapid growth into widespread prosperity? Economists warn that GDP figures alone cannot create jobs, lift incomes or bridge yawning inequality in a nation...

Economics

8 d. ago As India overtakes Japan in economic size, prosperity lags far behind

India ushered in the new year with a symbolic triumph as its economy edged past Japan’s to become the world’s fourth largest by nominal gross domestic product. The achievement unleashed a wave of national pride in New Delhi and among business leaders, but behind the celebrations lingers a question: can the world’s fastest-growing economy turn rapid growth into widespread prosperity? Economists warn that GDP figures alone cannot create jobs, lift incomes or bridge yawning inequality in a nation...

Economics

9 d. ago Beijing: Japan's growing nuclear ambitions serious threat to world peace

Beijing: Japan's growing nuclear ambitions serious threat to world peace  chinadailyasia.com

Events

9 d. ago Japan zoo makes workers mimic pandas after returning all 4 to China, launches club for fans

A zoo in Japan has allowed its staff to mimic pandas in memory of its last four bears which have been returned to China. The unusual caged activity has been seen as an attempt to continue engaging panda lovers. In June last year, four pandas, the 24-year-old Rauhin and her offspring, Yuihin, Saihin and Fuhin, were returned to China from the Adventure World amusement park in Japan’s Wakayama prefecture. It marks the end of the park’s 31-year history of keeping pandas. Rauhin was also the first...

Society

1 week ago Lantau site eyed for Hong Kong’s first aircraft dismantling plant: sources

A site on northwest Lantau Island is likely to be chosen for a French aeronautical services company to build a factory that will house Hong Kong’s first aircraft dismantling business, the Post has learned. Sources on Tuesday said the site at To Kau Wan was deemed suitable because of its proximity to Hong Kong International Airport and convenient access to existing infrastructure, including roads and a pier that could accommodate barges. The area is currently being used to temporarily store an...

Politics

1 week ago China Overtakes Japan as World's Top Car Seller: What US Drivers Need to Know

China Overtakes Japan as World's Top Car Seller: What US Drivers Need to Know  Men's Journal

Transport

1 week ago Suspicious bets on Maduro’s removal raise eyebrows as user nets over US$400,000

A new user on the prediction market Polymarket has attracted attention after winning hundreds of thousands of dollars on bets that appeared to predict the United States’ seizure of Venezuela’s leader, Nicolas Maduro. The anonymous user set up an account on the platform eight days ago and then placed a series of wagers worth nearly US$34,000 before the assault, which had raked in profits of more than US$409,000 by Sunday afternoon, Polymarket data showed. The wagers included predictions that...

Politics

2 w. ago India overtakes Japan as world’s 4th largest economy, eyes top 3 by 2026

India has overtaken Japan as the world’s fourth-largest economy – and officials hope to pass Germany within three years, the government’s end-of-year economic review calculates. Official confirmation however depends on data due in 2026 when final annual gross domestic product figures are released, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggesting India will cross over Japan next year. “India is among the world’s fastest-growing major economies and is well-positioned to sustain this...

Politics

2 w. ago India overtakes Japan as world’s fourth largest economy, eyes top 3 in 2026

India has overtaken Japan as the world’s fourth-largest economy – and officials hope to pass Germany within three years, the government’s end-of-year economic review calculates. Official confirmation however depends on data due in 2026 when final annual gross domestic product figures are released, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggesting India will cross over Japan next year. “India is among the world’s fastest-growing major economies and is well-positioned to sustain this...

Politics

2 w. ago New Hong Kong industrial park eyes edge in smart manufacturing, Chinese medicine

Hong Kong’s Hung Shui Kiu industrial park will leverage its location advantage to focus on advanced manufacturing, including proprietary Chinese medicine products, in a bid to differentiate itself from the San Tin Technopole, according to development authorities. While the government has yet to set key performance indicators (KPIs) for the company operating the park, a top development official said on Tuesday that the firm was expected to be financially independent and accountable to the...

Politics

2 w. ago Japan as a nuclear power, China’s first female C919 captain: 5 weekend reads you missed

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese nuclear experts believe Japan could build nukes in less than 3 years The late US statesman Henry Kissinger’s dire warning about Tokyo aiming to become a nuclear power by 2028 is being re-examined by Beijing. 2. A year after near total blackout, China builds world’s largest smart...

Events

3 w. ago Hong Kong restaurants eye Lunar New Year boost after weak winter solstice sales

Hong Kong restaurants are looking towards Lunar New Year for a rebound in business after weak sales over the winter solstice weekend, as the city continues to reel from the Tai Po fire tragedy. Restaurant operators said on Monday they hoped business could take off in February around the Lunar New Year holiday. On Sunday, one Chinese-style restaurant recorded a 6 per cent drop in sales, despite a 15 per cent increase in diners for winter solstice dinners. “Customers have ordered less and are...

Politics

3 w. ago China eyes childcare overhaul with a law to boost births, fix demographic crisis

China has taken a step towards regulating the childcare industry at the national level, drafting legislation to standardise services and lower costs as policymakers fight to reverse a demographic decline that could have long-term economic ramifications. The draft Childcare Services Law was submitted on Monday to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress for review, according to Xinhua. The bill, comprising eight chapters and 76 articles, aims to establish a national legal...

Society

3 w. ago Japan backs world’s largest nuclear plant restart despite pushback from residents

Japan took the final step to allow the restart of the world’s largest nuclear power plant on Monday as the region of Niigata voted to resume operations, a watershed moment in the country’s return to nuclear energy nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, located about 220km (136 miles) northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Since then, Japan...

Events

4 w. ago China packs a patent punch in the race to build humanoid robots

China has pulled far ahead in the race to build humanoid robots, issuing five times as many related patents as the United States over the past five years, Morgan Stanley said in its latest Robot Almanac. In “Robot Almanac, Volume 3: Humanoids & Industrial Robots”, released on Tuesday as part of a six-volume series, Morgan Stanley said China recorded 7,705 humanoid patents over the past five years, compared with 1,561 in the US. Japan ranked next with 1,102, followed by the World Intellectual...

Politics

4 w. ago Bearly any time left for Japan’s panda lovers? Row with China threatens loan programme

For more than half a century, pandas have helped serve as ambassadors for China around the world, but their time in Japan appears to be drawing to a close with the last two bears in the country set to return next month. Hopes of receiving new ones soon appear dim given the current tensions between the two countries. Tokyo’s metropolitan government has reportedly been in talks with China about receiving new pandas, but there is no sign of agreement in the wake of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae...

Events