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Clare Jim
A residential area under development by Country Garden in Shanghai in February.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 17, 2024
Old for new: China's latest property market plan off to a poor start
More than 50 cities have launched their own versions of the "swap old for new" program.
Evergrande, the world's most indebted developer with more than $300 billion of total liabilities, sent a struggling property sector into a tailspin when it defaulted on its debt in 2021.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 29, 2024
Embattled China Evergrande ordered to liquidate by Hong Kong court
A liquidation ruling of the developer which has $240 billion of assets will likely jolt already fragile Chinese capital and property markets.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 10, 2023
For Hong Kong's youth, government-backed hostels offer speck of housing hope
The hostel program is aimed at tackling youth frustration with housing — a factor Beijing believes contributed to the anti-government pro-democracy protests that rocked the city in 2019.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2022
Dashed dreams for China Evergrande's showpiece resort island
Officials in Danzhou city have ordered 39 of Ocean Flower Island's towers to be demolished over environmental and construction violations.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 30, 2021
Hong Kong leader says Stand News arrests not aimed at media industry
The raid was the latest crackdown on media and dissent since China imposed a tough new national security law aimed at ending pro-democracy protests.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2021
Evergrande's debt deadline passes as Kaisa adds to China's property crisis
With $300 billion of liabilities, Evergrande is at the heart of a property crisis in China that has crushed almost a dozen smaller firms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Oct 21, 2021
Fears of hidden debt deepen China's property sector woes
'Nearly every developer has borrowings in disguise. The sector's debt problem is worse than what you see,' said He Siwei, an attorney at Hui Ye Law Firm.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 6, 2021
New start for Hong Kong development under national security law, Carrie Lam says
Leader Carrie Lam used a speech to focus on ensuring affordable housing to the city's 7.5 million people.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2021
For China's property developers, Hong Kong is becoming Shenzhen's backyard
Chinese property developers have turned their sights to Hong Kong's border districts as mainlanders from neighboring boomtown Shenzhen consider parts of the former British colony as a more affordable long-term housing prospect.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 8, 2021
Press freedom in gambling hub of Macao under spotlight as China ramps up scrutiny
Pressure is mounting on Macao's Portuguese and English media, which typically operate with more flexibility than the local Chinese press.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 2, 2021
China's electoral reform 'earthquake' set to upend Hong Kong politics
The proposed reform will put further pressure on pro-democracy activists, who are already the subject of a crackdown, and has ruffled the feathers of some Beijing loyalists.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 29, 2020
Some of Hong Kong's poor finally feel at home in prefabricated 'modules'
When Lau Kai Fai, his wife and teenage son moved into a new Hong Kong flat last month, he thought the 290 square feet (27 square meters) of space in his "module home" felt like "winning the lottery."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 3, 2019
How Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong's tycoon 'Superman,' went from friend of China to punching bag
In January 1993, an ambitious Chinese Communist Party boss — 39 years old, chubby cheeks and a mop of black hair — visited Hong Kong. He was seeking out the city's rich among the shimmering skyscrapers, hoping to secure investment in Fuzhou, the second-tier city he ran in mainland China. His name...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jul 7, 2018
Ambitious plans for megalopolis in southern China trigger hopes and fears in Hong Kong
Some Hong Kong officials and lawmakers are encouraging younger residents to consider living across the border in mainland China so they can escape the territory's sky-high apartment prices and find more job opportunities. It is not an easy sell, but some pro-China business leaders say resistance to the...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 1, 2014
Disruptive Hong Kong protests loom after China rules out democracy
Hong Kong police used pepper spray to disperse prodemocracy activists on Monday as the Asian financial center braces for a wave of disruptive protests against China's decision to rule out full democracy.

Longform

Akira Oishi (left) and Shinichi Okanobori have taken on the responsibility of surveying the flora and fauna of Mount Tenran and Mount Tonosu in Saitama Prefecture.
Inside Japan's 100-year project to monitor its deteriorating biodiversity