author

 
 

Meta

Elizabeth Beattie
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s new factory in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, in May 2023
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jan 29, 2024
Can Japan again master semiconductors to relive its glory days?
Competition in the sector is fierce, with many countries pushing to develop their own capabilities and insulate supply chains from geopolitical tensions.
Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank Group, during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 17
BUSINESS
Jan 23, 2024
World Bank chief eyes 'bigger' institution to tackle climate crisis
Ajay Banga said the bank is working to widen the way it looks at problems and increase collaborations with other institutions.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 19, 2024
How Japan’s quake information apparatus springs into action
Lessons from 3/11 led to greater urgency in communications and centralization of information, while tech continues to shape the approach.
Books published by Tuttle Publishing on a bookshelf in Infinity Books in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Saturday
CULTURE / Books
Jan 3, 2024
Asia publishing mainstay Tuttle rides new wave of interest in Japan
The back catalog of Tuttle, which traces its history in Japan to 1948, is in high demand, and it has even branched out to graphic novel versions of classic Asian literature.
Workers walk past an underconstruction area with completed office towers in the background in Shenzhen's Qianhai new district on Aug. 25, 2023.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 1, 2024
China's strained economy casts shadow over 2024
Last year, the economy was roiled by a real estate crisis, falling consumer confidence, deflation and the disappearance of foreign investment.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 2018
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Dec 17, 2023
A made-in-Japan solution for space junk that goes against the grain
As space junk clogs Earth's orbit, a Kyoto University team has a new solution: wooden satellites.
A Chinese national flag flutters at the headquarters of a commercial bank on a financial street near the People's Bank of China in Beijing.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 6, 2023
Officials hit back after Moody’s downgrades China's credit outlook
The ratings agency downgraded its outlook from stable to negative, saying a need for bailouts could weigh on the country’s economic strength.
Pedestrians along the Bund in Shanghai on Oct. 29. The Chinese government is pushing a narrative that the city will play an important role in reinvigorating the nation’s economy.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2023
Xi’s Shanghai visit sells city’s ‘innovation’ image
State media video footage using soaring music showed a stoic Xi making a visit to the Shanghai Futures Exchange and watching a robot demonstration.
Pedestrians walk past stores in the Koenji district in Tokyo on Oct. 29.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2023
Personal shopping services in Japan buoyed by weak yen
Shoppers who cannot physically be in Japan are outsourcing their hunt for bargains to remote shopping services.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2023
Japan to create ¥1 trillion fund to develop outer space industry
The ¥1 trillion fund will be allocated over a 10-year period for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), as a new global space race heats up.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in October.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 10, 2023
South Korea boosts diplomatic reach while North Korea retreats
Seoul has said the expansion is part of efforts to “exert global leadership and bolster our diplomatic power.”
A JD.com advertisement in Beijing promoting the Singles Day shopping festival
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2023
China’s Singles Day downbeat amid slumping consumer confidence
Shoppers are increasingly seeking value, looking for cheaper brands amid an overall mood of restraint.
A Grab food delivery cyclist makes a delivery in Singapore on Aug. 21.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2023
Consolidation looms for Southeast Asia’s food delivery giants
With growth in the sector slowing, companies are slimming down or bolstering their ties with other operators.
BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference on Tuesday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2023
Bank of Japan to allow 10-year yields to top 1%
The development is significant as the central bank has long maintained its strategy of buying up government bonds to control interest rates.
A woman walks past newly unveiled lettering that references the Oct. 29 Itaewon crush in Seoul. A more fully developed memorial was later built to commemorate the event and the more than 150 people who lost their lives.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / Longform
Oct 27, 2023
One year on, Itaewon's scars remain
A year on from the Itaewon crush, foot traffic in the Seoul neighborhood is picking back up. But what the future of the area is still in doubt.
Li Keqiang, former Chinese premier and head of China's Cabinet, served under President Xi Jinping for a decade from 2013, retiring in March.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 27, 2023
Li Keqiang, the former No. 2 to Xi Jinping, dies at 68
The former Chinese premier had found himself overshadowed by Xi's expanding grip on power.
A banner at the entrance to Shibuya’s Center Street makes it clear this is no place for a party.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 26, 2023
The specter of Itaewon has Shibuya spooked
One year on, Elizabeth Beattie joins us to discuss where Itaewon stands after its Halloween disaster, and what its legacy means for celebrations in Japan.
SkyDrive displays its eVTOL flying car at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 25, 2023
Japan’s largest auto show returns with focus on mobility
The organizer has renamed the event for the first time since 1964, with the Japan Mobility Show replacing the Tokyo Motor Show.
A pedestrian walks past an electronic signboard showing data from the Tokyo Stock Exchange and on the Japanese yen after the currency rebounded slightly after hitting ¥150 to the U.S. dollar in overnight trading, along a street in central Tokyo on Oct. 4.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 24, 2023
Germany set to eclipse Japan as No. 3 economy in 2023, IMF says
The yen’s widely watched depreciation has played an outsized role in its projected slide in position.
Elon Musk, owner of the X social media platform and carmaker Tesla, attends the opening ceremony of a new Tesla factory in Gruenheide, Germany, in March 2022.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 18, 2023
X unveils ‘Not a Bot’ paid program and new Japan feature
The new “Not A Bot” subscription method is Elon Musk’s latest way of nudging users toward paying for the platform.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan