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April 26, 2024
 

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Faris Mokhtar
For Faris Mokhtar's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, even faster than the shinkansen. However, demand for the new railway service remains lacking.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 29, 2024
Linking 17,000 islands in Indonesia tests a nation on the rise
President Joko Widodo's grand vision for the world’s largest archipelago is colliding with financial realities.
Singapore's former Transport Minister Subramaniam Iswaran (center) and his defense counsel Davinder Singh (left) leave the Singapore State Courts on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2024
Singapore minister quits after biggest graft case since 1986
The scandal has cast a pall on the city-state known for its clean governance. If convicted, the minister faces fines and a possible jail term.
At KIPI, a 1.06 gigawatt coal-fired plant will power the $2 billion Adaro Minerals Indonesia aluminum smelter due to begin operating in 2025.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 24, 2023
A coal-powered industrial boom is testing Indonesia’s green goals
The reality to support a low-emission ambition lies years in the future
TikTok can advertise to more than 100 million users in Indonesia, but they now need to go on a different app or site to buy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2023
TikTok’s e-commerce ambitions stall as global backlash grows
Complaints about how TikTok is squeezing local players has stalled the Chinese-owned social media platform's e-commerce ambitions
Cirebon-1, an 11-year-old coal power station in West Java, Indonesia, is set to close early, sparing the planet millions of tons of carbon dioxide.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 16, 2023
Indonesian facility shows cutting coal is a hard sell for banks
The early closure of the Cirebon-1 coal plant could be a decarbonization model for Asia, but big banks have been shy about fueling the transition.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 20, 2023
Backroom deals position Joko Widodo to impact Indonesia for decades
While speculation had swirled that his allies would try to help him stay in power, the president is now focused on ensuring his influence continues well after he steps down.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 3, 2023
Widodo's dynasty takes shape with another son entering politics
The president’s popularity can bolster his family members in the polls and a political dynasty may give him leverage to decide on future candidates in the ruling party.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 8, 2022
What expats and tourists need to know about new sex laws in Indonesia
The country has sought to assure foreigners that their privacy would be upheld and they shouldn't worry about being prosecuted unless their family members file a complaint.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 5, 2022
Ambitious plans to build Indonesia a brand new capital city are falling apart
With his final term running out, President Joko Widodo is struggling to finance a project that could resettle millions of people and cement his own legacy.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 27, 2022
Singapore debate on LGBTQ rights heats up in test for leaders
The fallout shows the new generation of leaders taking over will have their work cut out to control a divisive issue in the city-state's multicultural society.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 19, 2022
Indonesian president says Xi and Putin will attend G20 summit
Putin's attendance could also bring him face to face with Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time since Russia's invasion.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 16, 2021
Singapore confronts the division and fear that come from living with COVID-19
Singapore had seemed like a poster child for pandemic management, but now it is looking like a real-time illustration of how challenging the pivot away from 'zero COVID-19' is going to be.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 28, 2021
Singapore braces for a leap of faith in its COVID-19 strategy
The tiny city-state that relies on being globally connected is eyeing the resumption of some international travel by September.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 12, 2021
Singapore faces biggest-ever challenge to succession planning
The rumblings started shortly after Singapore’s ruling party won 89% of seats in last year’s election.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 13, 2021
Myanmar faces wider business fallout after Kirin retreat
Companies and investors are weighing the impact of a military coup that has thrust the once-thriving nation into a state of emergency.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 21, 2020
Singapore’s new city of the future is its greenest project yet
The project is part of the city-state's effort to reduce a carbon footprint that's bigger than some countries that are 50 times its size.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Apr 22, 2020
How Singapore flipped from virus hero to cautionary tale
In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Singapore was a global standard bearer for taming the deadly illness. Now it’s home to Southeast Asia’s largest recorded outbreak and is racing to regain control.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health / FOCUS
Feb 28, 2020
Singapore has a $100 billion plan to survive in a far hotter world than experts predicted
Singapore has a reputation for planning ahead. With climate change, it is planning for the worst.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan's former PM Aso meets Trump for talks on security and economy
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Taro Aso, vice president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in New York on Tuesday. The Japanese government’s top spokesman on Wednesday played down the meeting as one conducted "in the capacity of one lawmaker" and “without the government’s involvement.”
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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