Business Apr 19, 2020
Pandemic may force Japan to give up on RCEP agreement for 2020
Tokyo is likely to place a top priority on shoring up the nation's virus-hit economy for an extended period, making it tough to promote free trade agreements.
Business | FOCUS Mar 10, 2020
Bank of Japan prodded to act as COVID-19 spreads, but options limited
Many smaller companies in the tourism, retail and other services sectors have encountered bankruptcy risks as the epidemic disrupts supply chains.
Asia Pacific | ANALYSIS Mar 3, 2020
North Korea's first missile launch of 2020 aimed at capturing the attention of a distracted U.S.
Coming as the new coronavirus strain holds the world's attention, North Korea's first projectile firing this year could be seen to underscore its intention to draw the focus of the United States onto Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. At a key ruling party meeting in ...
National / Science & Health Mar 2, 2020
Too much washing and sanitizer could raise risk from other viruses
Some medical experts have started to warn that the overuse of alcohol-based hand sanitizers to protect against the coronavirus could inversely raise the risk of infection via skin disorders. Washing one's hands too many times can also have an adverse effect by abrading the skin, ...
National Jan 30, 2020
Japanese living in Beijing grapple with coronavirus outbreak
While some Japanese living in Beijing are optimistic that the new coronavirus can be quickly contained, many others fear that the deadly outbreak will continue to spread. The virus has claimed more than 100 lives since being detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan late ...
National | FOCUS Jan 25, 2020
Anxiety about employees trapped in Wuhan grows at Japanese firms
With public transportation services suspended in Wuhan, anxiety is mounting over Japanese who might be trapped in the city at the origin of the deadly new coronavirus, which was confirmed in a third patient in Japan on Saturday. Many Japanese companies operating in China have ...
National / Politics | ANALYSIS Jan 12, 2020
Despite electoral landslide, 'new era' of Sino-Japanese ties strikes fear into the hearts of Taiwan's leaders
Fears are growing in Taipei that Japan might agree with Beijing on a new political document effectively expressing its support for China’s strategy toward what it regards as a wayward province.
National / Politics | FOCUS Jan 12, 2020
Tsai Ing-wen's electoral secret weapon: pro-Japanese youths
In Taiwan's presidential election Saturday, young people, who are favorably disposed toward Japan, may have been one of the major contributors to the re-election of incumbent Tsai Ing-wen. They are enthusiastic about Japanese pop culture such as anime, comic books, music and TV dramas. Moreover, ...
Asia Pacific | ANALYSIS Jan 2, 2020
East Asian security in 2020 will hinge on U.S.-North Korean relations
The security environment in East Asia in 2020 is set to hinge on whether tensions between North Korea and the United States will escalate, as leader Kim Jong Un has accused Washington of missing a deadline set by Pyongyang for nuclear talks. Concern is growing ...
Asia Pacific Dec 28, 2019
Despite announcement, North Korea fails to deliver Christmas 'gift' to U.S.
Focus Tomoyuki Tachikawa Christmas has passed without any "gift" from North Korea, despite intensifying concern that it would launch an intercontinental ballistic missile on the most widely celebrated holiday in the United States. Behind Pyongyang's refraining from firing a longer-range missile on Christmas Day may be the ...