Brabim Karki is a businessman based in Nepal. He writes for publications including the Hindustan Times, The Economic Times, The Independent and The Hill.
Japan's 'frozen money' pool shifts to investments as rates, inflation bite
TOKYO -- Japanese households are starting to break old habits shaped by decades of deflation and low interest rates, turning to government bonds and mutual funds as savings no longer offer sufficient returns.
3 Japanese shipbuilders to resume production of LNG carriers
TOKYO -- Three Japanese shipbuilders will jointly resume domestic construction of liquefied natural gas carriers around 2035, aiming to build three to five vessels a year with the possible help of South Korean technologies, Nikkei has learned.
China-backed Puma and Kelme supply 27% of World Cup uniforms
BERLIN/SHANGHAI -- The Chinese-backed sportswear brands Puma and Kelme are making China a formidable player in soccer uniforms, outfitting 27% of the World Cup teams this year.
Growth in species discoveries fuels hopes for new drugs
TOKYO -- Scientists are discovering new species of plants, animals and other organisms at an ever-increasing pace, with a record 17,044 species described in 2020, the latest year for which data is available.
BOJ policy meeting, G7 summit, Min Aung Hlaing visits China
Welcome to Your Week in Asia.
The Bank of Japan is expected to raise rates at its policy meeting, a move that would take borrowing costs to levels unseen in three decades. BOJ officials are increasingly taking the view that higher oil prices due to escalating tensions in the Middle East could lead to price increases for a wide range of items and push up underlying inflation.
Group of Seven leaders including Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will head to Evian, France, for a summit set to be dominated by the wars in Iran
US luxury label Chrome Hearts struggles to meet Japan demand
TOKYO -- Chrome Hearts, an American luxury lifestyle and accessories brand known for its rebellious, rock 'n' roll aesthetic, is winning fans in Japan beyond bikers, thanks to rising demand from young consumers and helped by South Korean K-pop idols who are its ambassadors.
Thailand cracks down on foreign enterprises that pretend to be local
BANGKOK/HANOI -- Authorities in Thailand are clamping down on businesses that pretend to be domestically owned but are actually controlled by foreign interests as growing Chinese influence over farming raises alarms.
Exploring Sabah, Borneo's 'land below the wind'
KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia -- Agnes Keith, an American author who lived nearly a century ago in Sandakan, in the British protectorate of North Borneo -- now the Malaysian state of Sabah -- had a way with words. She described a 1937 party to celebrate the coronation of Britain's King George VI thus: "There are the pagan tribes of Borneo and the ladies of [the colonial town], drinking tea and eating cakes together ... And there in that scene too fantastic for
South Korea seeks to turn hit movies into lasting industry success
James Lambert is director of economic consulting for Asia at Oxford Economics in Singapore.