TOKYO -- The Japanese government is tightening the screening process for residency status of foreign corporate employees coming to Japan, Nikkei learned on Monday.

KUALA LUMPUR -- AirAsia has cut its flight capacity by about 10% and raised fuel surcharges by 20% as the Malaysian budget carrier streamlines its operations amid rising oil prices, company executives said Monday.

TOKYO -- Mazda Motor said on April 6 it will suspend production of vehicles destined for the Middle East until May, following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Exports had already been halted in March, and production will be redirected to vehicles bound for the U.S. and Europe.

TOKYO -- The Japanese government is tightening the screening process for the residency status of foreign corporate employees coming to Japan, Nikkei learned on Monday.

BANGKOK -- BWH Hotels, owner of Best Western and 17 other hotel brands, plans to increase its offerings in Asia by more than a third this year as it taps growing affluence and tourism in the region.

HUALIEN, Taiwan -- Cheng Li-wun, Taiwan's top opposition figure, is set to embark on a trip to China that is expected to cement her status as Beijing's main interlocutor in Taipei and reverberate through Taiwanese politics and its crucial relations with the U.S.

HANOI -- Vietnam's economy grew 7.8% in the first quarter of this year on an annualized basis, faster than the same period in 2025 but slower than in the previous quarter and below the government's ambitious target as the global energy crisis took a heavy toll.

DHAKA -- Bangladesh's garment makers are reeling as the Iran war makes key synthetic fibers and chemicals 10% to 15% more expensive and triples the price of at least one other input, squeezing margins as customers resist paying more for their existing orders.

SINGAPORE -- Economic growth in ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea as a bloc could fall to its weakest level since 2022 this year if the Iran war continues, the chief economist of a Singapore-based international organization warned.

TOKYO -- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated on Monday that she is pursuing dialogue with Iran's leader, saying in the budget committee of the lower house of parliament, "We are making preparations to hold [talks] at an appropriate time."