SINGAPORE -- Singapore-based marketing consultant Sabrina Marican discovered premium Thai beauty and wellness brand Panpuri on a trip to Bangkok. "Their products are mostly oil-based, rather than alcohol-based, and I find them good for my skin," she said. When the brand opened its first store in Singapore in late 2025, she was elated.
Japan to focus on India economic ties with new Foreign Ministry office
TOKYO/MUMBAI -- The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs will create a new office Wednesday to expand economic cooperation with India and support Japanese companies looking to expand into the world's most populous market.
Agentic AI OpenClaw holds Japan event amid expectations as 'next ChatGPT'
TOKYO -- OpenClaw, an artificial intelligence tool that lets users automate what they do on their own computers, held a convention for those interested in the technology in Tokyo's Shibuya district Monday.
Bank of Japan rushes to pave way for rate hikes amid rising oil prices, weak yen
TOKYO -- The Bank of Japan is laying the groundwork for rate hikes, releasing studies and policy meeting opinions signaling the need for an increase given rising oil prices and the inflation risk caused by the weak yen.
Japan's fiscal policy on track, but tax cut not budget neutral: ex-IMF economist
TOKYO -- Olivier Blanchard, professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, spoke with Nikkei after attending a Thursday meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, a Japanese government advisory body.
Japan is preparing for the worst. Taiwan is just preparing excuses
Kolas Yotaka is the former spokesperson for Taiwan's presidential office, an author, independent consultant and former legislator. She is the author of the recently published "The Gift: On Taiwanese Identity" and hosts a weekly podcast on security, foreign affairs and democratic resilience.
Honda shifts power back to car engineers to reignite innovation
TOKYO -- Honda Motor's several thousand engineers handling automotive development will become employees of an R&D unit from Wednesday, as the automaker resurrects its storied engineering subsidiary in a bid to revive its innovative spirit and fight back against the rise of Chinese rivals.
Mitsubishi to adopt JPMorgan blockchain service for fund transfers
TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Corp. plans to soon start using JPMorgan Chase blockchain technology to send money worldwide, taking advantage of a service that allows for instant fund transfers.
Southeast Asia companies shed over $200bn in market value on Iran war
BANGKOK/HANOI -- The market value of companies across Southeast Asia has declined by at least $216.9 billion since the Iran conflict began in late February, as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz sours investor sentiment.
South Korea to import 27,000 tons of Russian naphtha amid shortage
SEOUL -- South Korea will import 27,000 metric tons of naphtha from Russia, Seoul said Monday, in response to Iran's de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupting supplies from the Middle East.