WASHINGTON/BEIJING -- Efforts to secure an early meeting between U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs show how both sides see a military channel as a bare minimum to defuse tensions.
Coronavirus latest: Nikkei plunges on new South African variant concerns
Nikkei Asia is tracking the spread of the coronavirus that was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
Cumulative global cases have reached 259,934,633, according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The worldwide death toll has hit 5,180,896.
For more information about the spread of COVID-19 and vaccination progress around the world, please see our interactive charts and maps.
U.S. aims for year-end defense talks with top China officials
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. and China are trying to arrange for their top defense officials to meet before the end of this year, according to multiple U.S. government officials, which would be the first such meeting under President Joe Biden if it comes to pass.
South Korea presidential hopeful shows bitter emotion toward Japan
SEOUL -- Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate for South Korea's ruling Democratic Party, showed bitter emotion toward Japan at a news conference in Seoul on Thursday.
Indonesia court says omnibus law defective due to bad process
JAKARTA -- Indonesia's highest court on Thursday ordered the government to provide stronger legal ground for the sweeping omnibus law passed last year, saying the current framework will be declared "permanently unconstitutional" if necessary changes are not made within the next two years.
Hong Kong drink maker struggles to recover from China boycott
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong soymilk maker Vitasoy International Holdings saw its half-year net profit shrivel by 94.1% as Chinese consumers and retailers abandoned its drinks after the company was linked to an attack on a police officer in the city.
India opens 'net-zero emission' airport project, second for Delhi
NEW DELHI -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for the country's first zero-emission international airport close to the capital, an ambitious 340-billion-rupee ($4.5 billion) project being built and to be operated by Switzerland's Flughafen Zurich.
Nissan to make 50% of global car sales electric and hybrid by 2030
TOKYO -- Nissan Motor aims to have electric and hybrid models account for half of its global automobile sales by 2030, Nikkei has learned, with the Japanese automaker set to boost investment in the technology by more than 30% over the next decade.
Taiwan chip production on track for record in 2021, even bigger 2022
TAIPEI -- Taiwan's semiconductor production is expected to jump by more than a quarter this year to a record high, a new estimate shows, marking the biggest rise in the past decade as suppliers rush to ease a global chip shortage.
Wage hikes gain momentum in Japan, from factories to pubs
TOKYO -- More Japanese companies are offering higher pay as industries from auto manufacturing to restaurants scramble for workers in an economy that is trying to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.