JAKARTA -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo has stepped under the global spotlight. Emerging from two years of pandemic-induced isolation, the leader of the world's fourth-most-populous nation appears to have shed some of his more placid characteristics, shifting to an altogether more forceful and bold persona.

TOKYO -- COVID-19 is driving technology companies to innovate as consumer needs evolve, Colin Angle, the chairman and CEO of iRobot, told Nikkei's Global Management Forum on Tuesday.

YOKOSUKA, Japan -- Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi inspected the Maritime Self-Defense Force's JS Izumo helicopter carrier at Yokosuka Base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Monday, receiving updates on the vessel's conversion to host cutting-edge fighters.

TOKYO -- The Japanese government has kicked off discussions on an economic stimulus package estimated at more than 30 trillion yen ($265 billion), starting with a debate in Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's council on a "new capitalism" that balances growth and wealth distribution.

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong e-commerce financing service Qupital has raised $150 million to expand its reach in Asia.

TOKYO -- Business leaders from around the world are gathered at Nikkei's Global Management Forum on Tuesday to discuss how they are navigating the fragile, uneven economic recovery from COVID-19.

JAKARTA -- Indonesian venture capital company Alpha JWC Ventures has closed what it calls the "largest early-stage fund in Southeast Asia" at $433 million, it announced on Tuesday.

BANGKOK/YANGON -- Myanmar's military regime is laying the groundwork for an electoral system based on proportional representation, an apparent bid to ensure it maintains the control it seized nine months ago.

SINGAPORE -- Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to resume quarantine-free air travel between them on Nov. 29, for fully vaccinated passengers, in another step toward reviving their economies.

TOKYO -- Japan's gross domestic product dipped 2.1% on the month in September after adjusting for inflation, the Japan Center for Economic Research said Monday.