TOKYO -- Japanese drugmaker Shionogi will begin a Phase 3 clinical trial on its COVID-19 vaccine this month, mainly in Vietnam and other Asian countries, CEO Isao Teshirogi said Monday.

The clinical trial, which will involve two groups, one given the actual vaccine and the other given a placebo, is aimed at putting its "recombinant protein vaccine" on the list of the World Health Organization-approved vaccines, Teshirogi said at a news conference to discuss the company's earnings. Shionogi is the front-

HONG KONG -- China's unexpected move on Monday to apply to join a fledging global digital trade pact even as the country tightens up cross-border data flows has raised questions about its intentions.

Monday's move followed Chinese President Xi Jinping's announcement of Beijing's intention to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) as part of his video address a day earlier to the Group of 20 leaders' summit in Rome.

The application comes a few weeks after Beijing submitted its application to join

TOKYO -- Japan looks to let foreigners visit the country for short business trips, study abroad and technical training in an easing of its strict coronavirus-related entry rules, Nikkei has learned.

Tourists are not included in this round. The government is expected to announce the policy changes as early as this week, with implementation to begin this month.

With new COVID-19 cases down substantially from record levels over the summer, Japan aims to gradually loosen a de facto entry ban on foreigners that has become a source

SEOUL -- South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have only a week left to decide how they will respond to the U.S. request for information on their supply chains.

The U.S. Department of Commerce asked multinational semiconductor companies on Sept. 24 to disclose data in 14 areas so that it can identify bottlenecks in the global supply chain, amid a severe shortage of chips and other components. Businesses have until Nov. 8 to comply.

The disclosures sought include those pertaining to client information

TOKYO -- A former Japanese defense minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, has emerged as a leading candidate to become the next foreign minister, part of an unexpected reshuffle in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership following Sunday's general election.

The switch comes after Akira Amari became the LDP's first secretary-general -- essentially the party's No. 2 post -- to lose their single-seat district. Amari has offered his resignation to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Kishida plans to name Foreign Minister Toshimitsu

HANOI -- A joint venture involving South Korea's Hyundai Engineering and Construction seeks $114.7 million in damages from the city of Hanoi for delays in completing an urban rail project in the Vietnamese capital.

The joint venture with Italian infrastructure builder Ghella is the lead contractor in building the underground portion of the Hanoi Metro Line 3, a 12.5 km link connecting the capital and the western suburb of Nhon.

Construction was first slated for completion in 2018, but the date has

WASHINGTON -- China may consider military action on Taiwan by the next U.S. presidential election in 2024, former U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien recently told Nikkei, raising the alarm over the growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

O'Brien predicted that China will not do anything to jeopardize the Beijing Olympics in February. But Beijing worries that former President Donald Trump or a China hawk like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will win the White House in 2024

Nobuko Kobayashi is a partner with EY Strategy and Consulting Co., Ltd., Strategy and Transactions -- EY-Parthenon.

It is tempting to write Japan off as a sunset country when it comes to innovation.

From over 50% global market share in the 1980s, Japanese semiconductors fell to 6% in 2020, while none of the global digital giants that have dominated world market capitalization ranking since the 2010s is Japanese. If pressed for memorable Japanese innovation

GLASGOW, Scotland -- U.S. President Joe Biden and Indonesian counterpart Joko "Jokowi" Widodo shared concern over the situation in Myanmar and agreed to seek its swift return to democracy in their first summit Monday.

The two leaders "expressed concern about the coup in Burma and agreed the Burmese military must cease violence, release all political prisoners, and provide for a swift return to democracy," a White House readout said, referring to Myanmar by its former name. They met on the sidelines of the COP2