TOKYO -- Nippon Paint Holdings said on Wednesday that it will acquire Cromology Holding, a French maker of decorative paints, through a subsidiary.

Nippon Paint says Cromology is the fourth-largest maker of decorative paints in Europe.

The Japanese company says the European paint market is the world's second-largest, after China's, and has prospects for stable growth. Nippon Paint will pay 1.15 billion euros ($1.3 billion, 150 billion yen) for Cromology.

TAIPEI -- Taiwan cannot match the economic or military might of China. Yet as Beijing doubles down on its belligerent words and actions toward its smaller neighbor, Taiwan is reaping the benefits of soft power as China's image declines.

Harvard University announced last week it has relocated its overseas Mandarin program from Beijing to Taipei -- a shift that its student paper reported was "due to a perceived lack of friendliness from the host institution, Beijing Language and Culture University."

Harvard's decision could spur other universities with

TAIPEI -- Foxconn will build electric vehicle factories in Europe, India and either North or South America by 2024, as the key iPhone assembler looks to rapidly expand its presence in the booming EV industry, the company chairman said.

The Taiwanese tech titan and world's largest contract electronics manufacturer has made EVs a key part of its growth strategy, reflecting a maturing smartphone market.

"Regional manufacturing will be a key to developing our EV business globally," Foxconn Chairman Young Liu told reporters on the sideline

GUANGZHOU -- Nearly every Monday, young executives hustle into a conference room at the headquarters of lifestyle goods chain Miniso Group in Guangzhou.

Each is in charge of one of the 11 product categories carried across the group's nearly 4,750 outlets around the world and presents potential new items to stock, showing off prototypes and samples from suppliers to make their case.

Ye Guofu, the New York-listed company's founder and chief executive, makes the final calls at the "goods selection meet

TOKYO (Reuters) -- A volcano erupted in southwestern Japan on Wednesday, blasting ash several kilometers into the sky and prompting officials to warn against the threat of lava flows and falling rocks, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Mount Aso, a tourist destination on the main southern island of Kyushu, sent plumes of ash 3.5 km high when it erupted at about 11:43 a.m., the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

It raised the alert level for the volcano

The decision by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to build a new plant in Japan offers the country's semiconductor industry an opportunity to strengthen its foundation. The hope is that the move will boost Japan's whole digital sector.

The world's leading chipmaker is set to break ground on the factory next year and bring it online in 2024.

It was the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry that encouraged TSMC to make the decision. For a ministry that has been obsessed with reviving the nation'

JAKARTA -- Indonesia will need $200 billion per annum in the next decade and over $1 trillion annually in the next four decades to achieve its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2060, a recent government study showed, highlighting the need for massive financing in a country heavily reliant on coal.

The 108-page report was issued by Bappenas, a ministry responsible for national development planning, in light of carbon dioxide reduction development "tak[ing] a backseat following economic and

TOKYO -- At this year's Japan Ceatec expo, Sony Group demonstrated its strengths in semiconductor technology as it looks to expand into a wide range of businesses.

Three years ago, the Japanese conglomerate revealed its ambition to become the world leader in both imaging and sensing applications for CMOS image sensors.

The annual IT and electronics trade show, which kicked off Tuesday, will run for four days, with big Japanese electronics companies like Sony and Panasonic showcasing their latest products and services online.

Sony decided to focus on promoting

SHANGHAI -- Home prices fell last month in most of China's largest cities, signaling that worries about the future of the country's debt-strapped property developers are driving homebuyers to the sidelines.

According to data released on Wednesday by the National Bureau of Statistics, prices for new homes fell in 36 of China's 70 largest cities, the highest number in six years. In August, prices fell in 16 of the tracked cities.

Overall, average property prices in September declined 0.