Hokkaido sea urchin and salmon decimated amid rare red tide
TOKYO -- An unprecedented red tide in Hokkaido has contributed to huge numbers of sea urchin and salmon dying, driving up the price of these fixtures in traditional Japanese New Year's cooking.
The phenomenon is suspected to be related to warmer-than-usual water temperatures amid this summer's intense heat wave, suggesting a link to climate change. The die-off is expected to affect supplies -- and prices -- of uni and ikura , or salmon roe, for the next few years, on top
Daikin to build air conditioners free of rare earths
OSAKA -- Daikin will almost completely phase out the use of rare-earth metals in its air conditioners by fiscal 2025 to avoid rising costs and potential procurement issues since China controls a large chunk of the world's supply of the materials.
Growing demand for rare earths used in electric vehicles and wind turbines has fueled concerns that prices will rise, in addition to the geopolitical risks over supplies.
Daikin is involved in the entire process of building air conditioners, including the development of motors. Its air conditioners
Narendra Modi falls victim to India's never-ending image problem
Raoof Mir is an assistant professor of media and journalism at Alliance University, Bangalore, India. Ravi Chakraborty teaches philosophy of communication and technology at Alliance University.
The Washington summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden last month was meant to clear the air and put the two nations on a path to closer ties.
One jarring moment that was hard to miss came at the joint press conference with Modi, where Vice President Kamala Harris pointedly referred to the need to preserve internal democracy both in
India's first 7-Eleven store opens in deal with Reliance Industries
MUMBAI -- The first 7-Eleven convenience store in India launched on Saturday in Mumbai, with plans calling for more locations mainly in the nation's second-largest city.
Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries group entered into a franchise agreement with 7-Eleven, the U.S. unit of Japan's Seven & i Holdings.
"India is the second-largest country in the world and has one of the fastest-growing economies. It's an ideal time for the largest convenience retailer in the world
Nobelist Manabe eschewed Japanese 'harmony' for American candor
NEW YORK/TOKYO -- When Japanese meteorologist Syukuro Manabe spoke about his problems with Japan, chuckles could be heard among the audience assembled at Princeton University to hear this year's Nobel Prize laureate in physics speak.
"In Japan, if you ask some question, you get 'yes' or 'no,'" Manabe said to a packed auditorium on Tuesday, the same day he was given the prize for his work in helping the world understand climate change. "However, when the Japanese say 'yes
Japan's largest union hopes for momentum with first female leader
TOKYO -- The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, known as Rengo, has been hoping to regain political influence for some time. The country's largest national labor organization supports the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, and another opposition party, the Democratic Party for the People, but given their low support ratings, they are unlikely to take power anytime soon.
Former Rengo President Rikio Kozu, who led the organization for six years, tried to bring the opposition parties together, but without success. Tomoko Yoshino succeeded
Tsai says Taiwan will not bow to Chinese pressure
TAIPEI -- President Tsai Ing-wen said Sunday that Taiwan won't bow to pressure to give up its sovereignty, a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to bring the democratic island under Beijing's control.
"The more we achieve, the greater the pressure we face from China," Tsai said during a national holiday speech to an audience of thousands outside the presidential building in Taipei. "We hope for an easing of cross-strait relations and will not act rashly, but there should be absolutely
Afghan food prices soar as imports from Pakistan squeezed
KARACHI -- Food prices are spiraling in Afghanistan as the local currency plummets under selling pressure and imports from Pakistan decline steeply due to a U.S. dollar shortage that prevents traders making payments.
Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, vice president of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), told Nikkei Asia that food shipments from Pakistan to Afghanistan have reduced to a trickle largely because of the Taliban limiting weekly bank withdrawals to $200 -- about 20,000
Grab stake in Indonesia's Ovo reduced with help from new investor
JAKARTA -- Singapore superapp Grab has managed to bring in a prominent Indonesian businessman as a new investor to its Indonesian e-payment service Ovo -- a move made to comply with a regulation covering a local share ownership requirement.
According to legal filings, Grab now holds 79.5% of shares in Ovo's parent company after the latter's new rights issue. That brings the Singaporean company's stake down from the previous 90% it had after purchasing shares earlier in the month from Tokopedia
Global investors should start paying attention to India's rise
Praveen Jagwani is chief executive officer at UTI International, a Singapore-based manager of Indian assets.
No force on earth can stop an idea whose time has come, wrote the French essayist Victor Hugo in 1852, a maxim that could easily be applied today to India's quiet emergence on the world stage, especially when it comes to its economy.
To the surprise of many, India's stock market is on track to be the best performing market this year. Never any good at identifying turning
