China's hunger for LNG drives prices higher as it cuts carbon use
TOKYO -- Competition for limited supplies of liquid natural gas is intensifying as China and Europe rush to meet their growing needs, raising global prices to record levels.
The surge could spell another rough winter for Asian markets such as Japan, where power providers have been stocking up to avoid the shortages that drove up electricity prices last year. But they may still face exorbitant prices that risk hindering the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
China has become a major driver of rising prices as efforts to decarbonize push it toward LNG,
Is Japan ready to uphold its Indo-Pacific obligations?
Yukari Ota is a Ph.D. researcher at Cambridge University and a former U.N. official who specialized in peace-building. She served in several conflict-affected countries, including Afghanistan (2004-2010).
Set to play more of an essential role in global politics than ever before, last month's in-person Quad summit in Washington reaffirmed Japan's vital importance as the cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. But is Japan ready?
New LDP policy chief Takaichi supports Taiwan's CPTPP bid
TOKYO -- The new chair of the Japanese ruling party's powerful Policy Research Council said Tuesday that she will back Taiwan's application to join the 11-nation CPTPP trade pact.
"I will support Taiwan's efforts as a partner with shared values," Sanae Takaichi said in a meeting with party lawmakers.
Several Japanese officials have welcomed Taipei's bid to enter the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, previously known as the TPP, which Tokyo currently chairs. But the application
Leading by listening: Kishida offers Japan a traditional style of politics
TOKYO -- "I have often heard it said that 'Kishida is finished,' but I believe I would be well suited to the role of prime minister."
This was Fumio Kishida's blunt assessment of his chances when he announced his bid for Japan's top job on Aug 26. On Monday, however, he proved his critics wrong by winning the coveted role, making him Japan's 100th prime minister.
Few people, indeed, rated Kishida's chances when he
Biden and Xi explore 'recoupling' as advisers meet in Zurich
NEW YORK -- U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan will travel to Switzerland to meet China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi, the White House announced Tuesday, a sign that the two sides are seeking to lower the temperature after years of rising tensions.
The meeting in Zurich, which may come as early as Wednesday, could pave way for the first in-person talks between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Rome, which
Nuclear power crucial to Japan's net-zero goal: industry minister
TOKYO -- Nuclear power is "indispensable" to decarbonizing Japan, industry minister Koichi Hagiuda said Tuesday, a sign that the new government under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will push hard to restart the country's reactors.
Most Japanese nuclear reactors have been offline since the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, due to tougher regulations and lingering public distrust over the fuel source. But Hagiuda suggested there is no other way for Japan to meet its goal to go carbon neutral by 2050.
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Pakistan and China unveil ambitious plan to develop Karachi coast
KARACHI -- In an ambitious turn, Pakistan and China have agreed to develop the Karachi coast, possibly shifting away from Gwadar as the center stage of the Belt and Road project in Pakistan, following ongoing problems at the southwestern province of Balochistan.
A memorandum of understanding was signed for the Karachi Coastal Comprehensive Development Zone project during the recently held 10th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, after a gap of almost two years.
Based on details shared by Pakistan, China will
Japan to require 4,000 companies to disclose climate risks
TOKYO -- Japan's financial watchdog will require large companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions and make other climate-related disclosures, Nikkei has learned.
The new initiative from the Financial Services Agency will likely cover around 4,000 companies, including those listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and will be enforced starting in April 2022, along with the TSE's plans to divide its stock market into three segments: prime, standard, and growth.
The FSA will first require companies listed
Son of ex-dictator Marcos says he'll run for Philippine presidency
MANILA -- Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr., the namesake son of the late Philippine dictator, said Tuesday he plans to run for president in next year's election.
"I am today announcing my intention to run for the presidency of the Philippines in the upcoming May 2022 elections," Marcos said in an announcement on Facebook.
A successful bid would mark the Marcos family's return to power after the patriarch was ousted by the "People Power" revolution in 1986.
Why U.S. decline does not mean the end of globalization
William Bratton is author of "China's Rise, Asia's Decline." He was previously head of equity research, Asia-Pacific, at HSBC.
The rapid shift of the global economy toward Asia, especially China, and uncertainty over the U.S.'s longer-term international role after the Afghanistan debacle, have resulted in much angst across the West about the perceived decline of globalization.
The fear is that the world is no longer trending toward greater integration and coordination but is instead fragmenting into
