TOKYO -- The Chinese Communist Party has unintentionally revealed weaknesses of the country's military.

One indication came with the building of facilities for launching new intercontinental ballistic missiles in an inland desert region. The other was a series of further attempts to increase childbirths, including measures to help reduce the costly burden of educating children. Behind these moves lurks evidence that the country is addressing concerns regarding troop morale and the military's ability to fight a sustained war.

For nearly a decade, China has been busy in the South

TOKYO -- Electronics makers grappling with an unprecedented global chip crunch are increasingly turning to unconventional supply channels to meet their needs -- and many are getting stuck with knock-off, substandard or reused semiconductors.

Junichi Fujioka, CEO of Japanese electronics manufacturer Jenesis, has experienced this phenomenon first hand.

Unable to procure microcomputers from its usual sources, his company's plant in southern China placed an order through a site run by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. When the microcomputers arrived, however, they failed to turn

TOKYO -- When the New Context Conference kicked off in Tokyo on Aug. 11, it almost looked like an official curtain-raiser for Japan's new Digital Agency, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's proposed solution to the bureaucratic inefficiencies exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three cabinet ministers -- digital reform chief Takuya Hirai, who led preparations for the launch of the agency; Taro Kono, the administrative and regulatory reform point man; and Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi -- attended the event hosted by

HAIKOU, China -- Surging sales of electric vehicles have put China on track to meet government targets several years early, but officials say the industry still needs to work harder on technological breakthroughs.

Chinese consumers bought 1.79 million electric vehicles over the first eight months of 2021, up 194% from the same period last year. This expansion compared with 14% growth for overall auto sales.

Analysts have credited the sales growth in part to new lower cost models, many with better

LANGKAWI, Malaysia -- With six children in tow, Khatijah Ibrahim was soaking in the ocean breezes and picturesque scenery of Malaysia's Langkawi on Saturday.

"It's definitely a relief that we can finally step out from Kuala Lumpur to a beautiful island," said the accountant. Although she had some concerns about the trip, due to COVID-19, she said it was worth it to relieve the pandemic's mental strain. "In the last year, it has been the shuttle between work

TOKYO -- Japan's future policies on energy and China took center stage in a debate Saturday as the four candidates in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party presidential race exchanged views on the challenges facing the country.

Taro Kono, the liberal and outspoken vaccine minister; Fumio Kishida, considered an establishment candidate; Sanae Takaichi, a hard-line conservative and former party policy chief; and Seiko Noda, a former internal affairs minister; participated in the debate organized by the Japan National Press Club.

The triennial election, which will

TOKYO -- Leaders from the U.S., Japan, India and Australia will agree to work toward creating a safe supply chain for semiconductors when they meet for the Quad summit in Washington next week, a signal that the four-way alliance meant to counter China in the Indo-Pacific is broadening its scope.

The four nations are expected to confirm that "resilient, diverse and secure technology supply chains for hardware, software, and services" are vital to their shared national interests, according to the draft of

BEIJING/SHENYANG, China -- When a siren rang at 9:18 a.m. on Saturday to mark the 90th anniversary of a railway bombing by the Imperial Japanese Army, a high-ranking Chinese official was among the attendees.

Zhao Leji, the No. 6 official of the Chinese Communist Party and a member of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee, was on hand for a ceremony of what is known as the Liutiaohu Incident -- or simply the September 18 Incident -- in Shenyang

TOKYO -- Japan so far has refused to relax its 14-day quarantine request for travelers from overseas even as other major economies move to waive such requirements for the vaccinated.

Following a request from top business lobby Keidanren this month, Tokyo has signaled its intention to gradually ease the restrictions. It is considering shortening the quarantine duration but remains reluctant to waive it altogether.

Delays in easing travel restrictions would prevent business travelers from coming to Japan. Japanese professionals would also balk at going overseas because they face a 14