DALIAN, China -- A Japan-themed shopping, cultural and residential complex that opened less than two weeks ago in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian has been ordered to suspend operations.

Local authorities told the operators of "Tang Little Kyoto" to temporarily close its gates after Chinese netizens slammed the facility as a Japanese cultural "invasion." A reopening date is not clear.

When Nikkei visited the facility in Liaoning Province on Wednesday, the commercial area was closed off. An executive at operator Dalian Shuyuan Group said the

TOKYO -- Shares in Bukalapak, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Indonesia, fell on Wednesday despite the company posting a 35% jump in revenue for the first half of the year.

Bukalapak shares ended Wednesday's trading at 890 rupiah, down 5.8% on the day. The fall came despite the company booking revenue of 863 billion rupiah ($60.5 million) for the six months ended June, up 34.6% from the previous

BANGKOK -- Thailand's largest conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group will reorganize and merge operating companies of its Lotus's and Makro retail chains to create a stronger entity as the group eyes overseas markets.

The merger of the two hypermarket owners will help CP Group plot a more efficient growth strategy while giving the merged entity more clout when it launches overseas.

"Retailing is a global opportunity for Thailand and a sector where we can be successful on the international stage," said Suphachai Chearavanont, CEO of the group and chairman of

SHANGHAI -- Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations called on Wednesday for more multilateral investments through China's Belt and Road Initiative to support economic recovery while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to depress regional economic growth.

Meeting online at a Belt and Road Summit, ASEAN ministers said the region has benefited from the infrastructure and digital connectivity already brought about by BRI, but new initiatives are needed to create opportunities amid pandemic-induced uncertainties.

"I am of the view that there are many tangible aspects that could

TOKYO -- Germany's Metro AG will soon join a long list of foreign retail groups that have been forced to exit Japan.

It would be a mistake, however, to blame the failures on a clash of business cultures. Icons like McDonald's and Starbucks are able to thrive here. So the nagging question remains: what makes Japan's retail market so impenetrable?

Metro arrived in Japan roughly two decades ago to great fanfare. As an operator of wholesale stores, Metro is Germany's largest retail

TOKYO -- Vials of coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna contained particles of stainless steel, the U.S. drugmaker said Wednesday in a statement with Japanese distributor Takeda Pharmaceutical, revealing why roughly 1.6 million doses in Japan were withdrawn.

The particles do "not pose an undue risk to patient safety," and they "are unlikely to result in other adverse reactions beyond the local site of the injection," according to the statement.

The statement, which follows an investigation by Takeda, Moderna and the vaccine maker

NEW YORK -- High-profile Democratic congresswoman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York issued a statement Wednesday strongly opposing the nomination of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to be ambassador to Japan.

"This nomination is deeply shameful," the progressive lawmaker said, pointing to his handling of a 2014 police shooting in which a black teenager died.

"As mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel helped cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald -- a mere teenager when he was shot 16 times in the

TOKYO -- Speculation that beleaguered Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga would resort to dissolving the lower house in September for a snap election evaporated overnight.

"Considering the situation of coronavirus infections, we are not in a position to dissolve the Diet," Suga told reporters on Wednesday. He also denied any plans to "postpone" the presidential election for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

With those comments, Suga abandoned his short-lived attempt to call a snap election to blindside political rivals and regain footing ahead of the LDP race,

GUANGZHOU -- When it comes to President Xi Jinping's "common prosperity" campaign to correct wealth inequality in China, it appears that the star power of the country's top television and film celebrities offers them no protection.

The country's tech titans have come under the watchful eye of authorities for practices deemed monopolistic or that run contrary to the common good. Now, even some of China's most popular stars find themselves in the unforgiving glare of the campaign.

On Friday, Shanghai tax officials announced