TOKYO -- The number of coronavirus patients in Japan told to recuperate at home has surged to the point where there is a near shortage of medical devices needed for treatment.

There were 127,000 homebound COVID-19 patients nationwide on Wednesday last week, including those recovering in hotels and those wait-listed for hospital vacancies. The count has mushroomed more than nine times from the 14,000 stay-at-home patients recorded on July 21.

In Tokyo alone,

Derek Grossman is a senior defense analyst at the nonprofit, nonpartisan Rand Corp. He formerly served as an intelligence adviser at the Pentagon.

Without an official Indo-Pacific strategy in place, observers are forced to read between the lines to get a better sense of U.S. President Joe Biden's policy toward the region.

To be sure, the Biden administration in March published its Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, which doubles down on the Trump administration's competition with China by strengthening alliances and partnerships. However

SINGAPORE -- The U.S. is "focused" on evacuation operations from Afghanistan, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday during her trip to Singapore, as its retreat from the Central Asian country raised questions about the credibility of U.S. commitments.

"Right now, we are singularly focused on evacuating American citizens, Afghans who worked with us and Afghans who are vulnerable, including women and children," Harris said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, when asked to assess what

TOKYO -- After two weeks, the sporting events of the Tokyo Olympics are over . The U.S. pipped China by 39 to 38 to win the most golds, while Japan came in third with a record 27. The closing ceremony on Sunday evening brought the Games to a conclusion, with the Olympic flag handed over to Paris.

Next up are the Paralympics, scheduled to open on Tuesday and run though Sept. 5. Spectators are barred from attending venues.

Here are the latest developments:

SINGAPORE -- The Taliban's return in Afghanistan has issued a wake-up call thousands of kilometers away in Southeast Asia, home to millions of Muslims.

Policymakers, security officials and experts in Association of Southeast Asian Nations states are wary that the Islamist group's triumph will inspire religious extremism close to home, while also bracing for a potential influx of refugees. "I assure the public that the police and military will not allow a spillover of the Afghan conflict," the Philippines' police chief, Gen.

TAIPEI -- The chip industry will need to double its production capacity in the next eight to 10 years to address shortages and growing government concerns over supply chain security, the CEO of the biggest U.S. contract chipmaker said on Monday.

"[There has been] a recent acceleration of geopolitical awareness of just how critically important semiconductors, and in particular semiconductor manufacturing, is to supply chain security, sovereign security and economic security," GlobalFoundries CEO Tom Caulfield said in an online speech at Semicon Southeast Asia,

BANGKOK -- After achieving two years of record growth, Thailand's long-term residency program, the "elite visa," is now stalling.

The program faces myriad challenges: COVID-19 cases keep surging to record highs, anti-government protesters are again taking to the streets, and the visa initiative's leader has resigned.

"Thailand daily [coronavirus] cases are in five figures [per] day, this has scared some Chinese who decided to flee back to the mainland," said

PHUKET, Thailand -- Hotel operators just about everywhere have had a tough time during the pandemic, but perhaps nowhere more so than in the tourist-dependent economies of Southeast Asia.

Their primary customer base, cashed-up foreign tourists, has been wiped off the map and eight out of 10 hotels in the region closed when COVID-19 began spreading, according to property consultancy Colliers.

Now, many of those that reopened have been dragged into price wars to lure domestic travelers but overall numbers fall far short

Boonsithi Chokwatana is chairman of Saha Group, Thailand's leading consumer products conglomerate. This is part 26 of a 30-part series .

To this day, Saha Group and I have worked to strengthen our bond with Japan. As I wanted to let Thais know more about Japan, I have engaged in work to mediate between the two countries. Education is part of this endeavor.

It started in the mid-1990s, when a plan was suggested to develop 3.2 sq.