Despite Moon's claims, South Korea still relies on Japanese chip materials
SEOUL/TOKYO -- When Japan two years ago imposed tighter controls on exports of semiconductor materials to South Korea, it shook supply chains across the two countries and made Seoul realize that an excessive dependency on Japanese products came with risks. South Korea thus began pushing to become self-sufficient in high-tech chip materials.
But so far South Korea's efforts to cut its reliance on Japan-made materials have not progressed as much as the government says they have, and trade statistics show the economies' interdependency.
China's tech crackdown widens to Tencent from Alibaba
TOKYO -- Chinese authorities are cracking down harder on the country's tech titans of late, putting internet services company Tencent Holdings in their sights, after doing the same to e-commerce leader Alibaba Group Holding.
Ostensibly, regulators are focused on anti-competitive practices and protecting customers' personal information. But many observers believe the move is motivated by a desire to keep mighty IT companies in check.
Big Chinese tech players have used their monopoly power in the country's closed markets to cement their dominance. But
Olympics latest: US beats Japan to win gold in women's basketball
TOKYO -- The Tokyo Olympics are well underway after a long journey filled with controversy and an unprecedented one-year postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proceedings officially began with the opening ceremony at the National Stadium , a mostly subdued affair mixed with joyous moments like a high-tech drone show, and capped by tennis star Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic cauldron.
We're tracking the latest medal count .
Read our breakdown of the events to watch .
Here are the latest developments:
Sunday, Aug
Pakistan replaces its Belt and Road chief with Beijing favorite
KARACHI -- Pakistan has replaced the head of its Belt and Road projects with an energy expert who is a favorite of Beijing in a bid to push the stalled projects forward, providing observers with another anecdote of China appearing to manage the infrastructure plan from behind the scenes.
Pakistan's government, led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, on Aug. 3 appointed Khalid Mansoor to the country's top position responsible for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) -- the $50 billion local component of Beijing
Japanese director gives stylish new twists to food fetishes
LISBON -- Is a world that has grown accustomed to expressing passions through masks and at a safe distance ready to embrace a succulent cinematic work that explores the wildly erotic potential of close-up encounters with sensual foods?
The answer may lie in the surprisingly positive reception thus far for "Sexual Drive," a quirky, nearly minimalist feature that probes the connection between secret sexual desires and peculiarly tantalizing dishes without anyone actually removing their clothes. Having launched in February, ahead of its Asian premiere at Taipei's Golden Horse
Olympics latest: Kenya's Kipchoge wins men's marathon gold
TOKYO -- The Tokyo Olympics are well underway after a long journey filled with controversy and an unprecedented one-year postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proceedings officially began with the opening ceremony at the National Stadium , a mostly subdued affair mixed with joyous moments like a high-tech drone show, and capped by tennis star Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic cauldron.
We're tracking the latest medal count .
Read our breakdown of the events to watch .
Here are the latest developments:
Sunday, Aug
Myanmar's unchecked epidemic threatens COVID-19 'tsunami'
BANGKOK -- When Cyclone Nargis slammed into Myanmar's heavily populated Irrawaddy Delta in May 2008, it killed almost 140,000 people. It was the worst natural disaster in Myanmar's recorded history.
Worse may now be in store for Myanmar and the region as an uncontrolled third wave of COVID-19 sweeps across a country where state hospitals have been shut for six months.
"The possibility of Myanmar becoming the world epicenter of the COVID crisis is very real, and
Home oxygen gear in demand as Japan limits COVID hospitalizations
TOKYO -- As Japan limits COVID-19 hospitalizations to the sickest amid surging cases, medical equipment makers have ramped up output of oxygen concentrators and other products to ensure a steady supply for those being treated at home.
The government announced Thursday that it plans to limit hospitalizations in hot spots to serious and high-risk cases, with others directed to recover at home. As even many people in the latter category are expected to develop breathing problems, municipalities are moving to secure necessary equipment.
Daikin Industries plans to more
Olympics latest: Neeraj Chopra wins India's first-ever gold in athletics
TOKYO -- The Tokyo Olympics are well underway after a long journey filled with controversy and an unprecedented one-year postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proceedings officially began with the opening ceremony at the National Stadium , a mostly subdued affair mixed with joyous moments like a high-tech drone show, and capped by tennis star Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic cauldron.
We're tracking the latest medal count .
Read our breakdown of the events to watch .
Here are the latest developments:
Saturday, Aug
As Tokyo Games end, boycott debate looms over Beijing Olympics
HONG KONG -- As the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games close on Sunday, attention will turn to Beijing and the prospects of a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Chinese capital's second turn at hosting the Olympics in less than 15 years.
Critics say human rights in China have only deteriorated since the nation hosted the 2008 Summer Games.
"Back in 2008, there was hope," Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch,
