Stephen Givens is a corporate lawyer based in Tokyo.

A statistical analysis of outside directors at Japanese listed companies confirms what the eye sees -- the same old faces keep reappearing in multiple and overlapping boards like Wally in the Where's Wally series.

Data gleaned through the GoToData database of the nonprofit Board Director Training Institute show that there are at least 342 directors who hold board seats at three or more companies, of which 100 sit on at least one company among the 100 largest by market

BEIJING -- The red banners adorning buildings add to the celebratory mood in the capital, with large white characters spelling out the Chinese Communist Party slogan "Remain true to the original aspirations and keep the mission firmly in mind."

Not just in Beijing, but across China, people are wholeheartedly embracing the party. Tourists make pilgrimages to the sites of the party's important milestones in so-called red tourism. Waving red flags, they happily pose for photos in front of statues of revolutionary leaders and exhibition halls.

TAIPEI -- For anyone who thought Huawei Technologies had buckled under the strain of a yearslong U.S. crackdown, it might come as a surprise that the Chinese tech group is looking to hire chip engineers in Munich, software developers in Istanbul and AI researchers in Canada, along with hundreds of Ph.D. candidates at home and abroad.

Far from beaten, the hiring push reveals a company that is determined to find a new path to growth after Washington's sanctions and political pressure left its once-thriving

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday gave a speech at Beijing's Tiananmen Square to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.

Below is an official English-language translation of the full speech provided by the CCP:

"Comrades and friends,

Today, the first of July, is a great and solemn day in the history of both the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese nation. We gather here to join all Party members and Chinese people of all ethnic groups

TOKYO -- Real estate developer Mitsubishi Estate has teamed up with TBS Holdings to redevelop Tokyo's Akasaka district with a focus on entertainment, Nikkei has learned.

The two companies will invest more than 200 billion yen ($1.8 billion) to rebuild skyscrapers, a theater and a performance hall in fiscal year 2028 in Akasaka, with the hopes of attracting tenants in the entertainment industry. Mitsubishi Estate plans to develop similar projects in the Yurakucho and Otemachi districts.

The move shows that companies

TOKYO -- Nissan Motor is set to build a giant electric vehicle battery plant in the U.K., pledging 1 billion pounds ($1.4 billion) of investment together with a Chinese battery company and the local city council as it strives to meet its zero-emission ambitions.

Nissan's tie-up with Envision Group comes as global automakers rush to secure supplies of batteries, the single most expensive electric vehicle component, to satisfy growing demand in Europe. Envision this week also announced plans for a

Natasha Kassam is Director of the Lowy Institute's Public Opinion and Foreign Policy program and a former Australian diplomat.

When Xi Jinping addressed a collective study session of the Chinese Communist Party's top decision-making body on Jun. 1, he emphasized how important it was for China to expand its "circle of friends in international public opinion."

"The Party must focus on grasping the tone, being open and confident as well as having modesty and humility, striving to build a credible, lovable and respectable image

SINGAPORE -- Asia's traditional trade and commodity stocks made strong gains in the first half of this year as big global economies began to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a Chinese container shipping company leading the way.

Asian stocks overall, however, underperformed. MSCI's Asia Pacific price index rose 5% while the world index gained 12% in the nearly six months through Friday. The discrepancy is due to hopscotching COVID resurgences, tighter tech regulations, higher U.S. Treasury yields

YANGON/BANGKOK -- Myanmar's military on Feb. 1 detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint in the country's first coup since 1988, bringing an end to a decade of civilian rule.

The Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy had won a landslide in a general election in November . But the military has claimed the election was marred by fraud.

For all our coverage, visit our Myanmar Coup page.

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