JAKARTA -- NFC Indonesia, a digital services company, is teaming up with SiCepat Express, a fast expanding delivery company, as new entrants in the electric motorbike industry, with plans for everything from bike manufacturing to battery stations.

The NFC-SiCepat joint venture, Energi Selalu Baru, will acquire a majority stake in Volta Indonesia Semesta, an electric bike maker based in Semarang, the capital of Central Java Province.

"Some might see us as being rash with our entry into this business, but we're not

CORNWALL, U.K. -- In his first in-person bilateral meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed support for the Tokyo Games, which is struggling with low public support in the host country.

Following the meeting on Friday, Johnson's office said, "The Prime Minister expressed his support for the Tokyo Olympics, and welcomed Japanese efforts to ensure the Games can take place safely."

The Japanese delegation went further, announcing that "Prime Minister Johnson stated

HAMBURG, Germany -- Germany's parliament on Friday passed a supply chain law that is set to disrupt the way the country's companies, as well as German subsidiaries of foreign companies, conduct business in Asia.

The act, which has been years in the planning, requires companies of a certain size to conduct due diligence to ensure that their direct suppliers of goods and services do not breach human rights, safety or environmental rules.

While it does not stipulate civil liability -- meaning managers do not risk being

YOKOHAMA -- A consortium led by casino operator Genting Singapore has submitted its proposal to build a gambling resort in Yokohama, the Japanese port city announced Friday.

The Genting consortium is expected to compete with a proposal by a group led by Macao rival Melco Resorts and Entertainment.

Yokohama said it received two bids by the Friday deadline, but declined to name the other party.

Genting Singapore said in a statement: "We are ideally positioned to deliver an iconic IR [integrated resort] to transform and grow Yokohama City to become

TOKYO -- Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and two other heavyweights in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party have taken up key roles in multiple parliamentary groups, positioning themselves to exert influence over policy and personnel appointments.

Abe and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso were tapped Tuesday as senior advisers in the Japan-Australia Diet Members League, with Akira Amari, head of the party's powerful tax commission, also serving as an adviser.

Australia is a key partner in Japan's push to counter China's advances in

TOKYO -- Nissan Motor will end development of new versions of all its sedans in Japan as sport utility vehicles make inroads into its home market, Nikkei has learned.

Major suppliers had been informed of the plans as of Friday, according to people familiar with the matter. All four sedan models sold in Japan will be affected by the development, including the long-running Skyline.

Nissan declined to comment on its development plans.

Narrowing its development pipeline will allow the car company, part of one of the world's

NAGOYA, Japan -- Toyota Motor has moved up its target year for attaining net-zero carbon emissions among group factories to 2035 from the previous deadline of 2050, the company said Friday.

The Japanese automaker will achieve this goal by adopting new technology in coating and casting processes, it said. The company will also step up its use of renewable energy.

"Achieving carbon neutrality through production processes will come to be the natural approach," Masamichi Okada, Toyota's chief production officer

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth said she wanted Taiwanese people to know that "America will not abandon Taiwan" and that "we will show up, and not let them face trials and tribulations alone," explaining her recent trip to the island in an interview with Nikkei.

Expressing alarm over China's lack of respect for "territorial borders," the Democratic senator from Illinois also urged greater cooperation with allies like Japan and South Korea in the greater Indo-Pacific region.

Duckworth met with

TOKYO -- As Southeast Asian countries tighten regulations on alcohol consumption to fight underage drinking and drunken driving, the threat of even tougher rules means multinational beverage groups face a cold new reality in what had been one of their few remaining growth markets.

Thai Beverage, Thailand's largest beer maker, postponed its brewery unit's initial public offering on the Singapore Exchange in April. BeerCo's debut, on ice indefinitely, would have raised $2 billion.

ThaiBev, which generates about 90% of revenue through