Japan minister waits for Toshiba response to collusion report
TOKYO -- Japan's trade minister has responded to an investigation that found that the ministry colluded with Toshiba to influence the outcome of an annual shareholder meeting, saying it was a corporate governance matter.
Hiroshi Kajiyama said the ministry would wait for the company's response to the independent investigation before taking action. "It is not clear what [the probe's conclusions] are based on," Kajiyama, told reporters on Friday. He added that after Toshiba responded, METI would follow up as necessary.
The
Pakistan draconian proposed press law stirs controversy
ANKARA -- Pakistan is trying to push through a new law intended to centralize government oversight of the media, fueling concerns about further deterioration of press freedom in the South Asian country.
According to the World Press Freedom Index compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders in France, Pakistan's ranking has dropped since Prime Minister Imran Khan came into office from 139 in 2018 to 145 in 2021.
Pakistanis media already face major financial pressures, including salary cuts, late payments and redundancy
G-7 tax deal reverberates in Singapore and beyond: What to know
SINGAPORE -- The Group of Seven advanced economies last week committed to setting a global corporate tax rate of "at least 15%" -- a major milestone in the push for fairer taxation in an era of globalization and digitalization.
While the G-7's proposal will be discussed further in the coming weeks in larger international frameworks, such as the Group of 20, Asian countries and multinationals are already weighing the impact, should a minimum tax materialize.
Some may benefit from a level playing field.
Thai petrochemical giant diversifies into plant-based protein
BANGKOK -- Thai oil and gas conglomerate PTT Group has started a plant-based protein business in a bid to diversify while aligning itself with global carbon-neutral goals.
The company recently partnered with compatriot NR Instant Produce, a leading food manufacturer, to make alternative protein for what it calls "food for the future," including soy meat.
PTT hopes to become less dependent on its fossil fuel business.
CEO and President Auttapol Rerkpiboon said the company has poured 300 million baht ($9.6 million
HSBC chooses duo to lead Asia growth charge as Wong bows out
HONG KONG -- HSBC Holdings' decision to anoint joint chiefs for Asia underlines the importance of the bank's pivot to the region -- and the role played by outgoing head Peter Wong in the past decade to bring the U.K.-headquartered bank closer to its Asian roots.
HSBC on Monday named David Liao, head of global banking for the Asia-Pacific, and India CEO Surendra Rosha as co-CEOs for the Asia-Pacific with immediate effect.
The pair will replace Wong, who has
China set to weigh heavy on Biden's first G-7 in Cornwall
LONDON -- The leaders of the Group of Seven club of wealthy democracies will meet in Cornwall, England, on Friday for their first in-person summit since the onset of the pandemic -- and perhaps the group's most important gathering ever.
After years of disunity, and facing urgent global challenges, there is pressure on the G-7 leaders not to just promise, but to deliver.
"Everyone is recognizing that there really is the potential for G-7 leaders to do something very dramatic this year
China hot on heels of US in cutting-edge green tech research
TOKYO -- China leads the world in the number of research papers published on technologies related to the global pivot away from greenhouse gases, and is catching up to the U.S. in terms of the quality and impact, a Nikkei survey shows.
China produced more papers than any other country in 16 of the 18 research areas examined, including solar cells and artificial photosynthesis, in Dutch publisher Elsevier's database of more than 82 million articles across 7,000-plus journals between 2
US and UK vow to guard global order against autocracies
NEW YORK -- U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday signed a new take on a charter dating back to the Second World War, as the two countries vowed to secure the international order of the 21st century against threats from autocracies.
The New Atlantic Charter was inked as the two leaders met in Cornwall, U.K., on Biden's first trip abroad as president, ahead of the Group of Seven rich nations summit slated to start there Friday. Some
G-7 nations should donate 1bn vaccine doses to developing countries
Boris Johnson is prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Nothing could provide more compelling or tragic proof of the necessity of global cooperation than the pandemic that has swept the world and claimed over 3.7 million lives.
For the first time since the onset of this catastrophe, leaders of the Group of Seven will meet in person for a summit that I will chair in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. I have also invited the prime ministers of India and Australia and the presidents of South Korea and South Africa, allowing a broader
Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi files for mega IPO in US
PALO ALTO, U.S. -- Didi Chuxing, China's largest ride-hailing company, filed Thursday to go public in the U.S. in what is expected to be one of the year's largest initial public offerings in tech.
Didi, which filed under its formal name of Xiaoju Kuaizhi Inc., could be valued at around $70 billion to $100 billion in the IPO, Nikkei previously reported . Thursday's registration statement said Didi plans to offer American depositary