TOKYO -- Discussions are underway on including a reference to the Taiwan Strait in the joint statement to be issued after this month's Group of Seven summit as the U.S. and Japan seek a united front to counter Chinese pressure on the island, Nikkei has learned.

Dealing with China-related issues -- including not only Taiwan, but also Hong Kong and alleged abuses in Xinjiang -- will be high on the agenda at the three-day event in the U.K. starting Friday, the

TOKYO -- Industry groups from Japan and Finland will conduct joint research and development of sixth-generation communications technology, looking to lead the creation of 6G standards in a field increasingly influenced by Chinese companies.

Finnish telecom supplier Nokia, a global leader in the industry, will join the effort.

Japan's Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium will sign the agreement soon with Finnish group 6G Flagship. The accord is to be announced Tuesday at the Global Digital Summit 2021, an event organized by Nikkei and

BEIJING -- For the first time ever, the number of professionals registered with the century-old Communist Party of China has exceeded the number of factory and farm laborers in its ranks, showing the changing nature of the self-described vanguard of the working class.

The Communist Party had nearly 32.19 million members who can be classified as white-collar workers at the end of 2019, according to data from its organization department, topping the 32.01 million registered industrial and

TAIPEI -- Chinese military activity in Taiwan's air defense identification zone has dropped sharply since the U.S. and Japanese leaders called for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait during their April 16 summit, data compiled by Nikkei shows.

Beijing appears to be backing off from aggressive moves that would antagonize Washington over the hot-button issue after the U.S. and Japan made their first statement naming Taiwan in decades. With China celebrating the Communist Party's 100th anniversary on July 1

PALO ALTO, U.S.-- Apple doubled down on privacy Monday, announcing new versions of its iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch operating systems in a move expected to further disrupt the online advertising industry.

While techies from across the globe have historically gathered at Apple's Silicon Valley headquarters for the annual Worldwide Developers Conference, the highly anticipated five-day event is being held online again this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apple shows off a new version of its iPhone operating system

SHANGHAI -- The Chinese village of Yuchun was once an impoverished community polluted by a nearby coal mine and cement plants. Now it is a tourist attraction thanks to the picturesque mountains and lakes that surround it -- and a poster town for some of President Xi Jinping's big plans.

"The average income for folks here has reached 65,000 yuan ($10,000) a year now, up from 8,000 yuan in 2005,"

SEOUL/TOKYO -- Samsung Electronics intends to manufacture liquid crystal display panels through the end of 2022, reversing plans to end production due to an unexpected spike in demand.

But the change in plan also highlights Samsung's difficulty in developing next-generation displays, and the tech giant's outlook after the pandemic-driven demand fizzles remains uncertain. Compatriot and rival LG Display has also postponed plans to end production of LCD panels.

Samsung Display told employees at the end of May that it looks to

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Japan's economy shrank 3.9% in the first quarter, slightly better than the initial estimate of a 5.1% contraction, revised government data showed, posting its first decline in three quarters as private spending took a hit from a resurgence in coronavirus infections.

The revised figure for gross domestic product (GDP) released by the Cabinet Office on Tuesday compared with economists' median forecast for a 4.8% contraction in a Reuters poll.

On a quarter-on-

SEOUL -- As South Korea prepares to meet with Japan and the U.S. at the upcoming Group of Seven summit, a court here on Monday dismissed a wartime compensation suit against Japanese companies in a potential step toward thawing ties with Tokyo.

The Seoul Central District Court on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by those who claim that they were forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II and their families. Eighty-five former laborers and family members initially filed the case in May 2015, each seeking