David Gibson, CFA, is chief investment adviser at Astris Advisory Japan. He specializes in the game and internet sectors.

Japanese mobile payment app PayPay is heading toward an initial public offering that could see its valuation soar beyond investors' wildest expectations. Speculation about its potential to become a unicorn -- a $1 billion company -- is well off the mark: It could well be worth more than 10 times that.

Buried in SoftBank's 2020-21 annual report is the revelation that

BANGKOK/JAKARTA -- Clear skies, emerald blue seas and white sandy beaches. Phuket's allure is obvious, as millions of foreign tourists have discovered. But today, the future of this Thai island in the Andaman Sea and the lives of its people are being shaped by the unseen but deadly coronavirus.

Saranya Injan manages Chean Vanich pier located in a small cove on the east coast of Phuket. The tourist boats and ferries that once churned almost ceaselessly through here now lie moored and quietly rocked by the tide.

TOKYO -- Japanese retail giant Aeon is fully launching a brand of clothing made from recycled fibers, aiming to promote sustainable fashion.

Self+Service is now offered at roughly 380 Aeon and Aeon Style stores nationwide, as well as online.

"It's great that old clothes will be reborn and not go to waste," a customer said, according to Aeon.

The four new offerings include blouses and pullovers. Each item comes in two colors.

The brand focuses on environmentally and socially conscious products.

NEW YORK -- The U.S on Thursday detailed plans to donate at least 80 million coronavirus vaccine doses globally by the end of June, including 7 million for India and other parts of Asia, as Washington aims to close the gap with Beijing in vaccine diplomacy.

"The sharing of millions of U.S. vaccines with other countries signals a major commitment by the U.S. government," the White House said in the fact sheet that called the plans "a vital component of our overall global

TOKYO -- Japan's Financial Services Agency intends to lift the ban on sharing customer information between banks and securities companies within the same group, Nikkei has learned.

The watchdog has shown financial institutions a plan which would effectively remove the regulations that have separated the operations of banks and securities companies for 30 years.

The move will make it easier for banks to handle operations related to securities, such as offering advice on mergers and acquisitions, issuing new shares and corporate bonds, and lending. It is also aimed at

HONG KONG -- BMW plans to add 360,000 electric vehicle charging points across China this year as it aims to become a major EV player in the world's largest car market.

BMW said today it will collaborate with local partners, including EV charging infrastructure provider, TGood to build the charging points, of which 150,000 will support fast-charging modes. Other automakers' vehicles will also be able to use them. The company did not say how much the

BANGKOK -- The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer has met Min Aung Hlaing, chief of Myanmar's junta, in the first visit by a senior western official to the capital, Naypyitaw, since the Feb. 1 coup.

In talks on Thursday with the junta chief, Maurer made two key requests -- to resume prison visits by ICRC teams and to gain more humanitarian access to conflict areas in Myanmar.

While the junta chief was noncommittal, the talks were seen as making progress because

Dave Sharma was Australia's ambassador to Israel from 2013 to 2017. Now a member of Australia's House of Representatives, he chairs the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties.

When I first met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or Bibi as he is universally known in Israel, in 2013, he was already at the top of his game.

A global brand unto himself, Israel had never before produced a Prime Minister of Netanyahu's international stature.

His fluent command

HONG KONG -- Troubled state finance company China Huarong Asset Management on Thursday successfully completed its biggest bond redemption since default worries erupted in April, but investors remain concerned about its long-term health and that of its peers.

The company, originally set up to manage soured loans extended by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, repaid a $900 million bond right on time, according to two people familiar with the debt.

Huarong over the weekend also repaid a 500 million yuan ($78.