TOKYO -- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is proceeding with a U.S. proposal to set an international rule on what companies are subject to a digital services tax, the intergovernmental organization told about 140 countries and regions participating in the negotiations.

The OECD discussed a number of calculations under the proposal put forward by the U.S. in April. The tax would affect about 100 global companies that exceed a certain standard based on profit margin and revenues.

The organization is aiming to reach

NEW YORK -- After more than a year of binge-watching their way through the coronavirus pandemic, American audiences still cannot get enough of Japanese shows and movies.

That is according to a recent report by Parrot Analytics and media consultancy Global Connects, which shows Japanese-language content outperforming all other non-English offerings.

Animated offerings, in particular, are attracting eyeballs.

"Anime is the gateway drug to Japanese culture for many Americans," said Douglas Montgomery, CEO of Global Connects and a former executive at WarnerMedia

DALIAN, China -- Yuan Longping, China's leading rice researcher and an agronomist who dedicated his life to food security after living through the Great Leap Forward, died on Saturday at age 90, according to media reports in China.

Yuan, who was called the "father of hybrid rice," worked on rice breeding to increase yields for more than half a century, making great contributions to solve China's food problems.

"A few words will suffice to summarize Yuan's achievements: he helped

NEW YORK -- As the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan continues, disparate voices in Washington, including some from within the Biden administration, have begun to admit that there could be serious consequences for the region after the Americans leave, including China, Russia and Iran filling a power vacuum created by what the Pentagon calls its "strategic retrograde" from the war-torn country.

"It's clear that there's a number of different countries around the region that do have interests and that

TOKYO -- Hitachi will help build charging infrastructure for electric buses in Pakistan, part of the Japanese industrial group's search for deals in this sector in South Asia and the Middle East, Nikkei has learned.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids, a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based blue chip, sees emerging markets as an important proving ground for its charging system, which replenishes bus batteries not only at terminals but also in quick bursts at each stop.

Demand for electric buses is projected to surge as Asian nations seek to temper

TOYAMA, Japan -- Japan's effort to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 has grassroots corporate support in a region where developers are unlocking potential for water and wind power.

Starting last month, the Toyama-based regional lender Hokuriku Bank has been using only electricity generated by local hydropower for its data center in central Toyama Prefecture, about 260 km northwest of Tokyo.

The bank became the first company to sign up for an electricity plan launched by regional utility Hokuriku Electric Power Co

Kasit Piromya was Thai foreign minister from 2008 to 2011.

The Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar came as a shock to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, brutally exposing its fundamental shortcomings as a cohesive regional grouping. It is time to establish a new structure that can provide much-needed leadership and coordination.

Amid hesitation and awkwardness, it is clear that ASEAN's time-honored principle of noninterference in the affairs of member states has become a barrier to resolving the Myanmar crisis. The

HONG KONG -- An eagerly anticipated wealth investment bridge between Hong Kong and mainland China similar to the Stock Connect link offers China a chance to repair the city's status as a global financial hub despite mounting concerns over its grip on the territory.

The proposed Wealth Management Connect, inching toward a launch as soon as this year, will give Hong Kong-based investors greater access to the massive mainland market, where China imposes strict capital controls to curb outflows of the yuan.

Hong Kong's role as a hub

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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