JAKARTA -- Japan's SoftBank and China's Alibaba are positioned to capitalize on any gains from the merger of Indonesia's top tech unicorns Gojek and Tokopedia after becoming the two biggest shareholders in the newly formed GoTo Group.

Gojek, a "super app" for ride-hailing, financial and other services, and e-commerce-focused Tokopedia announced on Monday they are uniting under a holding company.

The deal swaps Tokopedia shareholders' stock in the e-commerce company for newly issued Gojek shares. They

TOKYO -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Thursday called for boosting trade and maintaining peace in the South China Sea, while urging countries to "set aside differences and disagreements" to fight COVID-19.

Chinh, who took office in April, was speaking at Nikkei's Future of Asia conference, which is being held in Tokyo and online through Friday. On the South China Sea, he stressed the importance of stability in the crucial waterway for global commerce, where tensions between Vietnam and China have been

William Pesek is an award-winning Tokyo-based journalist and author of "Japanization: What the World Can Learn from Japan's Lost Decades."

When the health of Japan's 126 million people falls to the nation's CEOs, you know you are in serious trouble.

Hey, it is great that corporate chieftains are ringing alarm bells about a surefire super-spreader event. Case in point: Hiroshi Mikitani, head of Rakuten, Japan's biggest e-commerce company, calling the

SEOUL -- In a speech marking the beginning of his fifth and final year in office, South Korean President Moon Jae-in pledged to work to attain an "irreversible peace" with North Korea. That elusive goal that will be at the front of his mind when he sits down on Friday for his first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Moon is facing the possibility of leaving office next year without having made concrete progress toward ending the two Koreas' decades-long standoff, despite earning critical acclaim

TOKYO -- Post-pandemic Southeast Asia will be rife with opportunities for the U.S. to cooperate not only with countries in the region, but also with China, suggested leaders from Malaysia and Singapore who opened Nikkei's Future of Asia conference on Thursday.

"I speak on behalf of many, if not most countries in the region that we welcome and want to strengthen relations with both the U.S. and China," Heng Swee Keat, Singapore's deputy prime minister, said in a

TOKYO -- International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was supposed to have been the guest of honor at the torch relay in Hiroshima prefecture this week.

But Hiroshima joined Tokyo and seven other prefectures in a COVID state of emergency on Sunday. Aware of potential negative press, Japanese officials asked Bach to postpone his trip.

Organizers insist the Olympics can be held in a "safe and secure" manner, but domestic opposition is strong.

Fearing the strain on local health infrastructure, Japan's biggest medical workers union is pressing for

TOKYO -- Wealthy countries should not hoard COVID-19 vaccines and their patents, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin urged on Thursday, calling for equitable access to end the pandemic and total reform of the pharmaceutical system for the future.

In a video address to Nikkei's Future of Asia conference, Muhyiddin said artificial hurdles are hindering efforts to suppress COVID-19 infections quickly and win the race against mutating variants that could render current shots "obsolete." The event will be held in Tokyo and online through Friday

TOKYO -- Located between the cities of Osaka and Kyoto, the fabled Yamazaki distillery, owned and operated by Japanese drinks giant Suntory Holdings, has long been a favorite destination for whiskey connoisseurs from around the world.

After opening in 1924 and launching its signature Suntory kakubin , square bottle, in 1937, the Yamazaki has produced some of the world's most coveted whiskies.

After Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 was named as best whiskey in Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible

TOKYO -- Nikkei's annual Future of Asia conference kicks off on Thursday, with a who's who list of top leaders due to deliver their perspectives on the region's current challenges and post-COVID era.

The event will be held in Tokyo and online through Friday. It opens with a keynote address from Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin will be followed by Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and Cambodian