Politics

The port of Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania: Two Chinese companies will build a 282-kilometer line from Burundi to Dar es Salaam to transport minerals for export. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
One of five Thai hostages who has been held by Hamas in Gaza since October 2023 is handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis on Jan. 30.
Middle East crisis

Israeli army says 5 Thai hostages released, Red Cross confirms

Ceasefire secure for now but next phase expected to be more challenging

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr told reporters that he will return a Typhon missile system to the U.S. if China stops its aggressive and coercive behavior claiming territory in the South China Sea.
South China Sea

Philippines would return Typhon missile if China stops 'harassing': Marcos

President to discuss various issues with Trump, including immigration policy

Microsoft says DeepSeek's lower-cost model could drive more AI adoption. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
Artificial intelligence

Microsoft CEO calls DeepSeek 'good news' for AI adoption

U.S. tech giant adds Chinese model to Azure offerings despite reported probe

30 January 2025
Howard Lutnick, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be Commerce secretary, takes his seat to testify before a Senate Commerce Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 29.
Trump administration

Trump's Commerce pick backs broad tariffs to end trade 'disrespect'

Howard Lutnick blasts DeepSeek's claim to have built AI model without violating export controls

30 January 2025
Chinese app DeepSeek has been under the spotlight as the AI boom accelerates.
Artificial intelligence

White House evaluates effect of China AI app DeepSeek on national security

Trump's crypto czar says intellectual property theft could have been at play

29 January 2025
A container ship transits through Cocoli Locks in the Panama Canal. One legal scholar says the U.S. could use force to enforce the waterway's neutrality.
Trump administration

U.S. can 'preemptively' defend Panama Canal, expert tells Senate

Lawmakers discuss national security implications of increased Chinese presence

29 January 2025
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, left, looks to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in February. (Source photos by Nikkei and Getty Images)
International relations

Japan's Ishiba eyes shale gas imports in deal diplomacy with Trump

Resources seen high on agenda as prime minister prepares for expected February summit

29 January 2025
Taiwanese chip giant TSMC holds a ceremony to start mass production of advanced chips in Tainan in December 2022.
International relations

Taiwan calls U.S. chip ties 'win-win' after Trump threatens 100% tariff

President slams Biden grants to TSMC; analyst skeptical of follow-through

28 January 2025
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted in a 2022 no-confidence motion and jailed the following year on a raft of charges.
Politics

Pakistan faces mounting calls to release jailed ex-PM Khan

U.S. lawmakers rally to cause, talks between Khan and government collapse

28 January 2025
The U.S. is India's largest trading partner.
Trade

Trump talks 'fair' trade in call with India's Modi: White House

Leaders discuss strategic ties and potential U.S. visit by PM

28 January 2025
Migrants from China exit a motorboat after crossing the Rio Grande river to reach the U.S. from Mexico in 2023.
Trump administration

China signals willingness to repatriate confirmed nationals from U.S.

Move comes after Colombia agrees to take back migrants in wake of Trump's threats

28 January 2025
Pete Hegseth speaks after being sworn in as U.S. defense secretary by Vice President JD Vance, right, in Washington on Jan. 25.
Trump administration

Pentagon team sees rise of 'restrainers,' with implications for Asia

'America First realists' call for Japan, India and South Korea to counter China

28 January 2025
To push Russia back, give Ukraine what it asks for, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. (Photo by Shogo Akagawa)
Interview

North Korea's entry makes Ukraine war a global conflict: Estonia FM

Russia is already waging hybrid attacks on Europe, Margus Tsahkna says

28 January 2025
The Tesla logo at an electric vehicle charging station outside one of the company's stores in Beijing.
Electric vehicles

Tesla joins court challenges to EU tariffs on Chinese EVs

Filing opens a new front in Brussels' conflict with Elon Musk

27 January 2025
A missile flies during what state media KCNA says is a test of a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile at an undisclosed location on Jan. 6, 2025.
Opinion

Trump's labeling of North Korea as a nuclear power is troubling

U.S. president seems keen to prioritize short-term deals over long-term denuclearization

27 January 2025
U.S. search engine startup Perplexity AI has reportedly submitted a bid for TikTok U.S.
US-China tensions

Perplexity AI's revised TikTok bid could give U.S. government 50% stake

ByteDance would keep algorithm under U.S. search engine startup's proposal

27 January 2025
Colombian President Gustavo Petro says his government would never treat Americans without legal immigration status in such a way because "we are the opposite of the Nazis."
Trump administration

U.S., Colombia reach deal on deportations; tariffs, sanctions put on hold

White House says Colombia accepts military aircraft carrying deported migrants

27 January 2025
Palestinian children wait to be allowed to return to their homes in northern Gaza after they were displaced during the war, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip on Jan. 26.
International relations

Trump says Jordan, Egypt should take more Palestinians from Gaza

Hamas rejects suggestion and urges U.S. not to recycle 'failed' Biden-era ideas

27 January 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shake hands at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (Handout via Reuters)
International relations

Trump says 1st overseas trip could be to Saudi Arabia

Last trip was made as kingdom agreed to buy billions of dollars of goods, president says

26 January 2025
Marco Rubio speaks after he is sworn in as Secretary of State at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, Jan. 21.
Afghanistan turmoil

Rubio says Taliban holds 'more American hostages' than reported

State secretary hints at putting 'very big bounty' on Afghan leaders

26 January 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump is seated in the White House in Washington.
International relations

Trump says he may consider rejoining WHO

President says U.S. 'would consider' and urges health agency 'have to clean it up'

26 January 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as they ask questions aboard Air Force One during a flight from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Miami, Florida.
26 January 2025
Four female Israeli soldiers, who had been held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, are released by Hamas militants as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City, January 25, 2025.
Middle East crisis

Hamas frees four Israeli hostages in second swap of Gaza deal

In return for 200 Palestinian prisoners, including militants serving life sentences

25 January 2025
Pete Hegseth becomes U.S. defense secretary in Donald Trump's administration.
Trump administration

Pete Hegseth confirmed as U.S. defense secretary in narrow win

Former Fox News personality expected to bring major changes to Pentagon

25 January 2025
China's share of U.S. patents has grown from less than 1% in 2010 to nearly 9% in 2024. (Photo by Karina Nooka)
Technology

More Chinese companies secure U.S. patents despite trade war

Patents could be new frontier in conflict as Trump tests global norms

25 January 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, a known China hawk, had his first phone call with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Jan. 24. (Source photos by Reuters)
US-China tensions

U.S. does not support Taiwan independence, Rubio tells China's Wang

Top diplomats lay out positions on the island in first phone call, China says

25 January 2025
Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States in Washington on Jan. 20. From Day 1 he began hammering out a series of "America First" policies.
The Nikkei View

Global community must pursue international order under Trump 2.0

Japan is in a prime position to help the U.S. preserve regional stability

25 January 2025
Shinzo Abe, right, and Donald Trump pose for a photo before the Japan-U.S. summit on May 27, 2019 in Tokyo. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Editor-in-Chief’s Picks

Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: Trump 2.0 kicks off with confidence

Shin Nakayama shares his weekly reflections and recommendations

24 January 2025
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a ceremony in Tehran on Jan. 2, 2025.
Opinion

Iran's leaders are torn on how to deal with Trump's return

Should Iran reconsider negotiating with a man once deemed unworthy of engagement?

24 January 2025