Why are global investors so bearish on the yen? There are good reasons Japan’s currency should be gaining in value. Last month, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised interest rates to a 31-year high of 1 per cent and signalled it would continue increasing borrowing costs. Bond markets are currently pricing in a nearly 90 per cent probability of another increase by December.

Nominal wages in Japan have risen by more than 3 per cent for four straight months, the longest streak since 1992. Moreover, the...

The leaders of ⁠Malaysia and Thailand said ⁠on Thursday they would ⁠work on developing a special border economic zone, and had resolved an issue that had disrupted trade in seafood between the neighbours.

In May, Thailand restricted the import of Malaysian-caught sea bass due ‌to concerns over chemical residues, prompting Kuala Lumpur to temporarily ban some varieties of Thai shrimp over food safety controls last month.

“We have resolved this outstanding issue of fisheries … we agree it should...

The United States is turning to South Korea’s world-leading shipbuilding industry to refresh its ageing naval fleet, a move set to expand the bilateral alliance beyond security into defence manufacturing, technology and industrial production.

The approach reflects Washington’s efforts to address long-standing problems in its own industry, according to analysts – chronic construction delays, cost overruns, shortages of skilled workers and supply chain constraints among them. It also signals a...

The right to own a small car in Singapore climbed to a record high of S$129,000 ($99,700), with analysts saying premiums could rise further as rebates for electric vehicles come to an end.

The price of a Category A certificate of entitlement (COE) meant for smaller cars and EVs advanced by 4.2 per cent in Wednesday’s bidding exercise from the previous round on June 17. Premiums for larger and more powerful cars in Category B jumped 6 per cent to S$130,889.

The surge in premiums comes ahead of...

A senior Malaysian lawmaker on ⁠Thursday denied ⁠that fugitive businessman Jho ⁠Low had entered the country for talks linked to the theft of billions of dollars from state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Low, whose full name is Low Taek ‌Jho, faces multiple charges, including corruption and money laundering, in the United States and Malaysia for the central role he allegedly played in the misappropriation of at least US$4.5 billion from 1MDB.

He has consistently denied wrongdoing and...

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said “the Islamic Republic of Japan” fired missiles at a US aircraft carrier, apparently confusing long-time ally Japan with Iran.

Trump made the remark during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Turkish capital Ankara on the sidelines of a Nato summit.

“We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan,” Trump said.

He went on to say that the missiles were shot at the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln over a period of one...

The World Bank has upgraded the Philippines to an upper-middle-income country, but the classification means little to many Filipinos grappling with rising cost of living, mounting debt and stagnant wages.

Manila resident Ann Michelle Federez-Abato, 35, said her entire salary went towards her parents’ mortgage, while she and her two-year-old daughter subsisted on a monthly remittance of 20,000 pesos (US$325) sent home by her husband, who works as a production officer at a factory abroad.

Much of...

Jack Yu wants to vote in Saturday’s crucial election in his home state of Johor, Malaysia, but being based in Hong Kong has left him frozen out after he missed the short window to register for a postal ballot.

Hong Kong is home to an estimated 15,000 Malaysians working in fields ranging from finance to hospitality, according to the Southeast Asian nation’s consulate general. Many stay closely engaged with politics back home – more so when the result could reshape the balance of power in...

Myanmar’s junta-led government is chasing nearly 2 million tourist arrivals a year in a bid analysts see as an effort to secure global legitimacy, but the dream is beset with difficulties.

Authorities have been ramping up efforts to revive Myanmar’s tourism industry after the 2021 coup plunged the country into widespread civil war.

More than 100,000 people have died so far in the conflict, according to the monitor Armed Conflict Location and Event Data.

Still, over 973,000 foreigners visited...

Civilian and navy searchers off Pakistan’s coast on Wednesday located and recovered wreckage of a cargo plane that disappeared while approaching the southern port of Karachi, and a search continues for five missing crew members, officials said.

The aircraft operated by the private carrier K2 Airways had departed from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and reported a navigational system problem before losing contact with air traffic control late on Tuesday.

The Pakistani navy and civilian teams...