Economy

Soybeans are loaded into a truck from a transfer hopper during harvest season in Deerfield, Ohio, in October 2021.
Commodities

China finds leverage over Trump in trade talks with soybeans boycott

Prices surge on expectation that Beijing will resume crop purchases

1 November 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump swept through Asia, with the region left to ponder the impact. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Reuters)
Trump tariffs

Trump's 5-day Asian trade tour: 5 things to know

President's emphasis on 'deals' yields results but leaves some wary

31 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping seal a fresh trade war truce in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30.
Trade war

China and US pull some trade war punches to fight another day

Trump and Xi had reasons to dial down tensions but analysts see fragile detente

31 October 2025
People lined up for the launch of the new iPhone 17 series in an Apple store in Shanghai on Friday, September 19. (Apple) 
Supply Chain

Apple China sales dip despite overall iPhone 17 boost

US tech giant expects next quarter to be 'best ever' as Chinese market improves

31 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Chinese President Xi Jinping as they hold a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the APEC forum, in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30.
Trade war

Trump cuts China fentanyl tariff to 10% as Xi delays rare-earth controls

At summit, Chinese president says 'reality demands' superpower friendship

30 October 2025
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell offered a note of caution about what lies ahead for Fed policy.
Economy

Fed cuts rates, signals halt to balance sheet drawdown

Powell says December rate cut 'not a foregone conclusion'

30 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures to Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during a meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26.
Trump tariffs

Trump's Malaysia, Cambodia deals link tariff cuts to political loyalty

US pushes Southeast Asian partners to follow Entity List, shipbuilding measures

30 October 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump tariffs

Trump says he expects to lower fentanyl-linked tariffs on China

President's deal conditional on Beijing's commitment to curb inflow of chemicals

29 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One to depart from Tokyo's Haneda Airport for South Korea on Oct. 29.
International relations

Trump in Japan: How the US president's stay unfolded

Visit featured baseball talk with emperor, bonding with Takaichi, dinner with execs

29 October 2025
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son pose with an investment agreement in hand in a ceremony on Oct. 28 in Tokyo. (Photo by Shintaro Ino)
Business deals

SoftBank, Toshiba, Hitachi among firms tipped to make $400bn in US deals

At least 21 potential projects mentioned, from energy and AI to critical minerals

28 October 2025
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, left, greets U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent before their meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 27. (Pool photo)
Bank of Japan

US Treasury seeks 'sound monetary policy' from Japan amid weak yen

Bessent tells Japanese counterpart conditions differ from Abenomics era

28 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrive at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on Oct. 28.
International relations

Japan PM Takaichi and US President Trump tout 'new golden age' for alliance

Leaders sign deals on trade implementation and rare earths at first summit in Tokyo

28 October 2025
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who spoke to Nikkei in Tokyo on Oct. 27. (Photo by Seiko Ota)
Interview

Japan's $550bn package targets US infrastructure, commerce chief says

More than half of funds may go to electricity and energy development

27 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands after a meeting in Beijing in November 2017. The two leaders are expected to meet later this week in South Korea, after their negotiators prepared the groundwork in Malaysia.
Trade war

US raises markets' hopes for China deal as Beijing keeps cautious tone

Upbeat Bessent touts progress on rare earths, soybeans and more after Malaysia talks

27 October 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping raises his glass after speaking at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 30.
Opinion

Trump should stay the course on China

Superpowers could see themselves as 'friends and partners,' not rivals

27 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to meet on Oct. 30 in South Korea, ahead of the APEC Economic Leader's Meeting. (Reuters) 
Your Week in Asia

Trump-Xi meeting, APEC leaders summit, Japan Mobility Show

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

26 October 2025
Toyota plans to ship models to Japan from its U.S. factories, such this facility in Kentucky. (Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky)
Automobiles

Toyota looks to announce 'reimports' of US-made cars during Trump visit

Unclear whether larger American models will become hits with Japanese consumers

26 October 2025
Donald Trump approaches the ongoing U.S.-China contest as though playing poker, repeatedly upping the ante, while Xi Jinping constructs his Go board with deliberate, long-term calculation. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP) 
Comment

Poker vs Go: Trump and Xi face off with different game strategies

US leader plays the hand while his Chinese counterpart plays the horizon

25 October 2025
A cargo ship full of shipping containers is seen at the port of Oakland, California, on Aug. 4.
US-China tensions

US launches investigation into China's compliance with 2020 trade deal

Probe gives Trump another potential tool to raise tariffs on Chinese imports

25 October 2025
Zhi Dong Zhang is extradited to the U.S. from Mexico by law enforcement officials. (Photo from X post by Omar Garcia Harfuch)
Fentanyl’s Hidden Routes

Suspected Chinese drug boss extradited to US after failed escape

Zhi Dong Zhang fled house arrest in Mexico to Cuba but was denied entry to Russia

25 October 2025
Inflation remained elevated in September but was a bit cooler than analysts had expected.
Markets

Wall Street notches record closing highs on cool inflation, solid earnings

Federal Reserve expected to cut interest rates by 25 basis points next week

25 October 2025
Tokyo Gas has signed a letter of intent to explore purchasing liquefied natural gas from the Alaska LNG project. (Source photos by Kosuke Imamura and screenshot from Alaska LNG's website)
Energy

Second Japanese firm to explore possible Alaska LNG purchase

Tokyo Gas signs letter of intent following JERA ahead of Trump's visit next week

24 October 2025
Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley speaks at the 2025 Detroit Auto Show in January.
Automobiles

Ford CEO flags Nexperia fears, China overcapacity worries

Jim Farley says chip spat needs political solution to avoid industry output loss

24 October 2025
Just days after her election as Japan's first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, seen here at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 21, is expected to leverage her political affiliation with her late predecessor, Shinzo Abe, to build a relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is visiting Japan next week. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
Policy Asia

Japan's Takaichi awaits Trump with economic security in spotlight

New PM to make her diplomatic debut with ASEAN trip; Abe 'lineage' seen strengthening US links

24 October 2025
Japan has agreed to purchase $8 billion in U.S. agricultural products, including soybeans, as part of this summer's tariff agreement with the Trump administration.
Commodities

Japan looks to subsidize storage of soybeans bought under Trump tariff deal

Government to demonstrate commitment to trade pact ahead of US president's visit next week

24 October 2025
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Aug. 25.
Trump tariffs

South Korea, US stuck on $350bn investment in tariff talks as APEC nears

Trump expects 'upfront' payment while Seoul eyes loan-based fund

24 October 2025
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, left, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer want to discuss measures by Beijing to curb exports of rare-earth minerals.
Trade

US trade chief, Bessent heading to Malaysia to meet Chinese counterparts

Rare-earth restrictions and agriculture to be focus of discussions

22 October 2025
Subaru cars for export are parked at a port in Yokohama, Japan, south of Tokyo, on March 27.
Trade

Japan's overall exports rebound in September while those to US fall

Shipments to China, EU and Southeast Asia climb as Trump tariffs hit autos

22 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in Washington on Feb. 13.
Trump tariffs

Trump says he discussed 'world of trade' with India's Modi

US president says India is 'not going to buy much oil from Russia'

22 October 2025