Obituaries

26 October 2025
Queen Sirikit of Thailand at Westminster Abbey in London on July 19, 1960.
Thailand's then-Queen Sirikit arrives in Bangkok's Chinatown for Lunar New Year celebrations in 2012.
Obituaries

Thailand's Queen Mother Sirikit dies at 93, palace says

King Maha Vajiralongkorn decrees year-long morning period

25 October 2025
Tomiichi Murayama is chosen to be prime minister on June 29, 1994.
Obituaries

Tomiichi Murayama led Japan through turmoil with his humanity

Socialist prime minister governed during 1995 Kobe earthquake, sarin attack

18 October 2025
Tomiichi Murayama, pictured here in February 2012, was Japan's first socialist head of government in 47 years when he became prime minister in 1994. (Photo by Kaori Yuzawa)
Obituaries

Ex-Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama dies at 101

Social democrat leader led unprecedented coalition cabinet in mid 1990s

17 October 2025
Diane Keaton in Los Angeles in 2021. The actor won her first Oscar for "Annie Hall" and would go on to be nominated three more times.
Obituaries

Diane Keaton, star of 'Annie Hall' and 'The Godfather,' dies at 79

Oscar winner was known for her quirky and vibrant manner

12 October 2025
Ammar Siamwalla co-founded Thailand Development Research Institute in the 1980s. It played a crucial role in helping the Thai economy diversify from reliance on rice and other commodity exports. (Screenshot from TDRI's Facebook page)
Obituaries

Ammar Siamwalla, one of Thailand's most noted technocrats, dies at 86

Development economist admired for character worked warily with military governments

6 October 2025
Jane Goodall kisses Tess, a female chimpanzee, at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary near Nanyuki, north of Nairobi, on Dec. 6, 1997.
Obituaries

Jane Goodall, conservationist renowned for chimpanzee research, dies at 91

She was also known for globe-spanning environmental advocacy

2 October 2025
Yu's firm designed Shanghai's Houtan Park, which incorporates native plants and requires little maintenance. (Kongjian Yu, courtesy of the American Society of Landscape Architects)
Obituaries

Chinese architect Kongjian Yu dies in Brazil plane crash: reports

Urban planner renowned for 'sponge cities' and ecological restoration

24 September 2025
Takatoshi Ito first championed his signature idea in his 2001 book "Inflation Targeting." (Photo by Yuta Saito)
Obituaries

Takatoshi Ito, a leading Japanese economist, dies at 74

Columbia University professor was an early advocate of inflation targeting

24 September 2025
Actor Robert Redford addresses the media at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 16, 2014.
Obituaries

Robert Redford, screen idol turned director and activist, dies at 89

Actor supported independent films through his Sundance Institute

16 September 2025
Fashion designer Giorgio Armani stands with runway models for the Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2025 collection during Fashion Week in Milan on Sept. 9, 2024.
Obituaries

Giorgio Armani, Italian fashion icon who dressed stars, dies at 91

Designer was sole owner of independent, 50-year-old company with $2.7bn in annual turnover

6 September 2025
Shunsaku Tamiya holds a 1/800 scale model of the World War II battleship Yamato, a kit that was introduced in 1960. (Photo by Yasumasa Matsui)
Obituaries

How Shunsaku Tamiya brought realism to miniature plastic replicas

Longtime Tamiya Inc. chairman thrilled model enthusiasts with his attention to detail

24 August 2025
Kunishige Kamamoto, left, scores a goal against France during the soccer match at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. He was the tournament's top scorer, netting seven goals, and won a bronze medal.
Obituaries

Japan's football legend Kamamoto dies at 81

Kyoto native set national team record with 75 goals in 76 games

10 August 2025
Astronaut Jim Lovell speaks to the media in front of the Gemini 12 during the unveiling of an exhibition at Chicago's Adler Planetarium in 2006.
Obituaries

Jim Lovell, commander of NASA's Apollo 13 moon mission, dies at 97

Astronaut and crewmates survived explosion on way to moon, brought craft back to Earth

9 August 2025
Myanmar interim President Myint Swe died on Aug. 7 at the age of 74 after spending more than a year on medical leave.
Obituaries

Myanmar interim President Myint Swe dies at 74

Key figure in 2021 coup had been diagnosed with Parkinson's

7 August 2025
Gen. Suchinda Kraprayoon donned civilian attire to become Thailand's 19th prime minister in April 1992. But his government triggered violent protests in Bangkok that led to his banishment from public life in 48 days. (Photo by Warisara Wutthikul)
Obituaries

Suchinda Kraprayoon, the Thai general who broke his word

Bloodshed in 1992 will overshadow some positive legacies

13 June 2025
Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. left, and Joseph Nye Jr., former assistant secretary of defense for International Security Affairs and former Chairman of the National Intelligence Council, testify during a hearing before the National Security and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Nov. 6, 2007 in Washington. (File photo by Getty Images) 
Obituaries

In memory of Richard Armitage and Joseph Nye Jr.

Japan's standing as a 'Tier 1' power owes much to their shared vision and leadership

25 May 2025
Joseph Nye speaks at the Mount Fuji Dialogue in Tokyo in 2023. Nye maintained that if the U.S. and Japan worked together, China would be unable to assert hegemony. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
Obituaries

Joseph Nye, Harvard scholar who coined 'soft power,' dies at 88

Foreign policy expert viewed Japan as key to preventing Chinese hegemony

8 May 2025
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Photos

Through the Lens: Asia mourns for Pope Francis

A selection of photos from across Asia

25 April 2025
Richard Armitage, second from left, speaks with fellow panelists William Perry and Kurt Campbell at the Mount Fuji Dialogue in Tokyo in November 2015. (Photo by Masaru Shioyama)  
Obituaries

In Richard Armitage, Japan had a tough coach and friend

Giant of U.S. Asia policy inspired a generation of Japan-hands

16 April 2025
Abdullah Badawi, then Malaysia's prime minister, waves as he leaves the Ministry of Defense in Kuala Lumpur in April 2009.
Obituaries

Ex-Malaysian PM Abdullah Badawi, 'Mr. Nice Guy', dies at 85

Leader who boosted Singapore ties undone by predecessor Mahathir Mohamad

15 April 2025
Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage speaks at a symposium in Tokyo in November 2024. (Photo by Nanami Sato)
Obituaries

Richard Armitage, a heavyweight of U.S. diplomacy with Asia, dies at 79

Former U.S. deputy secretary of state pushed to deepen ties with Japan

15 April 2025
Gwen Akiko Robinson in Enoshima, Japan, in 2023. (Photo by Reiko Cirilli)  
Obituaries

Gwen Robinson, a driving force in Asia journalism, dies at 65

Trailblazing correspondent and mentor instrumental in shaping Nikkei Asia's global presence

31 March 2025
Han Jong-hee, CEO of Samsung Electronics, speaks at the company's annual general meeting in Suwon, South Korea, on March 19. 
Obituaries

Samsung CEO Han Jong-hee dies of cardiac arrest

LG Electronics chief among those expressing condolences over 63-year-old's death

25 March 2025
Lee Shau-kee in at a news conference in 2015: The Hong Kong property tycoon died on March 17 at age 97.
Obituaries

Hong Kong property tycoon Lee Shau-kee dies at 97

Henderson Land's founder was known as 'Asia's Buffett'

18 March 2025
Ikujiro Nonaka warned corporate chieftains that "we need to develop our human instincts lest we become slaves to numbers and data." (Photo by Tomoki Mera)
Obituaries

Ikujiro Nonaka, who pioneered 'knowledge management' theory, dies at 89

Scholar's studies of Japanese company behavior remains relevant to this day

27 January 2025
Former Suzuki Motor Chairman Osamu Suzuki, who died Dec. 25, speaks during a 2021 interview. (Photo by Ou Niinuma)
Obituaries

Osamu Suzuki led carmaker Suzuki Motor to blue ocean in India

Former chairman grabbed opportunity to go big in India as others took a pass

28 December 2024
Osamu Suzuki, former chairman of Japan's Suzuki Motor, has died at age 94. (Source photos by Reuters and AP)
Obituaries

Former Suzuki Motor Chairman Osamu Suzuki dies at 94

'His legacy and teachings will never be forgotten' Maruti Suzuki chairman says

27 December 2024
Nissan Motor and Honda Motor had entered into a strategic partnership in August. (Photo by Kenichiro Kamata)
20 December 2024
Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan, pictured in 2012 when he attended the Allen & Co Media Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Obituaries

Ananda Krishnan, a Mahathir ally who shaped Malaysia's corporate world

'Entrepreneur at heart' leaves legacy of business success in Southeast Asian nation

29 November 2024