Politics

30 September 2025
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, right, meets with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Tokyo. (Photo by Ken Suzuki)
Japan seeks to help bolster the defense capabilities of Asian nations by supplying drones and other equipment. (Photo by Shinnosuke Nagatomi)
International relations

Japan targets Sri Lanka for its latest Asia drone diplomacy

Tokyo looks to boost regional security amid China's maritime push

27 September 2025
Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, speaking during this year's May Day rally, has defied the opposition's doomsday predictions during his first year in office, but faces questions about progress on structural reforms and tackling poverty.
Policy Asia

Sri Lanka's leftist leader ditches dogma for economic pragmatism

President Dissanayake embraces private sector to stay on track with IMF bailout

19 September 2025
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake gives a speech during a rally organized by the National People's Power party in Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 1. 
Politics

Sri Lanka scraps perks for ex-presidents in landmark austerity push

Former leaders are losing privileges such as official homes, staff and cars

16 September 2025
Japan has decided to resume lending to a project that will expand the Bandaranaike International Airport, north of Colombo. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters)
International relations

Japan resumes infrastructure diplomacy in Sri Lanka ahead of China

Tokyo's loans to Colombo seen as 'sign of confidence' to other lenders

17 July 2025
Employees work on a newly built tank at Ceylon Petroleum's Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery in Colombo on May 11, 2018. Sri Lankan energy industry veterans are pushing back against India's designs on a key deepwater port. (Source photos by Reuters, Kosaku Mimura and Shinya Sawai)
International relations

Dissanayake faces litmus test as India eyes Sri Lanka energy stakes

Anti-establishment outsider weighs India's offer against island's energy vulnerability

9 July 2025
A Japanese Mogami-class frigate. Tokyo is set to increase its budget for defense assistance. (Photo by Shinnosuke Nagatomi)
Defense

Japan doubles security aid recipients, adding Sri Lanka, Thailand

5 Indo-Pacific nations to join eligibility list as China concerns grow

21 June 2025
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, president of Sri Lanka, gives a speech during a 2025 May Day rally organized by the National People's Power Party in Colombo.
Opinion

Trump's tariffs must spur Sri Lanka to deeper regional integration

A US trade deal can't be the cornerstone of the island nation's economic strategy

15 May 2025
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake waves to supporters at a May Day rally organized by the National People's Power party in Colombo on May 1.
Politics

Sri Lankan voters extend Dissanayake's mandate at local polls

Experts wonder if drop in turnout is a warning sign for left-leaning government

11 May 2025
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake listen to the national anthems of their countries at a ceremony in Colombo on April 5.
International relations

India's Modi agrees to step up defense cooperation with Sri Lanka

Leader visits neighboring nation, two sides sign seven memorandums of understanding

5 April 2025
A man selling toys counts Sri Lankan currency notes at his shop in a market in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Feb. 17, 2025.
Opinion

Sri Lanka's mirage of economic reform

Nation must come up with bold policies to avert another sovereign default

6 March 2025
Kenya Airways workers walk during a strike by Kenya airport union workers to protest against a proposed deal for India's Adani Group to lease Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for 30 years, in Nairobi on Sept. 11, 2024.
Adani Group

Setbacks for Adani cast shadow on India's soft power

Foreign governments put the brakes on conglomerate's global expansion

25 February 2025
A Sri Lankan fisherman hauls in a net off the coast of Jaffna in Sri Lanka in September 2024.
International relations

Fisheries dispute haunts Sri Lanka-India relationship

Colombo urges action from New Delhi as trawlers impact livelihoods in Jaffna

15 February 2025
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump posted on his X account this AI-generated image of a person resembling Vice President Kamala Harris standing in front of a flag resembling that of the Soviet Union. (Screenshot from Donald Trump's X account; Nikkei)
Artificial intelligence

Voters across Asia contend with AI-generated fake videos and images

Increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence models are disrupting elections

18 January 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan 15. (Pool photo/AP)
International relations

China and Sri Lanka eye new phase of BRI with $3.7bn investment

Sinopec to build refinery, help island nation's struggling economy earn dollars

17 January 2025
Tata Motors' Altroz Racer on display at the 2024 Bharat Mobility Global Expo in New Delhi.  
Your Week in Asia

China economy snapshot, India car show, ASEAN ministers meet

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

12 January 2025
Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, left, and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi walk past a military honor guard during a reception in New Delhi on Dec 16.
International relations

Sri Lankan president says his land won't 'be used against' India

Dissanayake meets PM Modi in Delhi in first foreign visit since taking charge

17 December 2024
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (front center) and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya (front, second from right) pose with newly appointed cabinet ministers in Colombo on Nov. 18, days after a landslide electoral victory for the anti-establishment National People's Power party.
Policy Asia

Sri Lanka turns to untried leftists to lead break from poverty, strife

Voters place faith in Dissanayake's NPP debutants to cure economy and ethnic tensions

29 November 2024
Sri Lanka's President and National People's Power party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake shows his ink-marked finger after voting in the parliamentary election in Colombo on Nov.14.
22 November 2024
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate in New Delhi on Oct. 8 during polls in northern Haryana state. 
Your Week in Asia

India state polls, G20 summit, Hong Kong national security case

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

17 November 2024
Sri Lanka's President and National People's Power party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake shows his ink-marked finger after voting in the parliamentary election in Colombo on Nov.14.
Politics

Sri Lanka president's party wins two-thirds of seats in parliament

Voters bury established parties in general election landslide

15 November 2024
U.S. chip giant Nvidia is hosting a two-day AI summit in Tokyo with its CEO Jensen Huang set to talk about the technology's future.
Your Week in Asia

Nvidia AI summit, U.N. climate talks, Japan leadership vote

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

10 November 2024
Supporters of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's National People's Power alliance attend a rally in October.
Politics

Dissanayake's bloc seen gaining control of Sri Lankan parliament

Nov. 14 election set to usher in new guard as Rajapaksa associates pull out

4 November 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a series of miscalculations in his attempts to strengthen the country’s ties with neighboring nations. 
Comment

Misguided foreign policy has left India friendless in South Asia

Chinese rivalry has blinded Modi to adverse political trends in nearby nations

7 October 2024
Sri Lanka's new president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, speaks with military and police chiefs after being sworn in on Monday.
Politics

Dissanayake's journey from toffee seller to Sri Lankan president

Political outsider calls general election to boost base, vows to build confidence

25 September 2024
Newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake signs his oath document of office during the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on Sept. 23.
Politics

Sri Lankans reject political dynasties for leftist outsider

Dissanayake's challenges with economy, Parliament may add uncertainty in IMF deal

24 September 2024
Anura Kumara Dissanayake addresses supporters during a rally ahead of the presidential election, on the outskirts of Colombo on Sept. 18.
Opinion

Sri Lanka's Dissanayake now must prioritize political reform

New president should empower local governments and tackle the devolution issue

24 September 2024
 Anura Kumara Dissanayake arrives party's headquarters in Colombo on Sept. 22. His victory in Sri Lanka's presidential election marks a sharp contrast to previous poor results by him and his political alliance. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Politics

Sri Lankan outsider leftist Dissanayake wins presidential election

Politician's turnaround stuns ruling elite, taps public rage from economic crisis

23 September 2024
Supporters of Anura Kumara Dissanayake gather for a campaign rally on Sept. 17 in Dehiowita, Sri Lanka.
Politics

Sri Lanka's watershed presidential elections: 4 things to know

Economy is top concern as voters face a government with no majority for once

19 September 2024
A man walks past an election banner of presidential candidate Namal Rajapaksa outside the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party office near Colombo.
Your Week in Asia

Sri Lanka votes, Midea lists in Hong Kong, BOJ policy meeting

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

15 September 2024