Asia Stream

This episode, we look at China's media and political influence efforts, which are only just starting to be taken seriously by the rest of the world. We bring in the expertise of Josh Kurlantzick, author of the new book Beijing's Global Media Offensive: China's Uneven Campaign to Influence Asia and the World. Click here or head to s.nikkei.com/3feonH8 to get 3 months of Nikkei Asia coverage for just $9. First, host Waj Khan walks us through Beijing's uses of soft and sharp power. Then,...

This episode, we look at the immigration trends Asia is experiencing and how the world population may rearrange itself over the next few decades. Our guide is Parag Khanna, author of Move: Where People Are Going for a Better Future. Click here or head to s.nikkei.com/3feonH8 to get 3 months of Nikkei Asia coverage for just $9. After host Waj Khan opens the show, correspondent Alice French joins for a Tokyo Dispatch segment (6:37) on women's wealth in Asia. Then correspondent Monica...

This episode, we discuss the appointment of Pakistan's new army chief. After months of drama and debate, Gen. Asim Munir has taken the helm of the world's sixth-largest fighting force and only nuclear-armed Islamic military. But what exactly is the big deal in a general taking charge? Well, considering that the army's ruled Pakistan for over three decades and continues to influence its governance from behind the throne, the most powerful man in the country is the army chief, not the prime...

This episode, we investigate the online scamming industry that is plaguing Southeast Asia -- particularly Thailand. The Chinese underworld is trafficking people into Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos and forcing them to swindle victims young and old. And it's gotten much worse since the pandemic began, with Thailand's scam calls jumping 270%. Click here or head to s.nikkei.com/3feonH8 to get 3 months of Nikkei Asia coverage for just $9. After host Waj Khan opens the show, we hear from a Thai...

This episode, we discuss the results (so far) of the U.S. midterm election and how they will change Washington’s foreign policy in Asia, touching on China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Iran, Russia and beyond. Click here or head to s.nikkei.com/3feonH8 to get 3 months of Nikkei Asia coverage for just $9. First, the German Marshall Fund’s Tobias Harris returns to the pod to discuss the elections’ ripples in Asia with Monica Hunter-Hart (05:21). Then, Monica and Waj Khan cover the specifics...

We discuss the ongoing Chinese Communist Party congress, where paramount leader Xi Jinping is expected to secure himself a third term in power. We break down what you should know about the congress, why the zero-COVID policy looms so large over it, and what Xi might do in the coming years. Click here or head to s.nikkei.com/3feonH8 to get 3 months of Nikkei Asia coverage for just $9. First, Monica Hunter-Hart and Waj Khan go over the basics of the event (2:35). Then Alice French explains...

We discuss the ongoing protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, who was allegedly beaten to death for failing to follow the mandatory hijab law. Click here or head to s.nikkei.com/3feonH8 to get 3 months of Nikkei Asia coverage for just $9. First, host Waj Khan and correspondent Monica Hunter-Hart break down the latest updates. Then Monica interviews a protester in Mashhad about what she's witnessing (11:13); Cornelius Adebahr about where the protests are headed (19:05); and...

We interview Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari about the challenges his country is facing, including terrorism, a heavy debt burden, the rivalry with India, and the worst environmental disaster Pakistan has ever experienced. We also compare the approaches that Asia's central banks are taking to deal with this difficult economic moment. Click here or head to s.nikkei.com/3feonH8 to get 3 months of Nikkei Asia coverage for just $9. First, digital editor and host Wajahat S....

We discuss why many Asian countries are still dealing with Russia. In stark contrast to much of Europe and the U.S., most Asian countries -- with the notable exceptions of Japan and Singapore -- continue business as usual with the Russians. Is this about weapons? Oil? Policy? Or old habits from the Cold War? Click here or head to s.nikkei.com/3feonH8 to get 3 months of Nikkei Asia coverage for just $9. Digital editor and host Wajahat S. Khan talks to Asia Stream correspondent Monica...

We discuss Turkey's growing influence as it plays both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war and courts powers in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Click here or head to s.nikkei.com/3feonH8 to get 3 months of Nikkei Asia coverage for just $9. Monica Hunter-Hart interviews Sinan Tavşan, Nikkei Asia's correspondent in Istanbul, about Turkey's ascendancy. She also shares interviews she recently recorded with Turkish bazaar vendors about the inflation crisis. This episode is hosted by Jack...

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U.S. forces. What is life in Afghanistan like right now, and where does the country go from here? In this episode, Monica Hunter-Hart brings back a previous guest -- a woman secretly running a network of schools for girls -- to discuss the state of girls' education in Afghanistan. Then, Jack Stone Truitt interviews retired U.S. diplomat Annie Pforzheimer on what the international...

Wajahat S. Khan joins Jack Truitt to discuss the multitude of crises Pakistan faces and his latest reporting from Washington (03:15). Then Waj takes a deeper look into why Pakistan has found itself in debt time and time again in a conversation with Dr. Aparna Pande and Uzair Younus (10:55). Finally, Nikkei Asia’s tech reporters in Taiwan, Annie Ting-Fang and Lauly Li, speak with Alice French for the Tokyo Dispatch about the hidden flaws in the global semiconductor supply chain...

This episode, we discuss the impact former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had on Japan and on the world, with a focus on his national security and economic agendas. We discuss his legacy, analyzing both his popularity and his divisiveness. Click here or head to s.nikkei.com/3feonH8 to get 3 months of Nikkei Asia coverage for just $9. First, Monica Hunter-Hart interviews Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent Ken Moriyasu about how Abe reshaped Japan’s defense policy (05:10), and then...

This episode, we take measure of the economic impact of China's stringent laws in Hong Kong and then take a deep dive into the social and political costs of Beijing's crackdown on the special administrative region. First, digital editor Waj Khan lays out the big picture: What ails the relationship between Beijing and Hong Kong? (02:25) Next, business and markets reporter Jack Stone Truitt crunches the numbers of the economic impact of the crackdown (05:49). Then, Asia Stream correspondent...

Abortion is the talk of the United States right now as the Supreme Court prepares to release a decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade, the case that enshrined abortion rights nationally. But what's happening in the places where abortion is a quieter conversation? What about the state of reproductive rights in Asia? This episode, we survey the laws and attitudes regarding abortion in Asia. We place special attention on four countries: China, Indonesia, India and Japan. Our reporters...

This episode, we discuss evidence of human rights abuses against Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang region as a new collection of leaked documents rocks the world and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet returns from a controversial visit to the region. Monica Hunter-Hart interviews Michael Clarke, Adrian Zenz and Sophie Richardson about the history of Xinjiang, the Xinjiang Police Files leak and Bachelet's visit. She also talks to a Uyghur man who spent a month in pretrial...

This episode, we report on three inflation stories of the moment that have similar causes -- particularly supply chain issues related to the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war -- but different results. Akhil Bery of the Asia Society Policy Institute joins us to discuss Sri Lanka, which is on the brink of economic collapse. Then USC's Saori Katada, along with our own Alice French and Mitsuru Obe, analyze the situation in Japan, which is experiencing rising prices for the first time in...

This week, we focus on one of Asia’s most dynamic but flawed democracies: the Philippines. With the election just days away, we get under the hood of the electoral system and investigate the powerful role that dynasties play in the country, with a special focus on Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the front-runner on the cusp of taking power. We then take into account that other essential, if dangerous, tenet of modern Philippine democracy: disinformation, and how it is being used to gain support among...

This week we examine the state of the pandemic in East Asia, which has been caught in an unprecedented COVID surge from the omicron variant. In particular, China's zero-COVID strategy has faced its stiffest challenge as lockdowns in Shanghai have stoked rare civic unrest. In this episode, Monica Hunter-Hart speaks with Nikkei data journalist Grace Li about how COVID is hitting Asia right now, Nikkei reporters CK Tan and Pak Yiu, who give us the latest from the ground in Shanghai and Hong...

This week, it’s lights, camera, action! Asia Stream has gone Hollywood. Following an Oscars that made headlines for all the wrong reasons, we take a deeper look at the biggest awards in film and ask why they do such a poor job reflecting the scope of global cinema. Then, Asia Stream correspondent Monica Hunter-Hart takes a deeper dive into the history of Asian cinema, with a focus on Japan in particular, speaking to studio veterans, film critics, and historians. Click here for an exclusive...