Politics

    Expanding AI investment has been the biggest driver of U.S. economic growth and stock market gains. (Source photos by Nikkei, AP)
    Secondary article image
    U.S. midterm elections

    US midterms live: Nasdaq tumbles more than 5% on AI regulation fears

    Nvidia, Micron sink as Democrats' landslide rattles chip stocks

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has been placing assets of foreign companies under external management via a presidential decree. (Pool photo via Reuters)
    International relations

    Putin seizes control of Japan Tobacco units as Moscow-Tokyo ties fray

    Cigarette giant likely caught up in Moscow pressure campaign over sanctions

    Voters opposed nearly all of 41 ballot measures across 10 U.S. states concerning the construction of AI-related data centers.
    Markets

    Asian stock markets drop as Democratic win stokes fears over AI scrutiny

    US midterm results drag on tech shares in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan

    5 November 2026
    Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, left, attends a briefing at the city's foreign correspondents' club in 2016. At right is fellow activist Nathan Law, who now resides in the U.K. (Photo by Kenji Kawase) 
    Hong Kong security law

    Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years for foreign collusion

    Rights groups urge Trump and others to raise case at upcoming summits with Xi

    5 November 2026
    Reactions among Japanese trading houses are mixed regarding the impact on their businesses of the Democratic Party's victory in the U.S. midterm elections.
    Companies

    Japan's trading house chiefs warn of uncertainty after US midterms

    But some see business opportunity in the country even under divided government

    4 November 2026
    Supporters of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico cheer as they watch midterm election returns in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 3. Talarico defeated Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in one of the most closely watched races this election season.
    U.S. midterm elections

    Democrats win control of Congress in sharp rebuke to Trump

    Senate and House majorities set up policy showdown with Republican president

    4 November 2026
    China Airlines crew members train for an emergency at their center in Taoyuan in June 2025.
    International relations

    Taiwan airlines continue flights over Russia, rattling Europeans

    Pakistan's brief ban prompted shift; Belarus forced landing, MH17 shoot-down fresh in minds

    4 November 2026
    Historically, the party of the sitting president tends to lose seats in the midterms, which take place roughly halfway into a president's four-year term. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yuki Nakao and Reuters)
    U.S. midterm elections

    5 things to know about the US midterms and what they mean for Asia

    Republicans and Democrats vie to control Congress as voters focus on Trump's policies

    3 November 2026
    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on the day of their meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on Nov. 3.
    International relations

    South Korea, Turkey to cooperate in nuclear, defense, infrastructure

    Sinop project advances as leaders seek third-country arms exports

    3 November 2026
    The Asian Football Confederation moved the 2027 Asian Cup kickoff from Jan. 7 to Dec. 23 after consultations with the event's Saudi organizers.
    Middle East crisis

    Asian Cup pushed back nearly a year as Saudi security risks mount

    Regional conflict forces postponement from January 2027 to December

    3 November 2026
    Jovanka Porsche (center) has led the inaugural "Tracks to the Future" conference onboard a luxury train service from Duisburg, Germany to Xi'an, China. (Global Neighbours)
    Politics

    Vienna entrepreneur takes leaders on lux train to China to foster ties

    Jovanka Porsche hopes 18-day trip will lead to Davos-style meetings on Silk Road

    3 November 2026
    An aerial view of the island of Qeshm, separated from the Iranian mainland by the Clarence Strait in December 2023.  
    Iran war

    Oil edges up after report of US strike on Iran's Qeshm Island

    US forces' 'defensive' attack comes on eve of midterm elections

    3 November 2026
    Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on Nov. 3 called allegations by the U.S. FBI that North Korea was behind the huge heist of cryptocurrency from Binance "absurd rhetoric."
    Cybersecurity

    North Korea calls US allegations linking it to Binance heist 'absurd'

    FBI accuses North Korea state-linked 'TraderTraitor' of the Binance theft

    3 November 2026
    An election sign encouraging people to vote is displayed in the front yard of a residential home in Encinitas, California on Oct. 21.
    U.S. midterm elections

    US Supreme Court rejects Trump, lets California count all ballots

    Administration went to top court on the eve of midterm elections

    3 November 2026
    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an unmanned aeronautical technology exhibition and weapons demonstration. (KCNA via Reuters)
    Economy

    North Korea leans on China and Russia to drive 3% economic growth

    Pyongyang expands weapons production capacity for Russian exports despite sanctions

    3 November 2026
    A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine. Japan possesses diesel-electric vessels, which have more limited operability. (Photo by Ryo Nakamura)
    Defense

    US experts warm to Japanese nuclear subs as check on China in Asian waters

    Vessels would offer greater operability, but face financial, technical challenges

    3 November 2026
    Oden is a research vessel that the Polar Connect project has used to survey and map the Arctic. (Courtesy of Polar Connect)
    Telecommunication

    EU steps up subsea cable buildout to Japan and South Korea

    While Brussels views project as critical infrastructure, Tokyo sees it as commercial venture

    2 November 2026
    For soybean growers in the U.S., a sharp downturn in Chinese demand left a hole that temporary trade truces cannot easily plug. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
    U.S. midterm elections

    Surging costs and China trade war test US farmers' loyalty to Trump

    Higher input prices and weaker Chinese demand squeeze soybean growers ahead of midterms

    2 November 2026
    U.S. President Donald Trump stands on stage on Oct. 13 in Wasilla, Alaska, during campaigning for the U.S. midterm elections.
    2 November 2026
    Supporters cheer on U.S. President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 rally in Lubbock, Texas.
    Comment

    After US midterms, democracy will face test of ability to self-correct

    Two years until post-Trump presidential race mark crossroads for growing global divisions

    1 November 2026
    Quad foreign ministers, from left, Japan's Toshimitsu Motegi, India's S. Jaishankar, U.S.'s Marco Rubio and Australia's Penny Wong in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct. 31.
    Indo-Pacific

    Quad ministers discuss supply chains, denounce export restrictions

    Trump plans to take part in his first leaders summit of the grouping on ASEAN sidelines

    1 November 2026
    During a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi "strongly demanded the immediate release" of a Japanese national held in Russia, according to the Japanese Embassy in Washington.
    31 October 2026
    U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, speaks to media at the White House, following the Supreme Court's ruling that Trump had exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs. 
    U.S. midterm elections

    Trump holds off overcapacity tariffs as US midterms near

    Administration weighs voter concerns over prices against fragile China trade truce

    30 October 2026
    Historically, the party of the sitting president tends to lose seats in the midterms, which take place roughly halfway into a president's four-year term. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yuki Nakao and Reuters)
    Editor-in-Chief’s Picks

    Editor's Choice: What the US midterms mean for Asia

    Akito Tanaka shares his weekly reflections and recommendations

    30 October 2026
    A soldier passes a restaurant on the Camp Humphreys U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Oct. 28. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok)
    Defense

    Inside the world's largest overseas US military base

    On massive complex near Seoul, question of handing combined troop command to ally hangs heavy

    30 October 2026
    Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, right, and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Cebu, Philippines, on Oct. 28. The two men met on the sidelines of the 20th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers Meeting.
    Defense

    US, Japan to establish a Japanese facility for joint missile production

    Defense chief Koizumi meets with American counterpart Hegseth in Philippines

    30 October 2026
    The strength in growth is in stark contrast to households' downbeat assessment of the economy, reflected in a sharp deterioration in consumer sentiment.
    Economy

    US economic growth accelerates in Q3 on consumer spending, AI

    GDP advances at 3.4% annualized rate, topping economists' 3.2% forecast

    29 October 2026
    Polls show rising gas prices and the cost of living are increasingly on voters' minds for the U.S. midterm elections.
    U.S. midterm elections

    China issues fade in US as midterm voters focus on prices

    Trump's warmer stance toward Xi also tempers rhetoric, though farmland remains a target

    29 October 2026
    U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, speaks with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., ahead of his meeting with ASEAN defense chiefs in Cebu, Philippines, on Oct. 28.
    Defense

    US taps Singapore to advance defense framework talks with ASEAN next year

    City-state and Australia support Hegseth's proposal while the 'Squad' holds inaugural meeting

    29 October 2026