(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
Kazakhstan: News & Insights - Nikkei Asia

Kazakhstan

6 May 2025
Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, center, attends a ceremony in Astana, Kazakhstan, where low-cost carrier Vietjet signed a partnership with Kazakhstan’s Qazaq Air to launch a new airline called Vietjet Qazaqstan. (Vietjet)
Scenes from Almaty: The capital of Kazakhstan until 1997, the city's Silk Road and European influences still echo in its architecture, cuisine and cultural traditions. (All photos by Kalpana Sunder)
Destinations

Footloose in Almaty: Kazakhstan's cultural capital

Picturesque city where the nomadic steppes meet modern Europe

12 April 2025
People walk outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on March 18, 2025. 
Opinion

The U.N. must not be abandoned

The international community must support and strengthen multilateral institutions

4 April 2025
The first EU-Central Asia Summit is taking place in Samarkand. (Nikkei montage)
International relations

EU hopes to sway Central Asia in first interregional summit

Russia, China loom over Samarkand talks on security, trade, energy

3 April 2025
Freight and passenger carriages await departure from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. (Photo by Joe Barnes)
Transportation

Recent deals show value of Trans-Caspian route in turbulent times

High-level talks, COP29 pact demonstrate interest in trade passage, but challenges remain

2 January 2025
Tanks at an oil field operated by Caspiy Neft, one of Kazakhstan's largest oil companies. Oil revenue is an important source of funds for the national government.
Economy

Kazakhstan's budget concerns deepen as oil prices hinge on Trump policy

Poor tax discipline leaves government struggling to balance books

22 December 2024
A customs gate on China-Kazakhstan border, about 3,500 kilometers from Beijing.  (Photo by Yuri Momoi)
Belt and Road

'Modern Silk Road' brings booming trade to China-Kazakhstan border

Cross-regional exchanges and live commerce flourish thanks to major railway project

8 December 2024
Kazakhstan faces a shortage of 6 gigawatts of energy by 2030, the government estimates.
Energy

Kazakhs to vote on government plan for new nuclear power plant

But critics cite risks of deeper Russian influence, incompetence, corruption

5 October 2024
A view shows railway packages for containers with uranium hexafluoride salt, raw material for nuclear reactors at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in the northeastern industrial city of Oskemen, Kazakhstan. 
Opinion

Kazakhstan must shake off testing-site past and vote 'yes' to nuclear energy

Oct. 6 referendum is chance for nation to stabilize regional energy supplies

3 October 2024
Competitors line up for a traditional archery competition during the Fifth World Nomad Games in Astana, Kazakhstan. (All photos by Kit Yeng Chan)
Life

Eagles, wrestling and horseback archery at the World Nomad Games

Competitors from Kazakhstan to Japan meet in biggest-ever Turkic sports event

21 September 2024
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, second left, hosts the leaders of China, Russia, Tajikistan and Belarus at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana on July 4.
Opinion

Kazakhstan leverages middle power status with West, China, Russia

Europe, U.S. need to enhance engagement with Astana

8 July 2024
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- including China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and the Kazakh host Kassym-Jomart Tokayev -- pose for a group photo in Astana on July 4.
International relations

China and Russia's security bloc tightens bonds as it expands

Belarus the latest to join SCO as group aims to counterbalance the West

5 July 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 3. (Sputnik/Pool photo via Reuters)
International relations

Xi Jinping meets Russia's Putin, backs Kazakhstan joining BRICS

Chinese president in Astana for regional SCO summit as tensions with West simmer

3 July 2024
Former Kazakh Economy Minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev during a court hearing in Astana on May 13, when he was found guilty of murdering his common-law wife and sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Crime

Murder trial of Kazakh ex-minister leads to reforms on domestic violence

Kuandyk Bishimbayev sentenced to 24 years in prison for torturing, killing his partner

14 May 2024
A production of "Tin Soldier" for children. (Photo by Yuriy Korotetskiy)
Arts

Russian war refugees boost Kazakhstan's theater scene

New plays bring diversity and cater to all ages in different languages

16 March 2024
Downtown Astana as seen from the official residence of Kazakhstan's president. The government aims to spur growth toward a goal of doubling GDP.
Politics

Kazakhstan aims for tricky economic reboot after cabinet shuffle

President Tokayev tasks new PM with spurring growth and trimming budget

10 February 2024
Wind turbines in Kazakhstan's Almaty region. Japan and five central Asian countries have inaugurated a new ministerial-level dialogue on decarbonization.
Climate Change

Japan launches new decarbonization dialogue with Central Asia

Tokyo aims to blunt Russian and Chinese influence in key region

27 September 2023
A cargo train approaches Kazakhstan's border with China: Over 80% of goods bound for Europe from China and Central Asia pass through Kazakhstan.
Opinion

Kazakhstan is building more connections with the world

Economic program will boost Europe-Asia cargo flows, accelerate green transition

20 September 2023
Yurts have been used for over 2,000 years in Kazakhstan and other Central Asian communities as practical, simple and portable homes. They are now getting a new lease of life as a draw for tourists.
Life

Yurt alert: Traditional tents make a comeback in Kazakhstan

Portable dwellings thrive as tourist attractions and emergency housing

9 September 2023
Russian service members drive armored vehicles before a military parade rehearsal in Moscow in April. 
Ukraine war

Russia, Central Asia locked in tug of war over Ukraine recruiting

From Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan, states clamp down on mercenary activity

29 August 2023
Participants celebrate a spring equinox festival in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The country is seeking to attract businesses leaving Russia. 
Ukraine war

Kazakhstan woos over 400 Western firms exiting Russia

Exodus by businesses lifts Central Asian economy

27 June 2023
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, right, met with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Russia's Victory Day in May. (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

Kazakhstan's backdoor trade with Russia must be stopped

Time for sanctions over funneling of restricted goods to support war in Ukraine

15 June 2023
A freight train near Almaty: New initiatives in Central Asia are deepening economic cooperation.
Opinion

Better connectivity will unlock Central Asia's economic potential

Integration can return region to role as intercontinental trade hub

15 May 2023
A voter casts her ballot during Kazakhstan's parliamentary election on March 19.
Politics

Kazakhstan's new parliament has old look after reset falls short

Election marred by uneven playing field, apathy and allegations of irregularities

25 March 2023
A man rides a horse past an election campaign board in Almaty, Kazakhstan on March 15.
Politics

Kazakhstan election offers rare opening for independent voices

Post-unrest reforms add meaning to Sunday's vote despite democratic shortcomings

18 March 2023
Money machines: Bitcoin mines are banks of computers dedicated to guessing a 64-digit number in order to win cryptocurrency. Here, ASICs -- specialized bitcoin mining computers -- have been stacked up in the corridors of a mine in Ekibastuz. (Photo by Peter Guest)
The Big Story

Kazakhstan's love of bitcoin undimmed by 'crypto winter'

With 'fully legal' cryptocurrencies, the country hopes to compete in the big leagues of global finance

21 December 2022
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev casts his ballot at a polling station in Astana on Nov. 20: The substance of the reforms is designed to dismantle the previous super-presidential system. (Handout photo from President Press Office)
Opinion

Kazakhstan is committed to political reform

Protests have spurred government to remove privileges and increase inclusion

21 November 2022
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is seeking a new mandate as he strives to distance himself from his one-time mentor, former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Politics

'New Kazakhstan' set for election expected to be one-man show

Tokayev seeks stamp of legitimacy as experts warn 'protest mood' persists

19 November 2022
The symbiotic relationships between Central Asia's leaders and Vladimir Putin are rearranging themselves as the war in Ukraine weakens Russia.
Asia Insight

Central Asia looks beyond Russia's orbit to secure its future

Jittery over Ukraine war, Kazakhstan and neighbors seek alternative export routes

15 November 2022
Russian citizens converge on a public service center in Almaty to receive individual identification numbers on Sept. 28. 
Ukraine war

Russians fleeing draft strain Kazakhstan's services, diplomacy

President Tokayev calls for 'humanity, patience' ahead of awkward Putin visit

6 October 2022