In Asia data flows are part of a new great game
Geopolitical tension and digital protectionism threaten to undermine a more connected region
THE 8,600-TONNE ship bobbing in the bay of Nagasaki, in Japan’s south, is aptly named. The Kizuna, which means “bonds” in Japanese, is a cable-laying vessel. It is equipped with robots that can descend 3,000 metres under the sea to install and repair the subsea cables that allow millions of Asians to message friends, shop online, trade stocks and read this article. It is a task that has become more indispensable and more difficult in the 23 years since the ship’s captain, Sakurai Atsushi, laid his first cable, connecting Japan’s main island of Honshu with Okinawa.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Connecting and competing”
From the July 15th 2023 edition
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