| Happy New Year! I hope you are enjoying a peaceful and relaxing holiday season. There are myriad ways to celebrate New Year's, depending on the place, religion and culture. How do you mark the occasion? When I was a high-school exchange student in the U.S. a long time ago, I remember being surprised at how different it was from the way we celebrate it in Japan. I think it is safe to say that in 2023, life finally returned to normal after a long period of suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For me personally, it was the year I became editor-in-chief of Nikkei Asia; for the publication, it was a year packed with achievements. I'm proud to share that one of those milestones was winning -- for the first time -- the top category of the region's premier media prize run by the Society of Publishers in Asia. Our mission has always been to bring the voice of Asia to the world, and winning the "global" category at the SOPA awards brings us one step closer to achieving that goal. The winning entry was a series on women and wealth in Asia and represents a strong team effort by our reporters on the ground in the region. In addition to this award-winning series, we published many in-depth stories throughout 2023. I truly recommend that you read the Big Stories selected by our editors from among dozens of great pieces. We covered a lot of unforgettable news last year. Natural disasters are always unpredictable, and Asia had its share of calamities last year. In February, major earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, with a 7.8 magnitude temblor killing more than 50,000 people and flattening thousands of buildings. In the U.S. state of Hawaii, a series of wildfires broke out, one of which killed more than 100 people in the historic seaside town of Lahaina on the island of Maui. These are just a few of the many disasters that occurred. In earthquake-prone Japan, there has long been talk of a major quake hitting Tokyo in the near future. I wish we could enjoy a disaster-free 2024, but with climate change continuing to wreak havoc, we need to be more prepared for disasters than ever. I don't want to be pessimistic on New Year's Day, but the reality is that wars continue to rage with no end in sight. The Ukrainian conflict will most likely enter its third year this year. Meanwhile, predicting the outcome of the Israel-Hamas war that began last year is becoming more difficult. In Asia, there is growing concern about North Korea's aggressive missile and nuclear development and China's military expansion in the South China Sea. There is also great interest in how cutting-edge technologies, such as generative AI, will change our lives. While artificial intelligence carries the promise of making our lives more efficient, productive and convenient, it also holds the potential risk of becoming a tool for authoritarian governments like China's to tighten control over their people. The race for primacy in these technologies is increasingly becoming a source of conflict between the major powers of the U.S. and China. We will continue to cover this issue as a top priority this year. 2024 is a key election year. While there were some big votes last year, such as Thailand's, there are several more to come this year in Asia, starting with Bangladesh, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, South Korea and elsewhere. Elections are the foundation of the democracy that Nikkei Asia holds so dear. In Japan, where I live, the political landscape appears to be growing increasingly chaotic. Whether there will be an election here is a big focus this year as we approach the end of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's term as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in September. China's economy will remain a hot topic in the year ahead. Last year, Beijing decided to abruptly lift its zero-COVID policy, raising hopes for a recovery in the world's second-largest economy. But a deteriorating property market and heavy corporate debt dashed those expectations. Whether China's slowdown continues or reverses course will have major implications for the global economy. With all of these events in store for 2024, Asia will undoubtedly continue to be a place of global interest, and we at Nikkei Asia promise to continue our dynamic coverage of the most important news. | 
