Lt. Saw Kaw, a soldier of the Karen National Liberation Army in charge of the Cobra column, walks with his team members after inspecting the house of a high-rank Myanmar soldier at Infantry Batallion 275 at Myawaddy in Myanmar on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 18, 2024
In rebel-held Myanmar town, fragile unity pushes junta to the brink
Armed groups in Myanmar are striving to work together to repel the junta after rebels took control of a crucial trading-post town last week.
South Korean officials count ballots following a parliamentary election on April 10. President Yoon Suk-yeol’s conservative bloc is set for a major setback in a vote for a new parliament, exit polls showed, likely meaning he will be in a weak position for the remaining three years of his term and face political gridlock.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 18, 2024
Billionaire families lose hope for tax cut after Korean vote
South Korea’s regular maximum inheritance levy of as much as 50% is the second-highest among members of the OECD, after 55% in Japan.
Crew aboard a Philippines Coast Guard vessel eye a Chinese Coast Guard ship in waters off the Philippines in November 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 18, 2024
Philippine Coast Guard to attend joint military drills with U.S. in first
More than 16,700 Filipino and American troops will participate in the drills, set to focus on potential flashpoints in the South China Sea and near Taiwan.
Richard Marles
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 17, 2024
Australia unveils new defense strategy, with eye on 'coercive' China
The 80-page document offers a gloomy assessment of Pacific security and sets out a massive increase in defense spending to retool Australia's military.
Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons towards a Philippine resupply vessel on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on March 5.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 17, 2024
Philippines and U.S. troops to sink ship and retake islands in drills
The annual war games, called Balikatan, will take place from April 22 to May 10 with around 16,770 personnel expected to participate.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington in May last year. Austin held talks with his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday for the first time in nearly a year and a half.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 17, 2024
U.S. and China defense chiefs hold first talks in nearly 18 months
While the talks signaled improving military-to-military ties, the two superpowers remain at odds over a number of issues.
Solomon Islanders queue up to vote outside a polling station in Honiara on Wednesday. The election could reshape regional security, with citizens effectively choosing if their Pacific nation will deepen ties with China.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 17, 2024
China and Taiwan ties hang in the balance in Solomon Islands vote
While domestic issues will be key to voters’ choices, the result will have repercussions for the islands’ ties with China.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on