Tag - asia

 
 

ASIA

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 12, 2020
Indonesia's 'rice ATMs' provide staple amid coronavirus crunch
The global pandemic has left millions of Indonesians struggling to make ends meet. Now the authorities are rolling out "rice ATMs" in a bid to ensure greater access for those in need to the essential staple.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
May 11, 2020
New virus cases climb in Indonesia as Jokowi laments slow testing
The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Indonesia neared 1,000 as more cases were confirmed across the archipelago, with President Joko Widodo expressing disappointment over the slow progress in ramping up testing to detect the disease.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 9, 2020
North Korea completes building new ICBMs, South Korean newspaper reports
North Korea has constructed several new intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to the South Korean Dong-A Ilbo daily.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 8, 2020
Singapore expats ask for rent cuts as employers tighten belts
Singapore expats are often envied for their generous pay packets but facing the prospect of salary cuts as the coronavirus batters businesses, some are tightening their belts and asking for lower rent.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 5, 2020
Japan to help shift manufacturing to ASEAN from China after virus disrupts supply chains
Japan will launch a subsidy program to encourage domestic manufacturers to transfer their overseas production bases to Southeast Asia, as the coronavirus pandemic has greatly disrupted their supply chains heavily dependent on China.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 4, 2020
72% in Japan see closure of unregulated meat markets as key to preventing pandemics, survey finds
Japan is in agreement with at least four other Asian nations about backing government efforts to close all illegal and unregulated wildlife markets, a WWF survey shows.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 4, 2020
Asia’s factories plunge to record lows as global lockdowns inflict widespread damage
Factory output across several Asian countries slumped to record lows in April, signaling a deeper contraction in the world’s manufacturing hub even as China begins restarting some operations.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 2, 2020
As loggers exploit virus, Cambodian forest protectors defy state ban
A Cambodian conservation group has warned that logging in the protected Prey Lang forest has ramped up during the coronavirus pandemic, vowing it would continue to monitor the destruction despite government threats of legal action to stop that work.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 1, 2020
After mass testing, Vietnam says coronavirus outbreak contained
Businessman Phan Quoc Viet was making his usual prayers at a pagoda in Tay Ninh, a province in southern Vietnam, when the government official's call came.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 1, 2020
India and Pakistan nuclear procurement networks larger than thought
Hundreds of foreign companies are actively procuring components for India and Pakistan’s nuclear programs, taking advantage of gaps in the global regulation of the industry, according to a report by a U.S.-based research group.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 29, 2020
Taiwan emerging from pandemic with a stronger hand against China
Very few governments around the world are likely to emerge from the pandemic in an even stronger position than before. Taiwan is one of them — and that’s not good for China.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Apr 29, 2020
'Should I buy a mask or food?': South Asia's poor face stark choice
Buy a mask and let his family go hungry, or buy food and go out into the crowded city without one — that is the stark choice facing Hayatullah Khan, an Afghan labourer whose daily earnings have fallen below $1.50 during the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Apr 29, 2020
Children in South Asia at risk as coronavirus disrupts immunization drive
Disruptions to immunization programs across South Asia due to the coronavirus pandemic are upending attempts to vaccinate millions of children against deadly diseases, UNICEF has warned.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Apr 29, 2020
Public suicide attempt highlights plight of millions of Thais waiting for virus aid
A woman who took rat poison this week outside Thailand's finance ministry over the slow rollout of aid during the coronavirus lockdown was promised on Tuesday she would get her money soon. For millions of other Thais, the waiting continues.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 29, 2020
Alcohol fight highlights battle between Indian states and Narendra Modi
In the tug-of-war between India’s states and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s federal government for cash to fight the coronavirus outbreak, liquor has become the latest battleground.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 28, 2020
The British expat paying $7,000 a month to swim in Singapore’s lockdown
Not helping any with Singapore’s image as home to a bunch of crazy-rich Asians comes the almost too-ridiculous-to-be-true story of a man who rented a swimming pool for 10,000 Singapore dollars ($7,040) a month.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 28, 2020
Dead, incapacitated or healthy, Kim Jong Un speculation serves as useful thought exercise
Whatever Kim Jong Un's fate, speculation over his condition brings into focus important considerations for Asia, including how it might grapple with a scenario involving his death.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 28, 2020
More than 2,200 Indonesians have died with coronavirus symptoms, data shows
More than 2,200 Indonesians have died with acute symptoms of COVID-19 but were not recorded as victims of the disease, a Reuters review of data from 16 of the country's 34 provinces showed.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2020
Kim rumors rekindle fears of a ‘weak’ North Korea
Instability in North Korea could spark a clash between the U.S. and China over the future of the northern half of the peninsula.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 27, 2020
Will coronavirus fan the flames of Southeast Asia's haze problem?
Weak enforcement of restrictions to curb COVID-19 infections in rural Indonesia, coupled with farmers opting for cheap ways to clear land, could see a repeat of the forest fires and smoke that choked Southeast Asia last year, environmentalists have said.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals