Tag - asia

 
 

ASIA

The resignation of Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong on Wednesday is "not really a good sign for a country often boasted for having very strong political stability.”
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 21, 2024
‘Political earthquake’ shakes up succession battle in Vietnam
The ouster of a second president in just over a year leaves a leadership vacuum in one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.
Protesters hold up placards demanding the release of detained Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration against the military in March 2021.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 21, 2024
Myanmar junta facing 'existential threat,' says U.N. expert
"Those who have bet on the junta to restore order and stability in Myanmar have made a losing bet," said Tom Andrews.
Awang Suang trims weeds from palm trees on his small plantation in Membakut, Malaysia on Feb. 12. He has been cultivating oil palms for more than 50 years after switching from rubber trees. Palms require less labor and produce more frequent harvests — roughly every two weeks, year round — providing a steadier income, he explained.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Mar 18, 2024
Can Europe save forests without killing jobs in Malaysia?
A new regulation aims to rid the palm oil supply chain of imports that come from former forestland.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 12, 2024
Scholz meets with ASEAN leaders, looking to reduce China dependency
China still dominates the supply of raw materials needed to make electric-vehicle batteries, solar panels and other high-tech products.
Guard Yuki Togashi dribbles during the Jets' win over the SK Knights in the  East Asia Super League final in Cebu on Sunday.
BASKETBALL
Mar 11, 2024
Jets win East Asia Super League
Chiba outscored South Korea's SK Knights 21-15 in the fourth quarter.
The Yarra River in Melbourne. The leaders of every ASEAN member, bar Myanmar, were in Australia for a three-day summit to commemorate 50 years of relations.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 4, 2024
Australia and Southeast Asia push to bolster ties in China’s shadow
The leaders of every ASEAN member, bar Myanmar, were in Australia for a three-day summit to commemorate 50 years of relations.
Migrant workers harvest and package vegetables in a greenhouse in Gasan-myeon, South Korea, in December.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 3, 2024
South Korea needs foreign workers, but often fails to protect them
Though a shrinking population makes imported labor vital, migrant workers routinely face predatory employers, inhumane conditions and other abuse.
Satoshi Kirishima in a photo provided by his acquaintance
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2024
Man who died after confession confirmed as 1970s bombing fugitive
Satoshi Kirishima, 70, had been a member of the extreme left-wing group East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front and evaded authorities for 49 years.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally ahead of the Republican caucus in Las Vegas on Jan. 27.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Feb 22, 2024
How East Asia should prepare for a possible Trump comeback
Questions over defense funding and military support could potentially return to the fore for U.S. allies.
Visa-free access for Chinese tourists to Southeast Asia countries boosted traffic and signaled a robust revival in travel since Beijing lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions in early 2023 that had all but shut China's borders for three years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 21, 2024
Chinese tourists flock to Southeast Asia as travel bounces back
The increase provides welcome relief to countries that rely on the Chinese and their spending.
More than 1,000 people lined up at the Thai Embassy in Yangon on Friday after Myanmar's junta said it would soon enforce military service on all men between the ages of 18 and 35 and women between the ages of 18 and 27.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 19, 2024
Myanmar junta's conscription plan shows toll of fighting rebels
The military has been battling an armed resistance since a 2021 coup toppled the democratically elected government.
Exit polls show Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (right) decisively winning the first round of voting for the presidency, eliminating the need for a runoff. The size and scale the election means finalizing the count will take weeks.
EDITORIALS
Feb 16, 2024
Prabowo’s win signals continuity for Indonesia and the region
Prabowo is likely to be more engaged in foreign policy, mostly because outgoing President Joko Widodo had been largely uninterested.
The PTI party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan triumphed in Pakistan's Feb. 8 elections despite not having the backing of the country's powerful military.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 14, 2024
Has Pakistan’s military finally lost its mystique?
Many Pakistani voters supported PTI, Imran Khan's party, in recent elections, showing the military that it has a rival powerhouse to contend with.
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto votes at a polling station during the general election in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 14, 2024
Prabowo on track to win Indonesia’s presidential election
This is Prabowo’s third time to run for the country’s top job, after losing in 2014 and 2019 to incumbent Joko "Jokowo" Widodo.
Soldiers stand next to military vehicles in Yangon, Myanmar.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 14, 2024
Myanmar junta plans mandatory military service, media says
Some retired members of the security forces may also have to return to the army.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 14, 2024
Biden blasts Trump over NATO remarks, in bid to reassure U.S. allies
Biden’s retort appears to be part of an attempt to reassure not only Kyiv but other allies — including top U.S. partners Japan and South Korea.
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned, speaks with foreign journalists at his residence in Islamabad on April 9, 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2024
The rise, and fall, and rise again of Imran Khan
When Pakistan’s government censored the media, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party posted campaign videos on TikTok. When the police barred his supporters from holding rallies, they hosted virtual gatherings online.
Indonesian Defense Minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto salutes supporters during a campaign rally in Jakarta on Feb. 2.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 12, 2024
How could Indonesia’s presidential vote affect foreign relations?
While all three candidates portend continuity with their predecessor, only the front-runner vows more visible leadership in the region.
A car carrying the body of a man who claimed to be Satoshi Kirishima is seen in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 7, 2024
Body of man who claimed to be Satoshi Kirishima sent to crematorium
Kirishima allegedly committed a series of bombings targeting companies in Japan between 1974 and 1975.
Foreign investors are seeking more English-language disclosure from companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 6, 2024
Foreign investors want more English info from TSE firms
The TSE plans to make Prime firms release key information in Japanese and English simultaneously.

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