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Members of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces and US Marines during a joint live-fire drill as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita prefecture, Japan, on June 28. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Japan’s overworked defence ministry plans first new bureau since 2007

The ‘long overdue’ move is expected to boost the defence ministry’s capacity to work more closely with allies and ease operational strain.

South Korea

SK Group chief ordered to pay US$644 million in South Korea’s biggest divorce

South Korea

South Korea rethinks Yellow Envelope Act as labour union demands mount

Japan

Why Japan’s fighter jet future looks ‘more optimistic’ with Canada’s entry

Analysts say the move will be ‘a starting point’ for greater cooperation among like-minded partners amid concerns about US commitment.

A mock-up of the GCAP fighter jet on display at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 in Farnborough, Britain, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA
A mock-up of the GCAP fighter jet on display at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 in Farnborough, Britain, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA
South Korea

Seoul drops ‘denuclearisation-first’ stance on Pyongyang

The long-term goal of denuclearisation remains unchanged but stymieing new developments will be South Korea’s focus.

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Japan

Japan’s deadliest fault line shifts, frustrating megaquake forecasts

As small quakes cluster off the coast, a new seabed study shows the Nankai Trough’s ‘locked zone’ is far more fluid than scientists believed.

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Japan

Japanese firm acts to stop 7-Eleven store staff scalping anime, game merchandise

Some owners and employees have been caught setting aside merchandise before its release or buying up large quantities for resale.

A customer prepares to check out at the register inside a 7-Eleven store in Japan. Photo: Shutterstock
A customer prepares to check out at the register inside a 7-Eleven store in Japan. Photo: Shutterstock
South Korea

South Korean unions push for higher payouts after Samsung’s US$400,000 bonus

What began with workers calling for Samsung and SK Hynix to share profits reaped from the AI boom is spilling over to other industries.

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Japan

Japan voters ‘pretty angry’ with PM Takaichi as support frays

Recent opinion polls show Takaichi’s approval rating slipping, reflecting the public’s disdain for her priorities, analysts say.

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South Korea

South Korea charges former US diplomat with defaming Lee Jae Myung

Morse Tan, a former US ambassador-at-large, is accused of spreading false allegations about the president in Washington last year.

Morse Tan served as the US ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice under the first Trump administration. Photo: US Department of State
South Korea

Guilty verdict leaves South Korea’s top conservative ‘a wounded lame duck’

A campaign finance conviction threatens to end Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s presidential ambitions, just weeks after winning a fifth term.

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Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon leaves court after his trial on Wednesday. Photo: Yonhap/AFP
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon leaves court after his trial on Wednesday. Photo: Yonhap/AFP
Japan

Japanese agency warns of ‘cruelly hot days’ amid 40 degrees and above heat

At least 14 people have died from heat-related causes in the past week as emergency officials describe the rising heat as ‘a disaster’.

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South Korea

Owner of Michelin-starred restaurant in South Korea faces jail for ant-topped sorbet

Prosecutors demand prison term and fine for serving unapproved imported insects to diners.

Japan

Japan seeks Southeast Asia sea lanes to avoid troubled waters in region

A proposal to map charts through five straits comes as Japan fears trade disruption from choke points in the South China Sea and off Malacca.

Two liquefied natural gas tankers and a fishing boat seen in the Strait of Malacca in April. Photo: EPA
Cambodia

Asia-Pacific cyberscam victims lost up to US$114 billion last year: UN

The losses from online scams, mostly investment fraud, are at least triple that from 2023, reflecting a ‘dramatic scaling’, the report says.

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A Thai soldier walks near small booths lined with acoustic foam used to make scam calls inside a compound in Cambodia’s O’Smach border town on February 2. Photo: Reuters
A Thai soldier walks near small booths lined with acoustic foam used to make scam calls inside a compound in Cambodia’s O’Smach border town on February 2. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

Questions resurface over South Korea defence minister’s army service

Ahn Gyu-back’s accuser claims a gap in his military record reflected an absence without leave. Ahn has called it an ‘administrative error’.

Japan

Are Chinese tourists really to blame for overcrowding Japan’s Kyoto?

Data from the Kyoto City Tourism Association shows a sharp decline in Chinese overnight stays as a result of growing bilateral tensions.

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North Korea

North Korea paves way for possible Kim trip to Moscow

Pyongyang’s top diplomat met Putin to discuss the Ukraine war, munition shipments and a likely Kim visit, analysts say.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui shake hands during their meeting in Moscow on Sunday. Photo: Kremlin/Sputnik/EPA
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui shake hands during their meeting in Moscow on Sunday. Photo: Kremlin/Sputnik/EPA
South Korea

Beggar’s banquet: South Korea’s viral app helps youth find cheap meals

South Korea’s youth unemployment rate reached 7.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 – the highest since 2021.

Japan

Helicopters and hashtags: Japan’s mounting problem with unprepared hikers

Locals make up the vast majority of Japan’s mountain rescues, yet internet anger is largely reserved for ill-equipped tourists.

South Korea

How South Korean hypermarket chain’s fall reflects ‘time-poor’ consumer demands

The Homeplus crisis comes even as other South Korean retail businesses continue to thrive amid a surge in online sales.

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A Homeplus store in Seoul. The financially troubled hypermarket chain has closed or suspended its outlets in South Korea. Photo: EPA
Japan

Officials’ lavish travel sparks scrutiny of political spending in Japan

The Fukuoka prefectural government admitted it spent more than US$2 million on the excursions, triggering public anger.

The Fukuoka prefectural government office in Japan. Photo: Google Maps
The Fukuoka prefectural government office in Japan. Photo: Google Maps
South Korea

Why South Korea is racing to build a sovereign AI model for cybersecurity

Fears over access to foreign AI models have accelerated Seoul’s push to control the systems used to defend critical infrastructure.

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Japan

Japan changes rules to save shrinking monarchy, but bars female emperors

A revised imperial law keeps the long-standing male-only succession system, defying public support for female emperors.

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South Korea

‘Gateway to Asean’: South Korea bets on Vietnam hub for food expansion

Vietnam will be positioned as a logistics and distribution base aimed at growing demand for South Korean food products across the region.

A food vendor (right) talks to a customer at Gwangjang market in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
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