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North Korea
Fireworks explode as North Koreans usher in the new year at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on Thursday. Photo: AP
North Korea

Ramen, drinks, fan zones: how North Korea clones K-culture while hating Seoul

From food to photo booths, Pyongyang is imitating South Korean culture through what analysts call ‘subjective adaptation’.

Japan

25 years on, unsolved Setagaya murders continue to haunt Japan

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South Korea

Will ‘Made in Europe’ threaten South Korea’s arms export boom?

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Australia

‘Not cowed’: Australia sees defiant start to 2026 after mass shooting

Many police officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, a first for the popular annual fireworks display over Sydney’s Harbour Bridge.

Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark the New Year. Photo: Reuters
Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark the New Year. Photo: Reuters
Japan

A toil for the toilet: Japan’s PM, women MPs, call for more lavatories

For the 73 women elected in 2024 to parliament’s lower house there is just one toilet, with two cubicles, near the main plenary session hall.

Japan

Takaichi is shaping up as Japan’s Thatcher. How long can she last?

The prime minister has defied the odds by winning back LDP voters with sweeping immigration, economic policies and a tough stance on Beijing.

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South Korea

South Korea ends bear bile industry, but 200 moon bears in limbo

As the ban takes effect January 1, disputes over farmer compensation and limited shelter space leave hundreds of captive bears with nowhere to go.

A bear looks out from a cage at a bear farm in Dangjin, South Korea in 2014. Photo: AP
A bear looks out from a cage at a bear farm in Dangjin, South Korea in 2014. Photo: AP
Japan

‘Pillar’ of Japan’s Communist Party, Tetsuzo Fuwa, dies aged 95

Fuwa reformed the party’s platform, recognising the imperial system and Self-Defence Forces.

South Korea

Probe into South Korea’s Kim Keon-hee ends with ‘unresolved issues’

Analysts say the findings have raised questions about whether South Korea’s laws can deal with alleged abuses of power by a president’s spouse.

North Korea

North Korea tests long-range cruise missiles after nuclear submarine progress

Days after unveiling a near-complete hull of a nuclear-powered submarine, North Korea shares photos of missiles being fired and hitting a target.

A North Korean long-range strategic cruise missile hitting its target on Sunday. Photo: KCNA via AFP
Japan

5-year-old dies after ski lift accident in Hokkaido, Japan

Safety concerns were previously raised over a lack of handrails and the lift’s design.

The site of an accident involving a 5-year-old boy at a ski resort in Otaru, Hokkaido on Sunday. Photo: Kyodo
The site of an accident involving a 5-year-old boy at a ski resort in Otaru, Hokkaido on Sunday. Photo: Kyodo
South Korea

South Korea’s record low birth rate leads to mass school closures

With student counts half of 1980 levels, South Korea confronts a crisis of empty classrooms and abandoned sites, raising worry over wasted assets.

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Japan

Can Japan’s space industry regain thrust after H3 rocket failure?

Failure is inevitable, aerospace experts say, so Japan needs to be less afraid of making mistakes and move on.

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Japan

‘I feared for my life’: 50-vehicle pile-up on icy Japan expressway kills 2

Twenty-six people were injured in the mishap in Gunma prefecture that also sparked a fire at the far end of the pile-up.

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A damaged median and a vehicle pile-up on the Kan-etsu Expressway in Japan’s Gunma prefecture on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

‘Built on tofu’: safety fears as Japan prepares to restart nuclear plant

While Fukushima operator Tepco says it is ‘committed to safety’ at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, critics believe it is a disaster waiting to happen.

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The No 5, 6 and 7 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex operated by Tepco. Photo: Kyodo
The No 5, 6 and 7 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex operated by Tepco. Photo: Kyodo
Semiconductors

China’s CXMT in crosshairs of South Korean prosecutors over Samsung tech leak

Prosecutors in Seoul indict 10 people, including ex-Samsung executives, for allegedly leaking the firm’s technology to memory chipmaker CXMT.

Japan

Japan stabbing rampage leaves 15 injured at Yokohama rubber factory

Authorities confirm injuries after a weapon and ‘spray-like liquid’ attack. Local media report one man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

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South Korea

In South Korea, vouchers to curb county’s falling population draw new residents

Officials in Okcheon, however, are looking to identify fake residents who change addresses without moving in.

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An angler fishing with the background of Sangchunjeong pavilion in Okcheon in North Chungcheong province, South Korea. Photo: Shutterstock
An angler fishing with the background of Sangchunjeong pavilion in Okcheon in North Chungcheong province, South Korea. Photo: Shutterstock
South Korea

Yoon faces 10-year jail term in South Korea over first of 4 failed coup trials

During a hearing, Yoon appears tense and laughs in disbelief as special prosecutors present the charges in his first trial.

Japan

Video | Finger-lickin’ good KFC on the Christmas menu for millions in Japan

Christmas Eve is KFC’s busiest day in Japan. Millions of families visit branches across the country to enjoy special holiday menus.

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Japan

Japan’s US$782 billion budget to boost military firepower, tame inflation

The budget comes as the market worries about Prime Minister Takaichi’s big spending policies adding to Japan’s public debt.

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A Japanese Type 12 surface-to-ship missile is launched during a military exercise in Australia on July 22. Photo: Australian Department of Defence via AP
North Korea

‘Maximum deterrence’: why North Korea just revealed its new nuclear submarine

The unprecedented transparency from the normally secretive country shows a shift in North Korean defence strategy, analysts say.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre) inspects a nuclear-powered submarine under construction in a photo released on December 25. Photo: KCNA/AP
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre) inspects a nuclear-powered submarine under construction in a photo released on December 25. Photo: KCNA/AP
South Korea

Coupang’s massive data leak probe ignites US-Seoul diplomatic firestorm

Some Republicans said Seoul’s investigation into the e-commerce firm was an attempt to favour China.

South Korea

US to grant Seoul exception on nuclear submarine fuel supply

Seoul to formalise right to build nuclear-powered submarines via Aukus-style waiver requiring approval from Trump and US Congress.

South Korea

South Korean webtoon slammed for heroine resembling Kim Jong-un’s daughter Ju-ae

Critics say the romantic comedy ‘Princess Goes to School’ risks softening perceptions of North Korea’s regime.

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Left: The cover image for Princess Goes to School, a South Korean webtoon on Naver. Right: Kim Jong-un walks with his daughter Kim Ju-ae in April. Photos: Naver, EPA-EFE
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