East Asia

Related Topics:

South China Sea

Belt and Road Initiative

Vehicles trapped in traffic on Japan’s Sanyo Expressway due to snow. Photo: Kyodo

Japan snowstorm traps 3,000 vehicles in 23km traffic jam

New Year return rush traps drivers on the Sanyo Expressway in Hiroshima, causing distress and triggering a wave of emergency calls.

13 minutes ago

Why talk of a Japanese nuclear option is resurfacing – and why it alarms critics

3 Jan 2026 - 3:00PMvideocam

The Philippines

Why the Philippines’ military is betting on South Korean defence systems

2 Jan 2026 - 5:18PMvideocam

‘More than a beloved child’: palace visit renews debate on Pyongyang succession

State media has released images of the first recorded visit of Kim Ju-ae, the teen daughter of Kim Jong-un, to the country’s most sacred site.

2 Jan 2026 - 12:45PMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, his wife and their daughter (centre) visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Thursday. Photo: KCNA via Reuters

Why North Korea’s Kim is hailing ‘invincible’ Russia ties in new year message

Kim praised North Korean troops fighting in the Ukraine war for their unwavering bravery for the sake of ‘the brotherly Russian people’.

2 Jan 2026 - 8:11AM

BTS are back! A new album and tour are coming after their military service

South Korea’s top act has been on hiatus since 2022 for military service. Their new album is the first since 2022’s record-breaking ‘Proof’.

1 Jan 2026 - 7:31PM

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Japan may lose GDP race to India amid weak yen, tourism woes, China row

Japan’s economy is likely to fall behind India’s this year, which analysts say would diminish Tokyo’s global influence.

1 Jan 2026 - 3:18PMvideocam

Tourists pose in front of Mount Fuji in Yamanakako, Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture. Photo: AFP

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’.

1 Jan 2026 - 12:24PM

25 years on, unsolved Setagaya murders continue to haunt Japan

The lack of progress on the case has frustrated authorities and worried the public, amid renewed attention every year.

1 Jan 2026 - 4:24PMvideocam

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

Observers urge South Korea to integrate itself into European supply chains by increasing production localisation to maintain competitiveness.

1 Jan 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

A Chunmoo rocket artillery system manufactured by Hanwha is displayed at the Eurosatory international land and air defence and security trade fair in Villepinte, France, in June 2024. Photo: Reuters

‘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.

31 Dec 2025 - 11:33PM

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

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.

31 Dec 2025 - 8:22PM

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.

31 Dec 2025 - 4:35PMvideocam

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.

30 Dec 2025 - 8:51PM

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

‘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.

30 Dec 2025 - 6:18PM

Tetsuzo Fuwa is seen during a 1998 meeting at Zhongnanhai, the Chinese leadership compound in Beijing. Photo: AFP

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.

30 Dec 2025 - 10:08AM

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.

29 Dec 2025 - 4:56PM

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

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.

28 Dec 2025 - 9:10PM

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

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.

28 Dec 2025 - 5:19PMvideocam

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.

28 Dec 2025 - 5:41PMvideocam

‘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.

27 Dec 2025 - 3:52PMvideocam

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

‘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.

27 Dec 2025 - 3:03PMvideocam

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

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.

27 Dec 2025 - 7:00AM

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.

27 Dec 2025 - 1:47PMvideocam

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.

26 Dec 2025 - 3:56PMvideocam

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

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.