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There are an estimated 1,000 rabbits on Okunoshima, an island that is a 15-minute ferry ride from the mainland in Japan’s eastern Hiroshima prefecture. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Outrage in Japan over man suspected of killing 77 rabbits on famed tourist island

The man, charged with kicking a rabbit to death on Okunoshima, reportedly said he was curious how they would react to ‘bullying’.

Japan

In Japan, ‘mind-blowingly expensive’ cabbages make beloved dish hard to digest

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North Korea

Trump wants to reconnect with ‘smart guy’ Kim for North Korea talks

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South Korea

South Korea orders budget carriers to tighten safety screw after Jeju Air crash

The transport ministry instructed nine low-cost carriers to improve safety standards and avoid prioritising cost-cutting.

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The wreckage of the crashed Jeju Air jet lies at Muan airport in South Korea on December 30. Photo: Reuters
The wreckage of the crashed Jeju Air jet lies at Muan airport in South Korea on December 30. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

South Korea’s prosecution asked to charge Yoon Suk-yeol over martial law order

The development comes after the country’s anti-corruption agency was unable to grill Yoon Suk-yeol over his failed martial law bid.

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Semiconductors

SK Hynix profit surpasses Samsung, but shares dip on lower memory chip demand

The company said supply will remain tight for high-performance chips, but demand declines will accelerate for legacy products.

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Japan

Sex scandal-hit Japan TV star Masahiro Nakai retires from showbiz

Nakai’s decision came following reports that he engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with a woman that led to a settlement with the victim.

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Masahiro Nakai (left) with his fellow members of Japanese boy band SMAP in 2015. Photo: JIJI Press/AFP
Masahiro Nakai (left) with his fellow members of Japanese boy band SMAP in 2015. Photo: JIJI Press/AFP
Smartphones

Samsung unveils AI-powered Galaxy S25 smartphones running only Qualcomm chips

Samsung unveiled new AI features in its latest handsets, which do not use any of the company’s Exynos processors, in a setback for its chip business.

Japan

Japanese mum hopes Trump will get Kim to release her daughter after 48 years

The family of Megumi Yokota, who was 13 when she was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977, met the US president previously in Tokyo.

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Japan

Teenage girls groped by Japan’s ‘chikan’ train perverts offered exam resits

It follows widespread reports of train gropers targeting students who were heading to university entrance exams over the weekend.

Young Japanese women wearing kimono stand in a train in Yokohama earlier this month. Photo: EPA-EFE
Japan

1 dead, 2 injured in stabbing attack near Japan railway station

Police are hunting for the suspect, who is believed to be in possession of a bladed weapon and wore a white cloth over his head.

Paramedics stand at the site where multiple people were stabbed in front of JR Nagano Station in Nagano. Photo: Reuters
Paramedics stand at the site where multiple people were stabbed in front of JR Nagano Station in Nagano. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

Yoon Suk-yeol in spotlight again over soldiers praising him at birthday event

The soldiers sang popular hits with tweaked lyrics to the president at the event in 2023, a South Korean media report says.

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South Korea

For the first time in a decade, Asia’s lowest birth rate is on the rise

South Korea has the world’s lowest fertility rates, but an uptick in pandemic-postponed marriages has sparked optimism for family growth.

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North Korea

‘He’s a nuclear power’: Donald Trump’s North Korea remarks upend US doctrine

Donald Trump’s convention-busting acknowledgement of North Korea as a nuclear power bucks years of US policy – and sets South Korea on edge.

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US President Donald Trump gestures as he meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the start of their historic first summit in Singapore in 2018. Photo: AFP
South Korea

South Korea seeks Iron Dome-like system as Trump touts friendship with Kim

Seoul is aiming to build the US$330 million defence system to intercept rockets fired by North Korea.

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An interceptor missile is fired by a launcher as part of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system. Photo: dpa
An interceptor missile is fired by a launcher as part of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system. Photo: dpa
Japan

In Trump 2.0, Japan faces a familiar uncertainty

Beneath the polite diplomacy lies a current of apprehension about what Donald Trump’s return means for Japan’s place in an upended world.

South Korea martial law 2024

South Korea’s impeached Yoon denies martial law plot at hearing, moved to hospital

He claimed the declaration sought to highlight opposition abuses instead of disabling parliament, and argued their actions brought the country to the brink of collapse.

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Japan

Japan’s Masahiro Nakai sex scandal prompts dozens of companies to pull TV ads

Major sponsors such as carmakers Nissan and Toyota and the owner of 7-Eleven announced they were pulling ads from Fuji TV over the scandal.

Masahiro Nakai, former member of the J-Pop boy band SMAP and a celebrity television host, pictured in Tokyo. Photo: Jiji Press / AFP
Masahiro Nakai, former member of the J-Pop boy band SMAP and a celebrity television host, pictured in Tokyo. Photo: Jiji Press / AFP
SCMP Highlights

South Korea’s Yoon detained, Pete Hegseth’s Asean blunder: 7 Asia highlights

From the arrest of South Korea’s Yoon to a Japanese pop star’s sex scandal, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

South Korea

In South Korea, crisis means cash for Yoon’s far-right cheerleaders

As their controversial content gains traction and revenue, the YouTubers supporting South Korea’s impeached president are cashing in.

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Japan

Think ‘Japan First’ and don’t kowtow, ex-Trump aide urges Tokyo

A Japanese American who served in the first Trump transition team says Japan’s PM should be ‘strong’ in his dealings with the US president.

Japanese and US flags are seen in front of a monitor showing US President Donald Trump delivering a speech at his inauguration ceremony on Monday. Photo: AP
Japan

Japan’s PM hopes for ‘enduring’ US ties as Trump returns to power

Shigeru Ishiba says he’s eager to hold his first in-person summit with Trump soon to set a baseline for the bilateral relationship.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on January 13. Photo: Kyodo
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on January 13. Photo: Kyodo
South Korea martial law 2024

South Korea’s Yoon begins jail term with mugshot, solitary cell

Yoon Suk-yeol was assigned a standard cell at Seoul Detention Centre, where he will be kept separate from other inmates.

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Japan

‘Life is getting harder’: more Japanese middle-aged men lose their cool

In the past week alone, three men were arrested after allegedly being involved in separate incidents of slapping and using an ice pick.

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Japan

Court ruling over Koreans enshrined in Japan’s Yasukuni reopens wartime wounds

A group of 27 South Koreans fought to have their relatives’ names removed from the highly controversial shrine in Tokyo.

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Japanese nationalists visit Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine last year during the 79th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Photo: dpa
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Open Questions series

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

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32
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

China’s evolving role in Middle East conflicts, according to an academic

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13
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

This economist says China’s property oversupply is far from over. Here’s why

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Ex-World Bank economist on why ‘China will not be misled’, dodging Japan’s fate

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

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4
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

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32
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

China’s evolving role in Middle East conflicts, according to an academic

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13
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

This economist says China’s property oversupply is far from over. Here’s why

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46
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Ex-World Bank economist on why ‘China will not be misled’, dodging Japan’s fate

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21
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia
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