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This Week in Asia
A customer buys a bag of government-stockpiled rice at a convenience store in Tokyo, Japan, last year. Photo: AFP

East Asia

Shoppers rejoice, farmers fume as Japan’s rice crisis turns into a surplus

‘I’ve been hearing about quite a few people who plan to give up this year,’ a rice grower says amid excess supply and falling prices.

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‘Unequal floods, unequal power’: jet ski stunt fuels anger in Bangkok

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Australian firm drops US$842 million Sydney data centre plan after public fury

Asia

Indonesian victim of fake cash scam, Filipinos warm to China: 7 Asia highlights

From young Filipinos warming to China to Malaysians’ nettle bed joke, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

People walk past abandoned vehicles on a flooded Petchaburi Road in Bangkok on Saturday. Photo: AFP
People walk past abandoned vehicles on a flooded Petchaburi Road in Bangkok on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Southeast Asia

Singaporean TV actors charged over death penalty protests

‘Phua Chu Kang’ actors Lim Kay Siu and Neo Swee Lin are charged with taking part in a public assembly outside the State Courts.

East Asia

Japan denies ‘militarisation’ after Russia opposes permanent UN council seat

Japan’s top spokesman says Japan has ‘consistently defended freedom, democracy and the rule of law’ since the end of World War II.

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Politics

Malaysian police consider sedition charges for ex-Negeri Sembilan officials

Ten ousted executive council members face questioning over an alleged plot to depose the state’s ruler.

An official portrait of Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir. Photo: Handout
An official portrait of Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir. Photo: Handout

People

‘Extremely damaging’ anti-foreigner fake news pushes Japan to far-right

Viral lies about foreign crime are fuelling political division in a country desperate for workers, analysts say.

People

Siti Hasmah, wife of Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad, dies aged 100

Her family confirmed on Monday that she died after being admitted to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur.

Economics

Japan enlists royal visit, subsidies to revive tourism in quake-hit Kyushu

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to visit Kumamoto as the government rolls out travel subsidies to win back visitors following July’s quake.

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The damage at Yatsushiro Shrine after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, in July. Photo: Reuters

Politics

South Korea’s POW row with Ukraine puts ties and aid at risk

Analysts say Kyiv’s breach of secrecy over the North Korean prisoners of war may cause Seoul to halt non-lethal aid to Ukraine.

A South Korean lawmaker shows pictures of North Korean POWs transferred from Ukraine to South Korea at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday. Photo: Reuters
A South Korean lawmaker shows pictures of North Korean POWs transferred from Ukraine to South Korea at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Lifestyle & Culture

Paid to read: can cash and gamification fix Southeast Asia’s falling literacy?

Facing shrinking attention spans and ‘doomscrolling’, governments are using cash, vouchers and book drives to get citizens reading again.

People

How Mary Jane Veloso’s case exposes gaps in Filipino migrant protection

Advocates say her case spotlights the dangers Philippine workers face overseas and Manila’s inability to sufficiently protect its citizens.

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Health & Environment

Chickens in Malaysia are producing fewer eggs. Is haze a leading cause?

Small farmers in Malaysia and Indonesia who are also worried about rising heat are spending more to ventilate their sheds.

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Chicken and eggs at a poultry farm in Mentakab, Malaysia’s Pahang state. Photo: AFP

Economics

Indonesia’s 3% deficit cap: guardrail or growth barrier?

As lawmakers weigh lifting the statutory deficit ceiling, economists warn of downgrades and higher borrowing costs.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the State Palace in Jakarta, in June. Prabowo is aiming for 8 per cent annual economic growth by 2029. Photo: Reuters
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the State Palace in Jakarta, in June. Prabowo is aiming for 8 per cent annual economic growth by 2029. Photo: Reuters

People

In Malaysia, a mother’s love offers her trans daughter refuge

For transgender Muslims in Kelantan, quiet family acceptance at home contrasts with growing fear of sharia crackdowns.

Politics

Why Pakistan’s endless war on militants fails to break the cycle

Tactical wins and retaliatory strikes have not delivered peace, even as two separate insurgencies appear to be converging.

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Economics

Thailand has had enough of foreign tourists behaving badly

Viral misbehaviour, crimes and foreign-ownership scandals are exhausting the patience of a country famous for its hospitality.

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Illustration: Kevin Wong
Illustration: Kevin Wong

Economics

South Korea wants free ‘AI for All’. Is society ready?

Seoul’s roll-out of free, unlimited AI is set to shake up classrooms, careers and crime – for better or worse.

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Health & Environment

Up in smoke: why Southeast Asia failed to halt the haze

Asean was going to eliminate transboundary haze by 2020. What happened?

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Health & Environment

Golden years: in ageing Southeast Asia, growing old is big business

From Singapore to Thailand, private operators and luxury resorts are cashing in, as more retirees seek care on their own terms.

Illustration: Huy Truong
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Highlights from
THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Economics

Japan enlists royal visit, subsidies to revive tourism in quake-hit Kyushu

videocam
The damage at Yatsushiro Shrine after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, in July. Photo: Reuters

People

‘Extremely damaging’ anti-foreigner fake news pushes Japan to far-right

People attend a campaign event for Japan’s far-right Sanseito party in Tokyo, in January. Photo: AP

People

‘Unequal floods, unequal power’: jet ski stunt fuels anger in Bangkok

videocam
A Thai man zipping a jet ski across flooded Bangkok streets. Photo: Handout

People

How Mary Jane Veloso’s case exposes gaps in Filipino migrant protection

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Mary Jane Veloso leaves the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Friday after being granted clemency. Photo: EPA

Politics

South Korea’s POW row with Ukraine puts ties and aid at risk

A South Korean lawmaker shows pictures of North Korean POWs transferred from Ukraine to South Korea at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday. Photo: Reuters
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MULTIMEDIA
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