Japan as a nuclear power, China’s first female C919 captain: 5 weekend reads you missed

From China studying Japan’s potential nuclear capabilities to C919’s first female captain, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend

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Some Chinese nuclear experts estimate that Japan has the capacity to develop nuclear weapons in less than three years. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 12:57pm, 29 Dec 2025

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. Chinese nuclear experts believe Japan could build nukes in less than 3 years

Epsilon rockets can send payloads into low-Earth orbit. Photo: AFP

The late US statesman Henry Kissinger’s dire warning about Tokyo aiming to become a nuclear power by 2028 is being re-examined by Beijing.

2. A year after near total blackout, China builds world’s largest smart transformer

China unveils the world’s most powerful smart direct current transformer, which can significantly reduce the blackout risk of renewable energy. Photo: Handout

Just over a year after an incident that nearly triggered a cascading failure across China’s national power grid, engineers have developed the most powerful smart direct current (DC) transformer on the planet – an innovation poised to neutralise renewable energy shocks to the system.

3. Requests for help after 2 Hongkongers reportedly killed in Ukraine war

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