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This Week in Asia /

Lifestyle & Culture

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A Japanese government survey estimated that 1.46 million people were living as shut-ins as of 2023. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Japan’s hikikomori recluses are growing old. So are their carers

What happens to more than 1 million social recluses in the world’s fastest-ageing society when the last person who cared for them is gone?

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Malaysia

Art of the steal: Malaysia unveils recovered 1MDB masterpieces

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Japan

Japan army unit’s gun-toting AI-generated elephant logo gets trampled by critics

Malaysia

Penang’s cemetery tours spur interest in pioneers, colonial history

While the state receives millions in conservation funding, it faces challenges in preserving the Protestant cemetery due to its climate.

A British visitor attends a tour of the Old Protestant Cemetery in Penang, Malaysia. Photo: Ushar Daniele
A British visitor attends a tour of the Old Protestant Cemetery in Penang, Malaysia. Photo: Ushar Daniele
Thailand

The cost of cute: how ‘petfluencers’ are driving Asia’s wildlife crime

Thailand is a key pipeline in a lucrative global trade that animal activists warn risks spreading zoonotic diseases and erasing biodiversity.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s aim to lure more K-pop concerts spurs chorus of doubts

While Indonesian K-pop fans applaud Jakarta’s intention, they cite safety, venue capacity and bureaucracy as some of the key hurdles.

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Malaysia

‘Moral harm’: Malaysia’s culture war brigade tries to hose down water festival

Kuala Lumpur’s Rain Rave Water Music Festival faces backlash from critics who argue that such vulgar imports hurt conservative values.

Malaysian Tourism Minister Tiong King Sing sprays water as girl group Dolla performs at the Rain Rave Water Music Festival in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Instagram/dolla.official
Malaysian Tourism Minister Tiong King Sing sprays water as girl group Dolla performs at the Rain Rave Water Music Festival in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Instagram/dolla.official
Japan

Japan’s higher education sector faces reckoning as student pool shrinks

The potential abolition of so many universities is a ‘dramatic move’ that analysts warn will affect thousands of students and teachers.

The Philippines

Filipino male pageant contestant’s viral swimsuit walk sparks body image debate

Observers said RJ Perkins’ viral moment shows beauty pageants might be ready to move beyond their traditional ideals.

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Japan

Zoo in Japan’s Hokkaido delays reopening over search for body in incinerator

One of the employees reportedly told police he burned his wife’s body in an incinerator on the zoo’s grounds.

The animal crematorium at Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Photo: Kyodo
Singapore

Singapore firm sorry after airport baggage handler caught tossing luggage

Ground-handling company SATS pledged to improve service standards and staff training after a video of the incident went viral.

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Ground-handling firm SATS has apologised for improper baggage handling at Singapore’s Changi Airport. Photo: Instagram/ericzhyoong
Ground-handling firm SATS has apologised for improper baggage handling at Singapore’s Changi Airport. Photo: Instagram/ericzhyoong
Singapore

More Singaporeans are choosing jobs below their qualifications. Here’s why

A new survey shows 19.4 per cent of Singapore’s resident workforce had academic qualifications beyond what was required for their job in 2025.

Japan

Why Japan’s travellers are rushing abroad for ‘golden week’ despite falling yen

The operator of Narita airport anticipates that 1.59 million travellers will pass through the airport over the two-week holiday season.

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Japan

In hot water: Japan’s bathhouses struggle to stay afloat as oil prices spike

“Sentos” have cut operating hours and welcomed fewer customers, with some deciding to fold amid the energy crisis.

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A customer washes his hair at a public bathhouse in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters
Singapore

Singapore’s answer to school bullying? The cane … and counselling

With student safety under the microscope, Singapore unveils a new framework in a bid to knock bullying on the head.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong
South Korea

Iconic South Korean district on the brink in divisive urban renewal fight

Conservationists worry that reshaping Seoul’s Sewoon District risks erasing both heritage and livelihoods.

Japan

Burger King in Japan dangles US$250,000 to lure rival franchisees

Meanwhile, Philippine fried chicken chain Jollibee has announced a record operating income and is accelerating its global expansion.

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The Philippines

This retiree in the Philippines downloaded an app. Then he lost his life savings

Industrial-scale malware is replacing ‘pig-butchering’ as Cambodia’s scam hubs pivot to high-speed digital heists.

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“Malware-as-a-service” seizes control of a user’s phone after gaining entry through a fraudulent app, monitoring use in real-time and harvesting data such as fingerprints. Photo: Shutterstock
“Malware-as-a-service” seizes control of a user’s phone after gaining entry through a fraudulent app, monitoring use in real-time and harvesting data such as fingerprints. Photo: Shutterstock
South Korea

South Korean army removes poster depicting controversial hand gesture

The finger pinching gesture, known as the ‘Megalian hand’, is seen as a mockery of male genitalia.

Japan

Subsidies for dating apps latest tactic to battle low birth rates in rural Japan

Kochi prefecture says residents aged between 20 and 39 can receive a US$125 subsidy to use certified matchmaking apps.

Asean

Work from home may not save as much energy as Southeast Asia hopes

Remote work for civil servants sounds like an easy solution in an energy crisis. Analysts aren’t so sure.

Motorists drive along a road in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, on April 6. Thailand has ordered its civil servants to work from home amid the energy crisis. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Meet the Filipino spouses turning their migration journeys into viral content

Women make up 90 per cent of Filipino marriage migrants, moving mainly to the US, Canada, Japan and Australia.

Lea Albritton, the influencer behind “Pinay sa America” and her husband, Timothy. Photo: Lea Albritton
Lea Albritton, the influencer behind “Pinay sa America” and her husband, Timothy. Photo: Lea Albritton
The Philippines

BINI made history at Coachella. Can the Philippines build on it?

The Filipino girl group’s desert debut proved P-pop’s pedigree. Now Manila needs to find the budget to back the talent already going global.

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Social media

Southeast Asia wants children off social media. Will it work?

Indonesia is leading a regional push to ban children from social media platforms. Enforcement is another matter, however.

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Malaysia

Crowned in Bangkok, constrained at home: Malaysia’s first Mr Bear winner

Gavin Chow’s victory highlights the contrast between Bangkok’s queer visibility and the pressures still facing LGBTQ people in Malaysia.

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Gavin Chow (centre) after being named the winner of the Mr Bear International competition in Bangkok on Monday. Photo: Facebook / Mr Bear International
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