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North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during the Ninth Worker’s Party Congress in Pyongyang on Friday. Photo: KCNA / Reuters
North Korea

North Korea’s Kim opens rare party congress with pledge to fix economy

North Korea’s economy has been languishing under heavy Western sanctions that aim to choke off funding for its nuclear weapons programme.

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South Korea

‘Fight not over’: South Korea’s Yoon remains defiant after life sentence

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Japan

Takaichi vows to make Japan ‘strong’, says no to ‘reckless’ fiscal policy

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Japan

Japan’s Takaichi pushes to scrap food tax, ignoring economists’ warnings

The newly reappointed prime minister is gambling 5 trillion yen a year on a popular election promise that could backfire badly.

A shopper visits a supermarket in Tokyo last month. Japan currently applies an 8 per cent consumption tax to most food and drink purchases. Photo: Kyodo
A shopper visits a supermarket in Tokyo last month. Japan currently applies an 8 per cent consumption tax to most food and drink purchases. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

Why plan by US and Japan to relocate Okinawa airbase is hitting turbulence

The US does not intend to vacate the current airbase for now due to disagreement over runway length at a replacement site, a report says.

Japan

Japan approves world’s first regenerative medicines using iPS cells

Drugs made with iPS, or induced pluripotent stem cells, will be used to treat patients with severe heart failure and Parkinson’s disease.

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South Korea

South Korea’s ex-president Yoon sentenced to life in prison for insurrection

Yoon Suk-yeol is the first democratically elected South Korean leader to be convicted of the crime.

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A woman walks past a television screen in Seoul broadcasting a news report on Yoon Suk-yeol’s sentencing on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
A woman walks past a television screen in Seoul broadcasting a news report on Yoon Suk-yeol’s sentencing on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
China consumption

Why are so many South Korean visitors flocking to China’s Guangzhou?

Safety concerns in Southeast Asia and China’s visa-free travel policy among factors fuelling boom in golf tourism.

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Japan

‘Enormous failure’: naked man exposes gaps in Japan’s royal security

Princess Kako reportedly witnessed the chaos firsthand as a shrieking intruder stripped off and scaled a barrier below the royal balcony.

South Korea

South Korea to observe first, decide later on Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

A former South Korean ambassador to Egypt will be attending Thursday’s inaugural meeting in Washington.

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US President Donald Trump holds a signed resolution at the “Board of Peace” charter announcement in Davos on January 22. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

‘Knowing your friend’: Japan to join US-Philippines drills for first time

Australia also joins the fray as the US and its allies shift away from simple bilateral deals towards tighter regional security networks.

Japanese troops take position during a joint military exercise in 2024. Photo: AFP
Japanese troops take position during a joint military exercise in 2024. Photo: AFP
China's population

China and South Korea team up on a vexing issue: their fast-ageing populations

After years of tense relations, the two nations are finding common ground over their need to adapt to an era of ‘super-aged societies’.

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Japan

‘A very good thing’: Japan’s Takaichi steps back from Liancourt Rocks pledge

Analysts say Takaichi’s decision not to send a cabinet minister to the event shows she is ‘protecting ties’ with Seoul amid regional tensions.

South Korea

‘The game is over’: South Korea braces for Yoon Suk-yeol’s insurrection verdict

Two earlier convictions have defined Yoon’s martial law decree as part of an insurrection plot, raising the stakes ahead of Thursday’s ruling.

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Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol arrives at the Seoul Central District Court for a hearing on a special prosecutor’s request for his arrest warrant, on July 9, 2025. Photo: AP
Japan

Trump unveils first Japan investments under trade deal with US

The president hailed the projects – a critical minerals site, a gas power plant and an LNG facility in the US – ahead of PM Takaichi’s visit.

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US President Donald Trump speaks alongside Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington at the US Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan, in October. Photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump speaks alongside Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington at the US Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan, in October. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Okinawa voters shift away from concerns over US military presence

Analysts point to a shift in priorities among younger Okinawans as a possible factor in the alliance’s bruising defeat in the election.

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North Korea

‘Heroic era’: why North Korea’s Kim is lauding Ukraine war sacrifices

The new homes for families of fallen soldiers are part of a push to showcase tangible achievements before the party congress, analysts say.

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South Korea

Average South Korean YouTuber earnings jump 25% in 4 years to US$49,000 annually

Growth accelerated after a surge in political broadcasts following 2024’s martial law decree, prompting calls for stricter tax oversight.

Anonymous mukbang YouTuber Jane ASMR is one of the top content creators in South Korea. Photo: Facebook/Jane ASMR
Anonymous mukbang YouTuber Jane ASMR is one of the top content creators in South Korea. Photo: Facebook/Jane ASMR
South Korea

Why do South Korea’s Hallyu heroes find taxes so … taxing?

As K-culture conquers the world, its wealthy stars keep falling foul of a tax system ‘that has not yet fully caught up’.

Japan

Why elite Japanese school asked 12-year-olds to read Palestinian poems for exam

Poets Mosab Abu Toha and Zeina Azzam welcomed the inclusion of their works in the exam, but were concerned about the ensuing controversy.

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Japan

Japan explores German silent cargo gliders to resupply remote islands

The HADIS system can deliver cargo of up to 500kg over a range of 120km and safeguard transport aircraft during resupply operations.

An illustration of Munich-based Hensoldt’s HADIS system. HADIS can be steered remotely, is silent and can more accurately deliver cargoes over further distances. Photo: Hensoldt
Thailand

Thailand plays down ‘too expensive’ concerns from South Korean visitors

The perceived squeeze on the wallet is a result of exchange rate volatility rather than the kingdom’s inflation, tourism officials say.

Tourists dressed in traditional Thai attire visit the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) in Bangkok, Thailand, in January. Photo: EPA
Tourists dressed in traditional Thai attire visit the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) in Bangkok, Thailand, in January. Photo: EPA
North Korea

‘We don’t care’: North Korea threatens Seoul with dire consequences over drones

The warning from Kim Yo-jong could derail President Lee Jae Myung’s efforts to mend ties with Pyongyang.

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North Korea

Why Takaichi’s landslide victory in Japan has North Korea on edge

North Korea has accused Japan of resurrecting its wartime ambitions by expanding its defence and pursuing security alliances.

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Japan

Japan seizes Chinese fishing boat off Nagasaki, arrests skipper

This is the first time since 2022 that Tokyo’s fisheries agency has seized a Chinese fishing vessel.

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Fishing boats leave port in Shishi, in China’s Fujian province, in August 2024. Photo: Kyodo
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