With the main parties neck and neck, the Conservative leader raises the issue in an appeal to both expats and the Chinese diaspora. It is a high-stakes gamble that risks alienating as many voters as it attracts

The likes of Saudi Arabia also saw an upswing in travellers from the mainland – but overall fewer Chinese tourists went abroad this year, with a 15 per cent drop from 2018 attributed to more opting to visit local historical sites.

Despite Prime Minister Abe’s plan to see 10 Japanese universities in the world’s top 100, rankings have slipped since 2013 – as a result, experts say, of a lack of English-language innovation, university funding and internationalisation

Tight accommodation is a harsh reality for many residents of Asian cities where population density is high. Four tiny home dwellers offer their thoughts on living small.

If you thought your Hong Kong flat was small, would you live in a 100 sq ft hut in a forest? Believe it or not, a growing number of millennials are choosing to do so as part of the ‘tiny house movement’.

Observers said the decision to move the Mnet Asian Music Awards away from Hong Kong showed the costs from potential disruptions and safety issues were more concerning than the bilateral row between Seoul and Tokyo.

A handful of local and foreign companies are seeing opportunities in catering to increased demand from Hongkongers for overseas property and migration services.

Park, popularly known as Micky, has been told to pay the woman more than US$80,000. She is one of four women to have made sexual assault claims against the troubled star.

Eatery that decorated its walls with a North Korean flag and propaganda-style messages such as ‘more alcohol for the comrades!’ is being probed by local police on suspicion of breaching the national security act.

Experts and fans say it captures the lives of overseas Filipino workers, who finally feel seen after often being regarded as invisible in their daily jobs.

Panda twins born in Berlin’s zoo have sparked a national debate on China and panda diplomacy in Germany, with calls to name them Hong and Kong in recognition of the ongoing protests in the city.

Protesters in Hong Kong may have been scathing about the chief executive’s attempt to appease the public, but regional leaders have been a little more supportive

From brawls over the Hong Kong protests to division over Tibet and Xinjiang’s Uygurs, political debate among Chinese students at Western universities has made headlines over the years. Here are six examples.

Campus confrontations have erupted from Canada to New Zealand as mainland Chinese students react, sometimes violently, to public scrutiny of Beijing’s policies.

In Japan, though, Ronaldo may have gained some new fans who welcomed his decision to remain on the bench as an act of support for their country.

As calls for Koreans to boycott Japanese goods continue over Tokyo’s export curbs, the country’s car owners have found their vehicles being subject to so-called kimchi terrorism, as angry passers-by hurl the fermented foodstuff.

Some Japanese in South Korea are wary of discrimination but Zainichi or ethnic Koreans in Japan say xenophobia is an everyday reality.

Many South Koreans have vowed to boycott Japanese products – but in a globalised world, pinning down where something comes from can be easier said than done.

The revelation band member V suffers from heat-related allergy has drawn praise and empathy from fans, but touring the conservative Gulf nation is seen as flying in the face of the band’s support of personal identity and LGBT rights.

After the war, the US sought to feminise perceptions of Japan by associating the traditional garment with prostitution and servile femininity, in an attempt to present the country as a small threat to the world.

The reality TV star said she would rename her new line of shapewear but Japan’s trade minister Hiroshige Seko said the issue had become ‘a big deal on social media’ and warranted ‘a careful examination’.

Backlash against Kardashian was swift, with many social media users accusing her of cultural appropriation.

For a group of youths in Vancouver, the protests are a means to seek democracy that is not framed in a Western way. But others in the city say Hong Kong affairs are an internal matter for China.

The Australian student was known for posting about his colourful life inside the secretive nation. But if his detention is confirmed, it would add him to a long list of foreigners whose fascination with North Korea landed them in hot water

The reality TV star and social media influencer is launching a new line of shapewear products but her bid to trademark the word ‘Kimono’ has already provoked backlash online.

The market for beauty products made from cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis, is set to be worth US$25 billion by 2029

Some have been driven by demands for political reform or a change of leadership, while others have been motivated by opposition to specific government actions or proposals.

KuToo began as a movement against high heels and gendered dress codes in Japanese workplaces. The founder, however, has become the target of online harassment after her nude modelling photos stirred further debate about image expectations placed on women in Japan.

More than 20,000 Koreans sign a petition urging action from President Moon Jae-in as many remember their own history of protest.