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SCMP

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ Takaichi sweeps election with historic win

2. ‘Dominated by non-Malays’: study on elected Kuala Lumpur mayor spurs race debate

3. ‘Not political gift’: sultan’s comment on pardons stirs debate over Najib’s case

4. Japan set to revive WWII military titles in controversial shift

5. Outrage in South Korea over ‘importing virgins’ proposal to raise birth rate

6. Inside Indonesia’s inner circle: Hashim Djojohadikusumo on Prabowo’s vision

7. ‘Bali is so dirty’: waste woes under scrutiny after Prabowo warning



Japan’s Takaichi sweeps election, Kuala Lumpur mayoral ethnicity debate: 7 Asia highlights

China accused of secret nuclear tests, Eileen Gu’s big comeback: 5 weekend reads you missed

China’s expat pilots; Indonesian woman faints after 140 lashes: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Indian mother’s health journey, Hong Kong icon’s path to stardom: 7 Lifestyle highlights

SCMP Highlights

Japanese soldiers enter a city in Northeast China during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-45). Photo: Universal History Archive/Getty Images

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Participants hold the national flag during Independence Day celebrations in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on August 31, 2025. Photo: EPA

Ex-Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak escorted by prison officers on his arrival at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Complex in December. Photo: AP

Nurses take care of babies at a postnatal care centre in Seoul. South Korea has the lowest birth rate in the world. Photo: EPA-EFE

Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s brother and trusted confidant, poses for a photograph after speaking with This Week in Asia. Photo: Rizky Maulana Yanua

Waste materials lie on Kuta Beach on Bali island on January 23. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has said he received complaints from foreign dignitaries about the state of cleanliness in Bali. Photo: EPA

Malaysian minister’s use of ‘Alhamdulillah’ sparks PAS’ objections

Malaysian Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming delivering a speech as the president of the UN Habitat Assembly on World Cities Day last year. Photo: YouTube/UN Habitat Worldwide

A parliamentary session in Malaysia on Wednesday led to a heated debate on the use of certain Arabic phrases associated with Muslims. Photo: AP

Supporters of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party gathering in Pekan ahead of the 2018 general election. PAS has objected to Malaysian Minister Nga Kor Ming’s use of several Arabic phrases in parliament. Photo: AFP

‘Bad news for South Korea’ as US-Russia nuclear pact expires, sparking fears of arms race

A test-fire of a large-calibre multiple-rocket launcher system at an unknown location in North Korea on January 27. Photo: EPA/KCNA

A test of a large-calibre multiple-rocket launch system is held in an unknown location in North Korea on January 27. Photo: KCNA via Reuters

A JL-1 air-launched long-range missile is seen during the V-Day military parade on September 3, 2025 in Beijing, China. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

A combination photo shows a Russian Tu-95MS bomber aircraft and a US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress. The last nuclear treaty between Russia and the US expired on Thursday. Photos: Handout / AFP

Ex-actor Ian Fang to be deported and barred from Singapore over underage sex offences

Shanghai-born former actor Ian Fang met a 15-year-old girl at an entertainment event in Singapore in 2024 and proceeded to have underage sex with her on nine occasions. Photo: YouTube/The Celebrity Agency 

People queuing at the arrival immigration point of Changi Airport in Singapore. All Singapore permanent residents who have been convicted of an offence will have their status reviewed. Photo: Shutterstock

Cambodians outraged by South Korean president’s ‘ruin you’ scam threat

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet shake hands during a summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 25, 2025. Photo: Korea Times

Police officers escort South Koreans allegedly involved in scam operations in Cambodia after they were forcibly repatriated last month. Photo: Reuters

A screengrab of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s since-deleted social media post about Cambodia. Photo: X/Jaemyung_Lee

News

Asia

From insight into Jakarta politics to debate over Malaysian sultan’s comment, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting


From insight into Jakarta politics to debate over Malaysian sultan’s comment, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.


Japan’s Takaichi sweeps election, Kuala Lumpur mayoral ethnicity debate: 7 Asia highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From insight into Jakarta politics to debate over Malaysian sultan’s comment, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting

1. Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ Takaichi sweeps election with historic win

2. ‘Dominated by non-Malays’: study on elected Kuala Lumpur mayor spurs race debate

3. ‘Not political gift’: sultan’s comment on pardons stirs debate over Najib’s case

From insight into Jakarta politics to debate over Malaysian sultan’s comment, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting