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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi waves to supporters during an election campaign event in Kawasaki on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters

Do voters expect smiles? Why masks hurt female politicians in Japan

While there was no decline in support for masked male politicians, their female counterparts saw a significant drop, the survey showed.

3 hours ago

Japan’s Takaichi seeks mandate, improved majority with snap election: poll

1 Feb 2026 - 10:33PM

As diplomatic row drags on, how is Japan coping with a fall in Chinese tourists?

1 Feb 2026 - 11:00AMvideocam

SKY’s the limit: behind push to end academic elitism in South Korean hiring

Hiring practices have traditionally been centred around which school a candidate attended, with higher-paying jobs going to elite alumni.

1 Feb 2026 - 8:00AM

High-school seniors sit for a nationwide mock test in Seoul on June 4, 2025, ahead of the national college entrance exam. Photo: Yonhap/EPA-EFE

Japan, UK agree outer space, critical mineral supply chains collaboration

PMs Sanae Takaichi and Keir Starmer also said they’d work together in other areas, including cybersecurity, trade and defence.

31 Jan 2026 - 11:24PMvideocam

Japanese start-up puts elderly women at heart of local economy

Ukiha no Takara, or Ukiha’s Treasure, in Fukuoka draws on cooking, hospitality and fashion skills accumulated over decades.

31 Jan 2026 - 12:00PM

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Kim Jong-un set to signal stronger nuclear deterrence posture at congress

After viewing a test of a multiple rocket launcher system, Kim is likely to unveil ICBM plans capable of hitting the US, analysts say.

31 Jan 2026 - 2:07PMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju-ae, oversee a test-fire of a large-calibre multiple-rocket launcher system at an unknown location in North Korea. Photo: EPA/KCNA

Japan and South Korea bolster defence ties amid regional tensions

Defence chiefs agree to joint AI, space, and drone development, aiming to stabilise the region against growing missile threats.

30 Jan 2026 - 8:41PM

South Korea forced to act after Cambodian worker’s death in freezing dorm

Seoul has apologised and pledged to improve foreign worker housing following the woman’s death in a makeshift dwelling in 2020.

30 Jan 2026 - 4:01PM

Brazen nighttime robbery: Tokyo gang flees with US$2.7 million in cash

One of the victims, a Chinese national, was allegedly attacked with pepper spray by the group before escaping with the bags.

30 Jan 2026 - 4:11PM

High-rise buildings in central Tokyo, Japan. A group of suspects stole suitcases with 420 million yen in cash from five people in the area. Photo: Kyodo

Rich South Korean mums face ‘worst nightmare’ over European baby food recall

Parents fret over ‘Gangnam formula’, a brand associated with wealthy families, after French firm Danone recalled it over toxin fears.

30 Jan 2026 - 9:28AM

Aptamil’s recall in Europe over toxin fears has alarmed South Korean parents. Photo: AFP

Japan child suicides reach record high as experts warn of mounting pressures

The rise in child deaths contrasts with a broader decline in suicides, prompting scrutiny of school pressure and mental health support.

30 Jan 2026 - 5:59PMvideocam

Why South Korea’s Gen Z steer towards bus driving as job market shifts

Bus driver licenses for people in their 20s and 30s rose 43 per cent in three years, driven by better pay, job security, and changing attitudes.

29 Jan 2026 - 6:14PM

Jewellery store heists sweep South Korea amid soaring gold prices

Teenagers and adults are stealing gold to convert it into cash, with one robbery turning fatal in Bucheon.

30 Jan 2026 - 11:56AM

Gold jewellery on display at a store in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday. Photo: AFP

Japan’s ‘new-wave yakuza’: tokuryu gangs take control of lucrative sex business

The arrest of a leader of Japan’s largest tokuryu has put the spotlight on how the gangs are edging out the yakuza and worrying the police.

29 Jan 2026 - 5:49PM

Pedestrians walk past an entrance at Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Natural, a leading tokuryu criminal group, started its operations in the nightlife district in 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE

Child suicides in Japan rise to highest level since 1980

The deaths exceeded 500 for the second consecutive year despite a national decline in suicides.

29 Jan 2026 - 11:20AMvideocam

Why more Japanese than ever support strengthening the military

A record-high survey result reflects how the war in Ukraine and regional tensions have reshaped Japan’s once cautious security outlook.

29 Jan 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

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Will North Korea compensate Japanese citizens lured into ‘paradise on Earth’?

A Tokyo court has ordered Pyongyang to pay damages, but the plaintiffs are now bracing for a long fight to enforce the ruling.

29 Jan 2026 - 8:18AM

Plaintiffs, their lawyers and supporters gather outside the Tokyo District Court after winning its decision ordering North Korea to pay damages over its decades-long human rights violations after luring them to move to the North by Pyongyang’s false promises of living in “paradise on Earth”, on Monday in Japan. Photo: AP

Why US defence strategy may hurt leaders in South Korea, Japan

The National Defence Strategy states that the US will provide ‘more limited’ support to its allies in line with the ‘America-first’ policy.

28 Jan 2026 - 9:11PMvideocam

‘Poisoned chalice’: Seoul’s ‘metropolitan visa’ for foreign labour faces backlash

Debate grows whether the visa helps rival China’s dominance or is a dangerous fix for wage-driven shortages in the shipbuilding sector.

28 Jan 2026 - 5:18PM

South Korea’s ex-first lady gets 20 months’ jail for corruption

A court sentenced Kim for receiving luxury items from an official linked to the Unification Church.

28 Jan 2026 - 7:33PMvideocam

A supporter stands in front of a banner showing South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee near the Central District Court in Seoul on January 16. Photo: AFP

North Korean ex-envoy on Kim Jong-un’s ‘decapitation’ fears after Maduro’s fall

Kim will ‘overhaul the entire system regarding his security and countermeasures in case of an attack against him’, Lee Il-kyu says.

28 Jan 2026 - 1:26PMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a test firing of a rocket launcher system on Tuesday. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP

Why Japan’s public is ‘happy’ to see a Chinese tourist drought

Travel operators say business has so far remained resilient, with strong demand from other parts of Asia, Europe and the US.

28 Jan 2026 - 9:22AMvideocam

North Korea fires ballistic missiles as US signals defence shift

As the Trump administration seeks to focus on the US homeland, it is urging South Korea to take the primary role in deterring Pyongyang.

28 Jan 2026 - 4:07AMvideocam

South Korea tariff hike: is Trump ‘sending message’ to US court ahead of ruling?

Trump’s message appears more focused on pushing through the US-South Korean trade bill than on permanently raising tariffs, analysts say.

27 Jan 2026 - 7:50PMvideocam

Protestors don masks of US President Donald Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance at an anti-Trump rally outside the US Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday. Photo: Yonhap/EPA

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