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Illustration: Huy Truong
Japan

Divorced from reality? Japan’s joint custody reform divides parents

Critics call the legal change a ‘cosmetic’ fix for a system that still allows one parent to simply disappear.

South Korea

‘She was just a human’: the world forgot K-pop’s suicides. These fans never did

South Korea

South Korea draws Gulf oil storage interest as Hormuz stays closed

Japan

Mogami momentum: why Japan’s warship is winning over New Zealand

Japan’s Mogami and Britain’s Type 31 are the top two contenders, but Australia may have already tipped the scales.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force frigate JS Mogami sailing in an undisclosed location. Photo: Australian Defence Force / AFP
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force frigate JS Mogami sailing in an undisclosed location. Photo: Australian Defence Force / AFP
China trade

How China’s sharper tech edge forces South Korea to rethink old industrial ties

Scholars urge a pivot to shared AI and EV standards and cooperation, while an upgraded China-South Korea free-trade pact is deemed vital.

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Singapore

Asia faces low hantavirus risk as Singapore isolates 2 from cruise over cases

Eight hantavirus cases linked to the cruise have been reported so far, including three deaths, the WHO says.

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Sri Lanka

Ex-SriLankan Airlines head in US$16 million Airbus corruption case found dead

Kapila Chandrasena was arrested in March on charges of conspiring to accept a US$16 million bribe for the purchase of 10 Airbus aircraft.

A SriLankan Airlines plane takes off from Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake on September 13, 2022. Photo: AFP
A SriLankan Airlines plane takes off from Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake on September 13, 2022. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japanese bus driver admits to speeding before crash that killed teenager

Investigators also found that the former municipal bus driver did not hold the type of license required to drive passengers for hire.

North Korea

North Korea to move artillery capable of striking Seoul to border with South

The large-calibre rifled gun has a range of over 60km, posing a serious threat to Seoul, which is only about 40km to 50km from the border.

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Japan

Scrutiny on Prince Hisahito fuels debate on Japan’s succession crisis

Media reports have speculated about whether the young prince has a girlfriend and his security challenges as a university student.

Japan’s Prince Hisahito during a visit to Nara prefecture in September 2025. The 19-year-old is behind his father in line for the throne. Photo: Kyodo
South Korea

South Korea rejects Trump’s claim that ship ‘decided to go it alone’

Iran says it ‘firmly rejects and categorically denies’ allegations that it was responsible for the explosion on board the HMM Namu.

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The Panama-flagged HMM Namu is seen off the coast of Guangzhou, China, on January 5. Photo: HMM/Reuters
The Panama-flagged HMM Namu is seen off the coast of Guangzhou, China, on January 5. Photo: HMM/Reuters
South Korea

South Korean court cuts former prime minister Han’s jail term to 15 years

A lower court had sentenced Han in January to 23 years’ imprisonment for his role in the 2024 martial law declaration.

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Japan

Trump’s last diehard Japanese fans lose faith as Iran war chaos spreads

Concerns in Japan are also mounting over the security ties between Japan and the US as Trump seeks to withdraw more troops from Europe.

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New Zealand

Japanese Mogami-class ships possible replacements for New Zealand’s ageing fleet

Wellington plans to increase defence spending to about 2 per cent of gross domestic product, citing rising geopolitical tensions.

Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Forces frigate JS Mogami sails in an undisclosed location. Photo: Australian Defence Force/AFP
North Korea

‘Groundless’ claims: North Korea says nuclear status is not up for debate

Since withdrawing from the non-proliferation treaty in 2003, North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests and built up an arsenal of warheads.

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North Korea launches a hypersonic missile from an undisclosed location on January 6, 2025. Photo: KCNA/AFP
North Korea launches a hypersonic missile from an undisclosed location on January 6, 2025. Photo: KCNA/AFP
North Korea

North Korea drops reunification from constitution to formalise ‘two-state’ ties

Pyongyang has dropped references to ‘national reunification’ and redefined borders in its revised constitution.

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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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Japan

Bound by anxiety: Japan and Australia deepen ties for an uneasy age

Shared concerns about trade coercion and energy shocks are driving the two middle powers to ‘institutionalise’ their partnership.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the signing of their Joint Declaration on Economic Security Cooperation in Canberra on Monday. Photo: AAP/dpa
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the signing of their Joint Declaration on Economic Security Cooperation in Canberra on Monday. Photo: AAP/dpa
South Korea

South Korean judge in Kim Keon-hee’s appeals trial found dead days after verdict

Shin Jong-oh, who was found with severe injuries on the ground near the Seoul High Court, had a suicide note in his pocket, police say.

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North Korea

North Korea’s own-brand phone is sleek, colourful – and possibly watching you

Reports suggest North Korean-produced phones periodically capture screenshots that are stored in hidden folders accessible to authorities.

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Japan

Why Japanese politician’s goal to reset ties with Russia is ‘a long shot’

A proposed meeting of foreign ministers from Tokyo and Moscow is unlikely for now due to objections from the Japanese public and allies.

Honour guards hold the national flags of Japan and Russia before a welcome ceremony for then Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu in Tokyo in 2019. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan, Philippines to fast-track transfer of navy destroyers

The two countries’ shared grievances over Chinese territorial claims have seen them draw increasingly close in recent years.

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Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (left) and Philippines’ Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jnr shake hands after a bilateral meeting in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (left) and Philippines’ Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jnr shake hands after a bilateral meeting in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Japan

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

Officers created the logo using ChatGPT based on the ‘elephant’, ‘cool’, ‘blue flame’, and ‘mammoth’ keywords, a media report says.

South Korea

South Korea rebuffs Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ call after Hormuz ship fire

A UN mandate and a global coalition are required before Seoul joins Trump’s mission to reopen the strait, officials indicate.

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Japan

Japan offers Indonesia and the Philippines lethal muscle to counter China

Frigate and submarine sales are reportedly on the cards as Tokyo’s defence minister tours the region.

Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin inspect an honour guard before their meeting in Jakarta on Monday. Photo: EPA
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