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This Week in Asia
A convoy of fire trucks make their way to the fire in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northern Honshu, Japan on Sunday. Photo: AFP

East Asia

Wildfires in Japan’s north worsen, 1,400 firefighters deployed

Japan has experienced relatively few wildfires compared with other parts of the world, but climate change has increased their frequency.

2 US citizens killed in raid on Philippines communist stronghold

Chinese travellers flock to Central Asia as flight bookings soar by 120%

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Lifestyle & Culture

Singapore’s answer to school bullying? The cane … and counselling

With student safety under the microscope, Singapore unveils a new framework in a bid to knock bullying on the head.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong

Economics

At Malaysia’s arms bazaar, drone dealers chase Southeast Asian market share

‘Drone warfare is the future,’ say arms dealers in Kuala Lumpur – and the region’s militaries are buying in.

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Politics

Will South Korea or Japan develop a nuclear deterrent of their own?

Seven in 10 South Koreans tell pollsters they want the bomb. Japan’s PM refuses to rule it out. Is ‘friendly proliferation’ next?

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Lifestyle & Culture

Iconic South Korean district on the brink in divisive urban renewal fight

Conservationists worry that reshaping Seoul’s Sewoon District risks erasing both heritage and livelihoods.

Sewoon Plaza in Seoul. Built in 1968, the plaza was South Korea’s first mixed-use residential and commercial complex. Photo: David D. Lee
Sewoon Plaza in Seoul. Built in 1968, the plaza was South Korea’s first mixed-use residential and commercial complex. Photo: David D. Lee

Politics

3 killed in Japanese Type 10 tank blast that has military baffled

A round detonating inside a tank turret is virtually unheard of. The last time it happened in Japan was in 1979.

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Economics

Mixed bag: Indonesia’s 8% growth dream hits a plastic ceiling

Soaring packaging costs amid the Iran war hint at a deeper malaise as the middle class contracts and growth hits a plateau.

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Southeast Asia

Midnight pranksters fan flames of frustration for Malaysia’s fire services

Last year, the department recorded 255 prank calls, costing time and draining both resources and litres of diesel.

Johor Fire and Rescue Department fire operations management branch chief Winnie Kasing Jackson (standing) listening and directing fireman Mohd Shafrie Hussin at the agency’s operations room. Looking on is fire officer Muhammad Zaharul Asyraf Zaharin. Photo: The Star

Politics

Malaysia gets new anti-corruption chief as protests mount against outgoing head

Former High Court judge Abdul Halim Aman takes the reins of MACC from Azam Baki amid scandals.

Protesters against Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) boss Azam Baki march through central Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. SCMP/Iman Muttaqin Yusof
Protesters against Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) boss Azam Baki march through central Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. SCMP/Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Politics

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt: the Middle East’s new power brokers?

‘Fear of US abandonment’ is helping forge a new Middle East – but don’t expect an Islamic Nato just yet.

East Asia

‘I hope it rains’: Japan battles wildfires, thousands evacuate

The affected area includes a coastal town that lost almost a tenth of its population during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

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Politics

India-Germany defence road map ‘good template’ for wider EU cooperation

Deeper defence ties are expected to boost India’s maritime modernisation efforts and Europe’s security role in the Indo-Pacific, experts say.

Submarine U-34 is docked in a shipyard of warship maker TKMS in Kiel, Germany, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

China Economy

Muddy yet clear-cut: how Chinese investors are turning jungle into a new capital

Chinese construction firms keen to cement trade ties with Jakarta through multimillion dollar projects to build a brand new centre of power.

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Construction started on a Chinese-invested commercial centre at Ibu Kota Nusantara, the future Indonesian capital, on September 22, 2025. Photo: Ralph Jennings
Construction started on a Chinese-invested commercial centre at Ibu Kota Nusantara, the future Indonesian capital, on September 22, 2025. Photo: Ralph Jennings

Politics

‘We owe it to the world’: Philippines pushes for South China Sea code this year

Talks between Asean and China to agree on setting rules for maritime behaviour and crisis management under the code have stalled.

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Southeast Asia

Married Singaporean man’s secret Indonesian wedding ends in jail time

Low Kok Peng married a domestic helper in Batam before the pair returned to Singapore and he continued living with his first wife.

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Economics

Mixed bag: Indonesia’s 8% growth dream hits a plastic ceiling

Soaring packaging costs amid the Iran war hint at a deeper malaise as the middle class contracts and growth hits a plateau.

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A woman shops for vegetables in Depok, Indonesia, earlier this month near a sign asking customers to bring their own shopping bags. Photo: Reuters
A woman shops for vegetables in Depok, Indonesia, earlier this month near a sign asking customers to bring their own shopping bags. Photo: Reuters

Health & Environment

Shock therapy: war forces oil-addicted Asia to finally go green

Burned by soaring energy prices, Southeast Asian nations are racing to future-proof themselves against the volatility of war.

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Politics

Japan’s Middle East oil habit gets an Iran war reality check

Almost all of Japan’s oil comes from the Middle East. A closed strait turned that dependence into a trap.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Cultural capitals: Southeast Asia seeks soft power to outlast the buzz

The region’s creators are going global, but the structures to sustain them are still catching up.

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Illustration: Mario Rivera
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Highlights from
THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Economics

Mixed bag: Indonesia’s 8% growth dream hits a plastic ceiling

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A woman shops for vegetables in Depok, Indonesia, earlier this month near a sign asking customers to bring their own shopping bags. Photo: Reuters

Economics

At Malaysia’s arms bazaar, drone dealers chase Southeast Asian market share

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Malaysian army officers visit the booth of Special Technology Control, a Russian developer of unmanned systems, at the Defence Services Asia exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Lifestyle & Culture

Singapore’s answer to school bullying? The cane … and counselling

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Illustration: Huy Truong

Lifestyle & Culture

Iconic South Korean district on the brink in divisive urban renewal fight

Sewoon Plaza in Seoul. Built in 1968, the plaza was South Korea’s first mixed-use residential and commercial complex. Photo: David D. Lee

Politics

Will South Korea or Japan develop a nuclear deterrent of their own?

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An nuclear-capable Minuteman III ICBM sits inside a silo at an air force base in the US last year. Photo: US Air Force/Handout
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MULTIMEDIA
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Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

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Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

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