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SCMP

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. US planned to launch a secret space plane a day ahead of China. SpaceX delayed it

2. From ‘princess’ to prostitute: how Japan’s host clubs are driving young women into debt and sex work

3. Hongkongers gather to watch mainland China’s home-grown C919 jet soar over city

4. Year of the Dragon: it’s not just Chinese who revere the mythical beasts

5. Explore the links between Xi Jinping, China’s Communist Party’s inner circles



China’s canal to Southeast Asia, Nipah virus raises concerns: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Japan’s love for Chinese noodles; AI’s Year of the Horse forecasts: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Nipah virus alarms China, semiconductor fibre breakthrough: 7 science highlights

K-drama star Cha Eun-woo faces scrutiny, life expectancy in Okinawa: 7 Asia highlights

SCMP Highlights

Secret space plane, links between Chinese Communist Party’s inner circles: 5 weekend reads you may have missed

A Chinese commercial reusable rocket blasting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. Photo: iSpace/Handout via Xinhua

SpaceX said the USSF-52 mission involving the American X-37B will be delayed until an undisclosed date. Photo: US Space Force/Reuters

Women walk past a billboard of a host club at Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. Photo: EPA-EFE

The C919 jet soars over Hong Kong’s harbour. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

The Yellow Dragon robe worn by emperors of China’s Qing dynasty. Photo: Getty Images

Looking at the connections between China’s most powerful leaders and members of the 20th Central Committee. Illustration: Marcelo Duhalde

China’s ‘unluckiest’ railway, Hong Kong actress Kathy Chow’s most memorable roles: SCMP’s 7 highlights of the week

Sardines and mackerels washed up on a beach in Hakodate, Hokkaido on December 7. Photo: AP

Kathy Chow in The Empress of China (2014). The actress, who appeared in TV series and films in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan, died on December 11 aged 57.

Revelina and Annel returned to the Philippines with their families from Gaza in November 2023. Photo: Michael Beltran

The HKFA has its Football Training Centre in Tseung Kwan O but its chairman said more efforts were needed to keep talent in th

Millennials are more health conscious than generations before them – but they are also ageing faster than their parents did. Photo: Shutterstock

Labour-rich Indonesia to send 100,000 workers to ageing Japan, reap benefits of ‘demographic dividend’

Pedestrians commute on Shinjuku street in Tokyo. Japan would need 6.7 million foreign workers by 2040 to meet its own projected economic growth rates, a 2022 report showed. Photo: EPA-EFE

Workers assemble a vehicle at a factory in Gunma. Japan’s Ministry of Immigration data showed there were 325,000 foreign workers in Japan under the TITP and SSW schemes in 2022. Photo: Bloomberg

A barbecue restaurant which serves halal certified foods in Tokyo in 2014. File photo: AFP

How to be more than happy: a ‘good’, rich life beyond happiness is possible, a psychologist explains – but it’s not always safe or comfortable

Achieving a psychologically rich life - one that is more than just happy - comes through trying new things that may not always feel safe or comfortable, but are ultimately rewarding. 
Photo: Shutterstock

Japanese psychologist Shige Oishi. Photo: University of Virginia / Photo by Kelley Van Dilla

Pursuing a degree is challenging and does not bring immediate gratification but is an example of the sort of measures one can take to lead a psychologically rich life. Photo: Shutterstock

Those living a psychologically rich life often have unusual and interesting personal stories to tell others. Photo: Shutterstock

Gorging on food while binge-watching TV shows may bring immediate enjoyment, in line with a happy life that is typically “safe, comfortable and pleasant”. Photo: Shutterstock

Psychologically rich experiences such as enjoying literature and music are widely available for little or no monetary cost, through libraries, for example.  Photo: Shutterstock

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Lifestyle

From a secret space plane to sex work in Japan, here are stories you may have missed over the weekend


From a secret space plane to sex work in Japan, here are stories you may have missed over the weekend.


Secret space plane, links between Chinese Communist Party’s inner circles: 5 weekend reads you may have missed

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}From a secret space plane to sex work in Japan, here are stories you may have missed over the weekend

1. US planned to launch a secret space plane a day ahead of China. SpaceX delayed it

2. From ‘princess’ to prostitute: how Japan’s host clubs are driving young women into debt and sex work

3. Hongkongers gather to watch mainland China’s home-grown C919 jet soar over city

From a secret space plane to sex work in Japan, here are stories you may have missed over the weekend