Fukuoka District Court’s complicated verdict fell short of expectations of activists in Japan, the only G7 nation without legal protection for same-sex unions.

Human rights campaigners say there is still no effective oversight of the government agencies tasked with handling those in detention .

China’s chip imports slumped nearly 20 per cent in the first five months of 2023, according to official customs data, as trade with South Korea and Japan shrank amid an intensified US-China tech war.

Shanghai-based Hozon follows up exports of 3,600 cars in March with another batch of 4,000 units recently, according to a statement on its WeChat account.

The liquidity surplus underscores how Singapore has been a beneficiary of Asia’s wealthy shifting their money to a perceived safe haven, even as customers flock to lock in high interest rates on fixed deposits.

Politicians urge the government to boost recruitment numbers in view of the falling birth rate and not to discriminate against those with ‘fashionable’ tattoos.

Sinmin Pak was inspired to take action on ‘comfort women’ after a visit to a Holocaust memorial in Europe forced her to think about how many wartime sex slaves had been erased from history.

TSMC’s capital expenditure should wind up closer to the bottom end of a previously forecast US$32 billion to US$36 billion range, company chairman Mark Liu said.

An hourlong one-on-one ‘Smile Education’ course will set you back US$55. Mask-wearing was near-universal in Japan over the past three years and many continue to wear them on daily basis.

The Philippines hopes to achieve broad economic success by addressing demographic issues, and is making family planning one of its biggest budget priorities this year.

The yen’s depreciation has given more purchasing power to overseas buyers seeking to purchase well-preserved Japanese toys, including those from Hello Kitty and Pokemon.

The restricted items on the list are expansive and will target a range of hi-tech equipment and materials needed for advanced chip production, hence China’s anger.

Sustaining both nations’ support for Ukraine in its war against Russia will feature heavily when the leaders meet at the White House on Thursday, according to Sunak’s spokesman.

Local authorities are considering plans to limit the number of hikers for the coming climbing season.

Asian countries are likely to feel pressed between the rivals, with defence chiefs from both countries ready to take a firm stance.

The tech company should minimise the sensitive data it collects for machine learning, Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission said, as regulators around the world scramble to draw up rules governing the use of AI.

Experts say it may be tough to stamp out these intelligent, highly adaptable creatures that also reproduce very quickly.

The main goal among Japanese firms at the Computex Taipei tech show is ‘connecting with manufacturers’ in Taiwan at a time when tech supply chains are being rapidly realigned.

Chinese delegates for years have robustly fended off criticism at the forum from neighbouring countries and Western governments.

Trash houses or ‘gomi-yashiki’ are local eyesores whose owners spill mounds of rubbish onto the streets and surrounding properties, attracting pests, causing problems for local governments across the country.

In 2015, the two countries signed a controversial deal on the sexual enslavement of South Korean women by Japan during World War II; this latest ruling is viewed as favouring President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been striving to improve relations with Japan.

A blurry Japanese art style forms the basis of a Hong Kong art show in which Asian artists reflect on the impermanence of ‘home’ and challenges adapting to life away from one’s birthplace.