Japan tourism expo returns with fewer visitors, but sector remains upbeat

The country’s reopening has buoyed optimism for exhibitors at the Tourism Expo Japan, including those from Hong Kong and China
But a weak yen and surging fuel surcharges on flights could continue to keep Japanese travellers home

4 Oct 2022 - 8:38AM

Foreign tourists walk through Nakamise Street at Asakusa, in downtown Tokyo. Photo: EPA-EFE

Japan

Japan tourism expo returns with fewer visitors, but sector remains upbeat

4 Oct 2022 - 8:38AM

The country’s reopening has buoyed optimism for exhibitors at the Tourism Expo Japan, including those from Hong Kong and China
But a weak yen and surging fuel surcharges on flights could continue to keep Japanese travellers home

Arema supporters running on the pitch towards Indonesian army personnel after a football match in Malang. Photo: AFP

Explainer | Can crowd disasters like Indonesia’s football tragedy be prevented?

Fight-or-flight response triggered by radical change in environment, crowd density among key factors for disasters, experts say.

3 minutes ago

A French Rafale jet fighter takes off from France’s aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle. Photo: AP

French partnership with India, UAE could lead to billion-dollar defence deals

The grouping comes as the countries seek to preserve their ‘strategic autonomy’ amid the US-China rivalry, and follows Australia’s snub of French submarines in favour of the Aukus deal.

4 hours ago

Fans enter the pitch during a clash between supporters at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java, Indonesia on October 1, 2022. Photo: AP

Analysis | Indonesia football tragedy: violent fan culture, poor policing in spotlight

Fractious relationship between football clubs and fans highlighted after pitch invasion at Arema v Persebaya match left at least 125 people dead.

3 Oct 2022 - 8:10PM

Chef Manzilat Fatima is leading a food journey reviving the authentic cuisine of Awadh. Photo: Handout

Why one Indian chef wants to be the face of ‘Kolkata’s Muslim Food’

Manzilat Fatima is leading a food journey reviving the authentic cuisine of Awadh, creating awareness about popular Muslim food from present day Uttar Pradesh that is now a part of the culinary heritage of Kolkata.

3 Oct 2022 - 12:17PM

OPINION

Asian Angle | Indonesia’s #Bjorka saga exposed its embarrassingly weak cybersecurity

Yanuar Nugroho

2 Oct 2022 - 9:00AM

Asian Angle | Is the Philippines doomed to be dragged into a US-China conflict over Taiwan?

Lucio Blanco Pitlo III

1 Oct 2022 - 9:00AM

As I see it | Strap in for a bumpy 2023 as inflation, supply chain woes continue to bite

Joseph Sipalan

30 Sep 2022 - 9:00AM

China Briefing | Guiyang’s zero-Covid tragedy evokes old mantra of putting politics in command

Wang Xiangwei

24 Sep 2022 - 9:00AM

The Philippines

Philippines’ Marcos Jnr weaves new diplomacy bringing back close-knit US ties

China is the ‘elephant in the room’, experts say, as Marcos Jnr searches for a new strategy to rebalance ties post-Duterte
His New York trip is a ‘crystal clear signal’ that the Philippines’ most important relationship is with the US, analysts said

2 Oct 2022 - 8:30AM

The Philippines

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr during his meeting with US President Joe Biden, on September 22. Photo: AP

Philippines’ Marcos Jnr weaves new diplomacy bringing back close-knit US ties

China is the ‘elephant in the room’ as Marcos Jnr, driven by national and personal interests, searches for a new strategy to rebalance ties post-Duterte, experts say.

2 Oct 2022 - 8:30AM

Japan’s Africa aid rivals China in terms of ‘quality over quantity’: analysts

Tokyo’s commitment to international standards on infrastructure financing and its support of good governance and democratic principles provides African nations with a tempting alternative to China’s deeper pockets, analysts said.

2 Oct 2022 - 11:00AM

‘It could happen here’: why Iran’s hijab uproar holds lessons for Indonesia

As an Iranian woman’s death triggers outrage over strict hijab laws, observers warn Indonesia could face the same fate if religious fundamentalists are not reined in.

1 Oct 2022 - 2:00PM