Asia in 3 minutes: Duterte’s instructional murders to a chubby Japanese female pop group

A Japanese pop group looks to shake off the stigma of being ‘chubby’

A unique concept is winning fame in the cutthroat Japanese music industry – a band of “chubby” girls deploying their cheeky cuteness to combat prejudices against obesity. Pottya is a pop group named after a slang word for chubby and consisting of four young women who are well above average weight in Japan. “People assume that being chubby is a sign of laziness or lack of self-discipline,” said Michiko Ohashi, the group’s heaviest member at 87kg. “I became an idol with the hope of changing that image. If they see us working to make our dreams come true, we can show that chubby people can work hard.” The members’ average weight is 76kg – 26kg over the Japanese average for women aged 13 to 18, according to the country’s health ministry.

WHAT NEXT? “I was quite attracted and overwhelmed with how lively their plus-size bodies move and dance,” said Tabo, a 36-year-old man who gave only his fan nickname. The group is an inspiration, said Miho Kishi, who was bullied about her weight as a child. “They’ve come out and are actually selling themselves as chubby, which has given us chubby women a lot of hope and courage,” said the 25-year-old.

Japan gives green light to casinos, prompting heated debate

Japan’s parliament passed a bill legalising casinos, paving the way for billions of dollars of potential investment after years of political wrangling. The bill, sponsored by a group of lawmakers mainly from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, would allow casino gambling in “integrated resorts” that include hotels and entertainment facilities. The revised casino bill was passed in both houses after hours of delaying tactics by the opposition. International gaming companies have been mulling investments in Japan amid a boom in tourism, particularly from China.

WHAT NEXT? Opponents of the bill, including members of Komeito, the junior partner in the ruling coalition, have argued that casinos could worsen the gambling problem and compromise public safety. Opposition parties have also railed against what they see as steamrolling of legislation through the current Diet session after debate on the bill was scrapped. “[The casino bill] threatens the dignity of the legislature, so we want to find a way for it to be scrapped,” Democratic Party leader Renho told a party meeting. Details of the so-called integrated resorts must be laid out in a separate bill before any casinos can be built, meaning none is likely to open in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The poorest 10 per cent of Vietnamese students outperform U.S. teenagers

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the results of its 2015 global rankings on student performance in mathematics, reading, and science, on the Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA. Once again, the US did poorly compared with other countries and territories, outranked by 38 countries in maths, 24 in science, and 22 in reading. The results are especially stark when comparing the figures to much poorer countries, noted Andreas Schleicher, director of education and skills at the OECD. “The 10 per cent of the most disadvantaged children in Vietnam ... do better than the average American child,” he said.