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This Week in Asia /
Lifestyle & Culture
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K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop
Asia travel
Fame and celebrity
Malaysia
‘Moral harm’: Malaysia’s culture war brigade tries to hose down water festival
Kuala Lumpur’s Rain Rave Water Music Festival faces backlash from critics who argue that such vulgar imports hurt conservative values.
54 minutes ago
Japan
Japan’s higher education sector faces reckoning as student pool shrinks
1 May 2026 - 9:30AM
The Philippines
Filipino male pageant contestant’s viral swimsuit walk sparks body image debate
30 Apr 2026 - 3:46PM
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Japan
Zoo in Japan’s Hokkaido delays reopening over search for body in incinerator
One of the employees reportedly told police he burned his wife’s body in an incinerator on the zoo’s grounds.
29 Apr 2026 - 4:54PM
The animal crematorium at Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Photo: Kyodo
Singapore
Singapore firm sorry after airport baggage handler caught tossing luggage
Ground-handling company SATS pledged to improve service standards and staff training after a video of the incident went viral.
29 Apr 2026 - 4:25PM
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Singapore
More Singaporeans are choosing jobs below their qualifications. Here’s why
A new survey shows 19.4 per cent of Singapore’s resident workforce had academic qualifications beyond what was required for their job in 2025.
29 Apr 2026 - 9:30AM
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Japan
Why Japan’s travellers are rushing abroad for ‘golden week’ despite falling yen
The operator of Narita airport anticipates that 1.59 million travellers will pass through the airport over the two-week holiday season.
30 Apr 2026 - 10:04AM
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People depart Japan from Haneda airport in Tokyo on April 18. Photo: Kyodo
Japan
In hot water: Japan’s bathhouses struggle to stay afloat as oil prices spike
“Sentos” have cut operating hours and welcomed fewer customers, with some deciding to fold amid the energy crisis.
27 Apr 2026 - 4:00PM
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Singapore
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.
26 Apr 2026 - 11:15AM
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South Korea
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.
26 Apr 2026 - 2:45PM
Japan
Burger King in Japan dangles US$250,000 to lure rival franchisees
Meanwhile, Philippine fried chicken chain Jollibee has announced a record operating income and is accelerating its global expansion.
24 Apr 2026 - 2:40PM
Two customers bite Burger King’s Whopper hamburgers after the chain’s first Tokyo store officially opened in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in 2007. Photo: AP
The Philippines
This retiree in the Philippines downloaded an app. Then he lost his life savings
Industrial-scale malware is replacing ‘pig-butchering’ as Cambodia’s scam hubs pivot to high-speed digital heists.
24 Apr 2026 - 10:41AM
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South Korea
South Korean army removes poster depicting controversial hand gesture
The finger pinching gesture, known as the ‘Megalian hand’, is seen as a mockery of male genitalia.
23 Apr 2026 - 5:51PM
Japan
Subsidies for dating apps latest tactic to battle low birth rates in rural Japan
Kochi prefecture says residents aged between 20 and 39 can receive a US$125 subsidy to use certified matchmaking apps.
22 Apr 2026 - 9:00AM
Asean
Work from home may not save as much energy as Southeast Asia hopes
Remote work for civil servants sounds like an easy solution in an energy crisis. Analysts aren’t so sure.
24 Apr 2026 - 5:15PM
Motorists drive along a road in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, on April 6. Thailand has ordered its civil servants to work from home amid the energy crisis. Photo: EPA
The Philippines
Meet the Filipino spouses turning their migration journeys into viral content
Women make up 90 per cent of Filipino marriage migrants, moving mainly to the US, Canada, Japan and Australia.
19 Apr 2026 - 3:00PM
The Philippines
BINI made history at Coachella. Can the Philippines build on it?
The Filipino girl group’s desert debut proved P-pop’s pedigree. Now Manila needs to find the budget to back the talent already going global.
19 Apr 2026 - 12:00PM
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Social media
Southeast Asia wants children off social media. Will it work?
Indonesia is leading a regional push to ban children from social media platforms. Enforcement is another matter, however.
19 Apr 2026 - 10:00AM
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A child uses a mobile phone at a park in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, last month. Photo: EPA
Malaysia
Crowned in Bangkok, constrained at home: Malaysia’s first Mr Bear winner
Gavin Chow’s victory highlights the contrast between Bangkok’s queer visibility and the pressures still facing LGBTQ people in Malaysia.
21 Apr 2026 - 10:19AM
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Indonesia
Indonesia’s Surabaya cracks down on absentee fathers for dodging child support
The city’s child support laws have drawn overseas interest, including Australia, as single mothers urge more help for their legal redress.
17 Apr 2026 - 6:05PM
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Indonesia
Bali wants illegal rentals to be legitimate as operators flag red tape
Authorities want to help unregistered accommodation providers secure permits to plug the tax collection gap.
16 Apr 2026 - 5:48PM
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Thailand
7 French tourists arrested after viral Songkran clash with van driver in Phuket
Police said the group of revellers blocked traffic, sprayed water at the driver and ignored orders to disperse.
16 Apr 2026 - 3:20PM
Screenshots from a viral video showing Songkran festival revelers spraying a van driver in Patong. Photo: TikTok / littlepatong
Malaysia
Deepfakes, cloned voices: the new AI threat facing Malaysia’s creators
Experts question whether Malaysia’s laws are keeping pace with the harm spread by AI, and call for stronger legal protections for artists.
15 Apr 2026 - 7:37PM
Japan
Japan’s Narita Airport expansion revives row over forced land sales
Authorities are considering forcing the sale of land owned by holdout farmers, recalling disputes that sparked violence during the 1960s.
15 Apr 2026 - 4:22PM
Japan
Japan’s rural rail crisis hits new low as JR East cuts toilet paper service
JR East’s decision to remove toilet paper at some unmanned stations underscores the financial pressures on rural rail services.
13 Apr 2026 - 5:55PM
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