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Japan
Will Japan’s young embrace 50-year loans amid rising housing prices?
Opting for 50-year loans lowers monthly costs, but the long-term risks are mounting.
5 hours ago
US-ally trade wars
Mexico’s 50% tariff shock shuts Asia’s North American trade bypass
20 Dec 2025 - 1:30PM
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South Korea
Vietnamese influx surges as South Korea’s foreign population hits record high
20 Dec 2025 - 12:32PM
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Japan
Bear aware: Japanese drone school develops AI system to track animals
The new system being developed in Akita prefecture can detect bears and share their locations via smartphones.
20 Dec 2025 - 11:41AM
D-Academy Tohoku tests a bear-detection drone at a zoo in Kitaakita, Akita prefecture, in April. Photo: D-Academy Tohoku/Kyodo
Japan
More Japanese favour having an empress as Princess Aiko’s public appeal rises
Japan’s conservative politicians are against changing the centuries-old tradition of a male heir for the throne.
20 Dec 2025 - 11:00AM
Japan
Bank of Japan’s historic rate increase signals new era for economy
Bank of Japan lifts rates to 0.75 per cent – a 30-year high – ending zero-interest era, paving the way for further increases amid rising inflation.
19 Dec 2025 - 4:52PM
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Asia travel
‘Limits’ to hospitality: 10 times Asia overtourism became a problem in 2025
From Japan to Indonesia, excessive tourism has created issues in some of Asia’s travel hubs this year.
19 Dec 2025 - 3:00PM
Foreign tourists relax on Kuta Beach on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali in November 2023. Photo: AFP
South Korea
South Korea’s top court seeks to restore trust after martial law controversy
The changes target high-stakes national security cases amid mounting criticism over delays and alleged bias.
19 Dec 2025 - 4:02PM
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Japan
Japan vows never to possess nuclear weapons, rebuffing official’s idea
The government’s response came after a senior security official suggested that Tokyo needed nuclear arms to deter potential aggressors.
19 Dec 2025 - 2:56PM
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South Korea martial law 2024
South Korea’s police chief removed for supporting martial law plot
Cho Ji-ho was removed for sending officers to disrupt parliament and undermine the election commission’s independence, the Constitutional Court ruled.
18 Dec 2025 - 6:19PM
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Japan
Japan dismayed over Finnish beauty queen’s ‘slanted eyes’ photos
Sarah Dzafce was stripped of her Miss Finland title after an image of her making the offensive gesture went viral.
18 Dec 2025 - 3:56PM
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Finnish beauty queen Sarah Dzafce competes in the Miss Universe pageant in Thailand last month. Photo: EPA
South Korea
Viral golden logo find turns old AC units into hot property in South Korea
A YouTube video revealing a pure gold logo on certain LG air conditioners has sparked a nationwide hunt for the 20-year-old units.
18 Dec 2025 - 2:41PM
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Japan
Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.
18 Dec 2025 - 5:41PM
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Nordic nations
Finnish PM apologises for MPs’ ‘racist’ gestures in Miss Finland scandal
PM Petteri Orpo offers regrets to Japan, China and South Korea after MPs mimic ousted beauty queen Sarah Dzafce’s offensive squinting gesture.
17 Dec 2025 - 9:20PM
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South Korea
Vietnamese woman’s death amid raid in South Korea spurs visa policy debate
The 25-year-old, who reportedly hid at a factory’s air-conditioning unit, was just two weeks into her illegal part-time job when she died.
17 Dec 2025 - 6:50PM
The death of Vu Tu Anh, a 25-year-old Vietnamese woman, amid a South Korean immigration raid in October has intensified scrutiny on the country’s restrictive work visa rules for international students who graduate from local universities. Photo: handout
South Korea
South Korea reopens debate on lifting ban on North Korean media
Lawmakers move to ease North Korean web access. Supporters cite freedom of information, but critics fear propaganda risks.
17 Dec 2025 - 4:55PM
South Korea
South Korean court rules Yoon’s ‘self-coup’ illegal as walls close in
Judges are fast-tracking verdicts to beat statutory time limits, dashing the ex-president’s faint hopes of walking free early next year.
17 Dec 2025 - 3:02PM
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South Korea
‘Hard to go back’: frustrated with South Korea, men seek work, love in Japan
South Korea’s tough job market and marriage expectations have prompted many to settle down in the neighbouring country.
17 Dec 2025 - 10:13AM
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More South Korean men are moving to Japan for better work-life balance and marriage prospects. Photo: Shutterstock
China travel
Why South Korea is becoming China’s new bargain travel hotspot amid Japan spat
A slump in the won is making South Korea increasingly affordable for mainland tourists just as China warns against travel to Japan.
16 Dec 2025 - 9:00PM
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Japan
Japan boosts scrutiny after Chinese buyers lead property rush near critical sites
Japan to require nationality disclosure for land near key sites after study finds Chinese nationals bought half of 3,498 such properties in 2024.
16 Dec 2025 - 5:07PM
Japan
Japan and South Korea clash over islets as old grievances resurface
Analysts warn the squabble is a ‘step backwards’ that offers Beijing a chance to drive a wedge between the two US allies.
16 Dec 2025 - 1:39PM
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North Korea
What North Korea’s war dead tribute reveals about Kim’s endgame
In Kim Jong-un’s public grief for fallen mine-clearers, observers see a strategic play to lock in a role in Russia’s post-war rebuilding.
16 Dec 2025 - 8:00AM
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pays his respects in front of portraits of soldiers killed during an overseas deployment in Russia’s Kursk region, during a ceremony in Pyongyang on Friday. Photo: AFP
South Korea
Martial law plot was Yoon’s plan all along, South Korean prosecutors say
Announcing the results of a massive 180-day inquiry on Monday, special prosecutors said Yoon Suk-yeol aimed to form a military junta.
16 Dec 2025 - 3:36PM
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North Korea
Kim’s sister spotted with suspected luxury Chinese foldable phone
The device, seen at a hospital opening in North Korea, appears to be an ultra-thin ‘Magic’ foldable from Chinese tech giant Honor.
15 Dec 2025 - 1:58PM
South Korea
South Korean police raid Unification Church headquarters in bribery sweep
Police have named church leader Han Hak-ja as a suspect in the bribery of several high-profile politicians.
15 Dec 2025 - 1:10PM
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