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Japan
The latest breaking news and stories on Japan, a country in East Asia known as a constitutional monarchy, and the world’s fifth largest economy. Also covering Japan’s relationship with China and Asia, plus commentary and updates on Japan’s economy, politics, society and trade.
Capital
Tokyo
Head of State
Emperor Naruhito
Head of Government
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Fumio Kishida
Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a virtual Asean meeting via videoconference in 2021. Photo: Sputnik/ Kremlin/AP
Asean

As Putin courts Southeast Asia, does ‘Russia need Asean more’?

Southeast Asia needs energy. Russia needs friends. Next week’s summit in Kazan could offer opportunities for both sides.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | With the ‘Indo-Pacific’ label losing its lustre, China has an opportunity

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Science

China’s rail gun milestone: guided projectile prototype passes real firing test

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SCMP Highlights

India’s rise in critical minerals; ‘involution’ and Malaysia: 7 Asia highlights

From RedNote’s advice on ‘involution’ to a refugee’s journey to Malaysia, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

A pile of minerals extracted from a rare-earth mine. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Why another golden era for Hong Kong is just around the corner

The city’s biggest growth catalyst of the next decade will be to embrace its role as China’s global treasury capital.

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South Korea

‘Attacker would need to say sorry’: South Korea’s Lee rejects Japan defence ties

President Lee Jae Myung says Tokyo must offer a genuine apology before a military logistics pact can move forward.

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Asia travel

What to do in Furano, a little-known summer haven on Japan’s Hokkaido island

From beautiful lavender fields to amazing local produce, there’s plenty to see and eat in Furano during the summer holiday months.

Tourists stroll through lavender fields at Tomita Farm, one of the most colourful spots in Furano. The city in central Hokkaido comes into its own during summer, when it offers visitors the chance to enjoy its natural beauty and delicious local produce in temperate weather conditions. Photo: Kyodo News via Getty Images
Taiwan

Taiwan hits back at Beijing’s ‘cognitive warfare’ after coastguard patrols

Island’s defence minister says the operation aimed at asserting mainland jurisdiction over waters Beijing does not control.

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China-North Korea relations

Xi Jinping arrives in a North Korea armed with advanced warships and AI drones

Could Xi’s visit indirectly advance North Korea’s military build-up as Pyongyang strengthens ties with Beijing and Moscow?

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Animals

Japanese city closes 94 schools as hunt for roaming bear enters third day

Residents of Utsunomiya have been urged to stay indoors as police and hunters track the animal, which was spotted inside a shopping arcade.

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A screengrab from a social media video shows a bear dashing in front of two people walking in a shopping arcade in Utsunomiya, Japan, on Sunday. Photo: X
China-Japan relations

Has a diplomatic feud prompted China to press pause on Japanese film and music?

This week’s Shanghai film festival doesn’t include any movies from Japan – the latest sign of an unofficial boycott.

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China has imposed official restrictions on tourism and trade with Japan since a row erupted in November. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

Japanese IT head says he made AI videos to smear Takaichi’s rivals during poll

The Sanae Token developer says he used generative AI to create 1,000 to 1,500 short videos criticising contenders Koizumi and Hayashi.

Hong Kong weather

Hong Kong serves up local flavour as ‘Typhoon Dim-sum’ joins new storm names list

City’s weather forecaster says latest submission has been endorsed by UN-backed Typhoon Committee for use in the Western North Pacific region.

China-Japan relations

Japan museum under fire for ‘rewriting history’ with Nanking ‘incident’ label

Conservatives force the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum to drop the word massacre, a move critics say downplays Japan’s wartime aggression.

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People attend a memorial for the Nanking massacre victims in Nanjing, China’s Jiangsu province, last year. Photo: Xinhua
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks cut losses as AI rallies in Asia unravel on Fed rate-hike fears

Investors drive Hong Kong and other Asian markets lower as the AI trade unravels on rate-increase fears after strong reading on US jobs report.

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Currency traders pass by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between US dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on Friday. Photo: AP Photo
Sanae Takaichi

Japan prepares to drop its pacifist mask as the right rises

A right-wing parliamentary supermajority is paving the way for Tokyo to amend its post-war pacifist constitution.

New Openings

Hong Kong’s hottest new openings, from Manmaru to Estuary by Vicky Cheng

Discover Hong Kong’s latest dining delights: jacket potatoes galore at Butter Babe, the finest Neapolitan pizzas at Fugazzi, modern haute cuisine with an Asian twist at Estuary by Vicky Cheng and Kansai-style eel at Manmaru.

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China's military weapons

China urged to fast-track carrier fleet upgrades as Japan boosts strike power

A potential gap that China’s carrier strike groups ‘need to address is the limited number of stealth fighters’, former PLA Navy officer says.

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A J-15 fighter jet takes off from the PLA Navy aircraft carrier Shandong. China’s two older aircraft carriers are expected to become able to operate the J-35 stealth fighter, like the newest Fujian. Photo: Handout
China consumption

Gold slump: China’s sales plunge as precious metal’s price dips

While China’s interest in gold is unlikely to fade, investment-grade product sales have dwindled after 15 months of retail growth.

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Taiwan

Beijing sends largest patrol ship east of Taiwan after Japan-Philippine talks

Communist Party mouthpiece warns the two countries are becoming a ‘source of trouble’ and putting regional peace at risk.

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Food and Drinks

Where did Tokyo restaurant Sézanne’s 3 Michelin stars go?

After Daniel Calvert’s high-profile exit, Sézanne is being reassessed by Michelin as new chef Stephen Lancaster reshapes the restaurant’s menu.

Sézanne at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, Japan. The restaurant has been quietly stripped of its three Michelin stars. Photo: Sezanne
China trade

How China’s blueberry boom is reaching Southeast Asia on faster trade links

The fruit is heading to Asean markets on the China-Laos Railway, supported by the world’s largest free trade agreement.

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Farmers pick blueberries at an orchard in southwest China’s Yunnan province. Photo: China News Service via Getty Images

Video | Security guard by night, graphic designer by day

Shuetsu Sato, 72, has won awards for his font created from duct tape that is used to direct commuters at Tokyo’s busy Shinjuku Station.

United States

Editorial | US tariff threat over forced labour looks like old wine in a new bottle

With the latest escalation in Trump’s forever tariff war, Washington is alienating allies and adversaries alike.

Diplomacy

Opinion | Norman Bethune’s story still holds lessons for China-Canada relations

The Canadian doctor, hailed a hero in China, was driven by personal conviction; there are others today, tilling the soil of Sino-Canadian friendship.

A sculpture of Norman Bethune, a Canadian surgeon and communist, at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing on August 31, 2025. Photo: Eugene Lee
United States

Missing US student found dead in Japan

The body of James ‌Higginbotham, 20, was discovered in a mountainous area near Kyoto after he disappeared while on a family holiday.

James Higginbotham is seen at an unidentified location in an image released on social media. Photo: Facebook/Nancy Higginbotham via Reuters
World Bank Group

Macroscope | The problem with Japan’s bid to strengthen energy security, supply chains

By competing rather than dovetailing with the Belt and Road Initiative, the joint project with the World Bank reflects increasing regional fragmentation.

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Quadrilateral Security Dialogue

Past failures haunt the Quad’s US$20 billion critical minerals push

The initiative aims to break China’s near-monopoly, but private-sector caution and a history of unfulfilled pledges stand in the way.

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