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This Week in Asia /

Lifestyle & Culture

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K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop
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People walking at JR Mito station in Ibaraki prefecture in eastern Japan. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

Cash-for-tips scheme in Japan sparks debate over migrant rights

Backers argue tougher measures are needed to curb unauthorised employment, but migrant advocates fear unintended social consequences.

Indonesia

Row over speakers on Indonesian ‘island of 1,000 mosques’ sparks debate on rules

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The Philippines

Philippine Supreme Court ruling adds momentum to same-sex marriage debate

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Japan

Future of Japan’s ‘naked festival’ in doubt after 3 men left unconscious

Organisers said they would review safety rules after six men collapsed during the annual scramble for good-luck talismans.

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Participants at the Saidaiji “naked festival” gather inside the temple hall before sacred talismans are thrown in Okayama City on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo
Participants at the Saidaiji “naked festival” gather inside the temple hall before sacred talismans are thrown in Okayama City on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo
Scams and swindles

‘K-wave’ scams exploiting Brazil’s superfans trigger police pact

South Korea and Brazil are taking action to protect fans from fraudsters cashing in with phantom merchandise and exploitative ‘oppa’ tours.

Lunar New Year

Sharing the luck: inside Southeast Asia’s embrace of Lunar New Year

Malay and Indian households are increasingly embracing the festivities, tossing ‘yusheng’ and giving hongbao to show ‘unity in diversity’.

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Singapore

Cross-border trips to Johor push Singapore checkpoint traffic to new high

About three-quarters of the record 245 million travellers who crossed Singapore’s checkpoints last year went via the land border.

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Vehicles travel across the causeway from Malaysia’s southern state of Johor to the Woodlands immigration checkpoint in Singapore on October 10, 2025. Photo: AFP
Vehicles travel across the causeway from Malaysia’s southern state of Johor to the Woodlands immigration checkpoint in Singapore on October 10, 2025. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Bikini-clad mermaid sales stunt triggers religious probe in Malaysia

Authorities in conservative Kelantan are investigating the viral cross-dressing video after online critics accused the men of mocking Islam.

The Philippines

Art as advocacy: Philippine mural contest adds to South China Sea messaging push

The government-backed drive is the latest in a series of creative campaigns aiming to shape public narrative around the maritime dispute.

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Japan

Clocking off: is Japan’s culture of overwork finally dying?

The average hours put in by Japanese workers are lower than those of their American and Italian counterparts.

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People cross a road in Tokyo, Japan. Government reforms over the past two decades had helped reduce average working hours. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Thailand ‘buzzing’ with travel boom as Chinese tourists back in droves

The country’s heavy investment in wooing Chinese visitors appears to have paid off as it overcomes safety fears to secure holiday growth.

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A tourist interacts with a lion dance performer in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Thailand, on Monday. Photo: EPA
A tourist interacts with a lion dance performer in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Thailand, on Monday. Photo: EPA
Chinese culture

Ancient Chinese astrology gets a Gen Z rebrand in Southeast Asia

Forget rituals and superstitions, today’s young professionals are using ‘bazi’ 10-year luck forecasts to plan their next career pivot.

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Malaysia

‘Just ask for it’: Malaysia’s vape crackdown fails to break the habit

An estimated 1.4 million Malaysian adults vape, despite existing curbs. Many say new laws will simply push them back to cigarettes.

Nepal

Unearthed temple in Nepal sheds new light on Buddha’s early life

Archaeologists hope the newly discovered ruins at Siddhartha Gautam’s childhood palace will help secure Unesco World Heritage status.

Archaeologists at work in Tilaurakot, Lumbini, Nepal. Photo: Department of Archaeology, Nepal
Indonesia

Why Indonesia’s president wants clay roofs on all homes

The president says tourists are put off by Indonesia’s ‘rusty zinc’ roofs, and its image would improve with wider use of clay tiles.

Zinc roofs on top of a house in Walatungga village, Sumba Island, Indonesia. Photo: AP
Zinc roofs on top of a house in Walatungga village, Sumba Island, Indonesia. Photo: AP
Singapore

Is Singapore’s plan to regulate blind boxes ‘paternalistic’ or ‘harm reduction’?

The mystery surrounding the purchase of blind boxes has prompted concerns of gambling-style risks faced by consumers, especially minors.

Japan

‘Enormous failure’: naked man exposes gaps in Japan’s royal security

Princess Kako reportedly witnessed the chaos firsthand as a shrieking intruder stripped off and scaled a barrier below the royal balcony.

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Singapore

A match made in Singapore? ‘Aunties, not algorithms’ aims to woo US singles

Burnt-out US-based singles could win a free luxury trip if they ditch the dating apps and opt to let outspoken older women play Cupid.

Singapore’s tourism board is inviting US-based singles to be paired by “aunties” for a chance to win a four-night trip to the city state. Photo: Shutterstock
Singapore’s tourism board is inviting US-based singles to be paired by “aunties” for a chance to win a four-night trip to the city state. Photo: Shutterstock
Indonesia

Indonesians weigh peril and promise of Jakarta – the world’s most populous city

Extreme heat, floods, pollution, congested traffic and a tough job market are some of the major challenges faced by the city’s residents.

South Korea

Why do South Korea’s Hallyu heroes find taxes so … taxing?

As K-culture conquers the world, its wealthy stars keep falling foul of a tax system ‘that has not yet fully caught up’.

Thailand

Thailand plays down ‘too expensive’ concerns from South Korean visitors

The perceived squeeze on the wallet is a result of exchange rate volatility rather than the kingdom’s inflation, tourism officials say.

Tourists dressed in traditional Thai attire visit the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) in Bangkok, Thailand, in January. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Almost half of Filipinos willing to trust cheating partners again, survey says

The survey covers six types of cheating: physical, emotional, cyber, object and financial infidelity, as well as micro-cheating.

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About 6 per cent of Filipinos have experienced cyber cheating, according to a survey. Photo: Shutterstock
About 6 per cent of Filipinos have experienced cyber cheating, according to a survey. Photo: Shutterstock
The Philippines

‘We didn’t cry easily’: Philippine senator slammed for calling Gen Z ‘weak’

Robin Padilla was criticised for downplaying depression and not being sensitive to the social and economic problems faced by young Filipinos.

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Artificial intelligence

Dopamine over babies: Asia’s births crisis worsens in the age of AI

AI is putting pressure on Asian workers to upgrade their skills, while the technology also provides ‘cheap fun’ diversions.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s 68,000-year-old handprint: the birth of human art?

Found hiding beneath a chicken sketch, the faded outline proves ancient humans were capable of reflecting on their existence, scientists say.

Handprints with sharpened fingertips on a cave wall in the Maros region of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photo: Ahdi Agus Oktaviana/Maxime Aubert/AP
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