Asian Legal Review

A calico cat named Yontama was formally appointed stationmaster at Kishi Station in western Japan this week, stepping into a role that is at once whimsical and ceremonial but also important to the survival of a rural railway line.
The appointment ceremony on Wednesday drew fans, photographers and local officials to the station in Kinokawa, Wakayama prefecture, where Wakayama Electric Railway President Mitsunobu Kojima placed a medal around Yontama’s neck as the crowd applauded.
Yontama is the…

For property developers and investors, contractors, property management companies and residential landlords, 2026 will be a year of significant developments in UK building safety.

The United Malays National Organisation (Umno), which for decades dominated Malaysian politics and remains a key member of the ruling coalition, is set to renew a push for the release of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak next week, even as it steps back from threats to quit the government.
Resolutions pushing for a full pardon and demanding justice for Najib were the “hottest topic” submitted by the party’s 191 divisions ahead of its annual assembly, Secretary General Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki…

Indonesia’s Bali is weighing a regulation that would require foreign tourists to disclose how much money they have had in their bank accounts over the past three months, the island’s most far-reaching proposal yet in a drive to deter low-spending visitors and promote what officials call “quality tourism”.
Governor Wayan Koster said the measure would be included in Bali’s Draft Regional Regulation on Quality Tourism Management, which he said was nearing completion in the island’s…

Malaysian prosecutors said on Thursday that they have put an end to their ‌corruption case against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, saying that ‍there was insufficient evidence to continue.
The move by the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) came more than two years after corruption charges against Ahmad Zahid, the leader of a ⁠key partner in Malaysia’s ruling coalition, were dropped to allow prosecutors to conduct further investigations.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court in September 2023…

Former army chief Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan has been arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over corruption allegations.
Also arrested were his two wives after they presented themselves at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya on Wednesday to have their statements recorded in an ongoing investigation involving military contract tenders.
Another couple was also arrested earlier in the day over the same investigation and remanded for seven days.
Muhammad Hafizuddeain and his…

Foreign money is flowing back into Southeast Asia, and analysts expect the region to remain a draw for global investors even as geopolitical tensions and domestic political risks cloud the outlook.
Emerging Southeast Asian markets recorded US$337 million of equity inflow in December last year, the highest monthly figure since September 2024, according to a Bloomberg report.
These economies include Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Analysts say the rebound points to…

An update to the German code on civil procedure that came into force on 1 January 2026 could lead to an increase in number of claims supported by AI, experts have said.

Major projects are less likely to be delayed, go over budget, and become the subject of disputes if legal teams earmarked to support on different phases of the project are better integrated from a project’s outset.

Indian exporters of products ranging from home decor to leather shoes are worried about missing the US summer shopping season if they are unable to lock in orders in January as trade deal talks drag on between New Delhi and Washington.
This will be the decisive month for sealing the trade pact so contracts can be secured for the first half of 2026, according to half a dozen local exporters. The punitive 50 per cent US tariffs since August already hurt the exporters’ order volumes in the…