Japan has entered a period of profound change. Inflation has returned after decades of deflation and stagnation. Japan’s relations with the United States, which helped underpin the post-war global order, have deteriorated dramatically. A culturally homogenous nation is experiencing an epic boom in tourism.
More surprisingly, a country renowned for political stability is at risk from the anti-establishment populism that has upended politics in other advanced economies.
The ruling Liberal…
‘Terrible’: Sara Duterte impeachment ruling sparks Philippine constitutional row
Monday’s opening of the Philippines’ Congress has been thrown into chaos by a Supreme Court ruling that effectively killed the long-awaited impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio.
The Supreme Court’s decision, delivered late on Friday, quashed the Senate’s long-delayed trial on a technicality, ruling that the impeachment violated the constitutional “one-year rule” against multiple proceedings within a year for the same official.
The fallout has cast a pall over what would…
Brave migrant workers rescue woman from Singapore sinkhole
Migrant workers in Singapore have been praised for their quick action in saving a woman after her car was swallowed by a sinkhole.
Social media videos showed a three-metre (10-foot) deep sinkhole suddenly appearing on Saturday evening along Tanjong Katong Road in the eastern part of the city state, causing a black Mazda to topple sideways into the hole.
Immediately afterwards, nearby construction workers can be seen in the footage rushing to the woman’s rescue. One worker leans into the sinkhole…
Anwar’s chief justice pick tests Malaysia’s faith in the courts
As the gavel passes to Malaysia’s new chief justice, old questions echo through Putrajaya. Can a judiciary led by a former Umno party insider truly deliver impartial justice, or will the shadows of political allegiance darken the bench?
Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, previously a Court of Appeal judge and once deputy home minister under prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is set to assume the judiciary’s highest seat on Monday.
But his past life as an Umno politician, and personal associations…
How China’s ‘big winner’ BYD conquered Sri Lanka’s car market
Aggressive pricing, shrewd tax engineering and a trusted local partner have propelled China’s BYD to a commanding position in Sri Lanka’s electric vehicle and hybrid market, disrupting a sector long constrained by import restrictions and setting the stage for dramatic expansion.
Sri Lanka’s car market, starved of new imports for nearly five years under a sweeping ban imposed in the lead up to the economic crisis of 2022 to stabilise foreign reserves, reopened in February as the government lifted…
Philippines debates jailing adult children for parental neglect
Should adult children face prison for failing to care for their elderly parents? That’s the contentious question dividing the Philippines after a senator revived a bill to make filial neglect a criminal offence.
Senator Panfilo Lacson first pushed his Parents Welfare Act in 2019 but it failed to gain much traction. The bill, which he refiled earlier this month, recognises care for the elderly as a shared duty of children and the government, but if enacted it would empower courts to penalise…
India’s drones take flight as ‘cost-effective’ solution to fighter jet wait
India’s recent military clash with Pakistan has underscored its accelerating push to expand its drone capabilities, which experts say could serve as a cost-effective interim solution while the country waits for its fifth-generation fighter jets.
The cross-border operation – launched in response to a terror attack in Pahalgam – saw Indian forces deploy a mix of locally made and imported drones to destroy nine militant camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Analysts say the campaign,…
Indonesia’s wiretap pact could create digital dragnet for dissent, critics warn
A wiretapping agreement between Indonesia’s prosecutors and the country’s biggest telecoms firms has drawn criticism from rights groups warning it could enable mass unchecked surveillance, even as officials defend the deal as a crucial tool for law enforcement.
The memorandum of understanding, signed last month between the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and four major telecommunications providers, allows prosecutors to access user data and intercept communications for investigative…
Workers outside Australia can access unfair dismissal protections, according to FWC
Foreign nationals employed to work overseas for Australian businesses can be entitled to the benefits and protection of Australian employment law, including unfair dismissal protections, a recent Fair Work Commission decision has confirmed.
Fukuoka station deploys mirror to fight rising voyeurism in Japan
Authorities in the Japanese city of Fukuoka have installed an “anti-voyeurism” mirror in a subway station in a bid to stop the rising number of cases in the bustling Tenjin entertainment area.
The mirror, affixed beside an escalator at the Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) station, has a wide field of view to enable commuters to spot voyeurs or those taking upskirt photos, according to the online News on Japan. It was donated by the We Love Tenjin Council, a community group made up of local…