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A Japanese research vessel leaves a port in Shizuoka prefecture to collect rare earth mud off Minamitorishima Island in January. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

To cut reliance on China, Japan eyes bespoke ship for rare earth extraction

Tokyo also aims to become a major global supplier despite the project facing technological, cost and geopolitical hurdles.

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Japan

Why Japan’s ruling party is pushing for 5% military spending

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South Korea

Samsung union’s strike threat fuels fears of South Korea’s economic slowdown

Japan

Japan-South Korea ‘comfort women’ row stoked by statues abroad

The removal of wartime sex slave memorials in Germany and New Zealand has electrified certain LDP hardliners, risking a diplomatic rift.

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A former South Korean “comfort woman” holds the hand of a statue symbolising Japan’s wartime sex slaves in Seoul in 2021. Photo: Reuters
A former South Korean “comfort woman” holds the hand of a statue symbolising Japan’s wartime sex slaves in Seoul in 2021. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

‘Like whale bones’: South Korea’s war memorial sparks conflict over symbolism

Critics argue the Korean war memorial should not be in a space in Seoul long associated with pro-democracy protests and its imperial past.

South Korea

South Korea adds ‘extreme heat emergency’ to first major alert update in decades

Over the past five years, the average number of heatwave days and tropical nights has surged nearly threefold compared to the 1970s.

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South Korea

South Korea signals ‘phased’ support for US-led Hormuz mission after ship attack

Defence Minister Ahn said the support could include political backing, personnel dispatches and sharing of information and military assets.

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South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back places a wreath during a visit to the Korean War Memorial in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: South Korea’s Ministry of National Defence/EPA
South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back places a wreath during a visit to the Korean War Memorial in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: South Korea’s Ministry of National Defence/EPA
Japan

Japan’s Takaichi backs aide over smear claims against LDP rivals

Analysts say Japan’s prime minister used an ‘excellent non-answer’ to shield an aide against claims of orchestrating a smear campaign.

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Japan

Oil crunch drains colour from 1 of Japan’s favourite snacks

Calbee says it is using monochrome designs for some of its products, as the Iran war has caused a shortage of naphtha used in packaging.

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South Korea

South Korea cautious on blaming Iran for ship strike ahead of US-China summit

Seoul has footage of the May 4 attack on the HMM Namu but analysts say it is biding its time, hoping ‘the dust will settle’.

Damage to the South Korean cargo ship HMM Namu is seen this undated handout photograph released on Sunday. Photo: South Korea’s Foreign Ministry/AFP
Japan

Japan’s ‘cutest’ envoy shows Britons how to love Britain

‘He has made me feel more proud to be British than any politician or any figure since I was born,’ a content creator says.

Hiroshi Suzuki, Japan’s ambassador to Britain, attends a football match in London. Photo: X/AmbJapanUK
Hiroshi Suzuki, Japan’s ambassador to Britain, attends a football match in London. Photo: X/AmbJapanUK
Japan

Japan’s new spy agency: a shield against China or ‘militarist surveillance’?

Japan has not had a centralised intelligence service since World War II. Sanae Takaichi wants to change that.

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Japan

Japan’s late-night cafes open doors to soothe mothers of crying babies

The idea of a ‘nighttime crying cafe’, which appeared in an online comic nearly a decade ago, is now gaining real-world traction.

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South Korea

Robots to the rescue? South Korea looks for solutions to falling army numbers

South Korea’s standing forces have shrunk by 20 per cent in the past six years to 450,000 amid a record-low birth rate.

Boston Dynamics robot dog Spot accompanies Hyundai Motor’s executive chairman Chung Eui-sun on stage at the 2022 International Consumer Electronics Show. Photo: EPA-EFE
The Philippines

Remote control: the inmates running crime empires from Philippine prison

What do a South Korean drug ring and a Japanese robbery syndicate have in common? They were both allegedly run from Philippine prison cells.

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Park Wang-yeol at Incheon International Airport on March 25 after being extradited from the Philippines. Photo: Korea Times
Park Wang-yeol at Incheon International Airport on March 25 after being extradited from the Philippines. Photo: Korea Times
South Korea

‘Unidentified aircraft’ hit Korean cargo ship in Hormuz on Monday: Seoul

Iran has denied responsibility for the attack, with its embassy in Seoul stating that it rejects and denies any allegations of involvement.

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Japan

Divorced from reality? Japan’s joint custody reform divides parents

Critics call the legal change a ‘cosmetic’ fix for a system that still allows one parent to simply disappear.

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South Korea

‘She was just a human’: the world forgot K-pop’s suicides. These fans never did

Years after three high-profile K-pop suicides shook South Korea’s idol machine, the grief – and guilt – remains.

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Tearful K-pop fans gather to mourn their idol at a hospital in Seoul in 2017. Photo: AFP
Tearful K-pop fans gather to mourn their idol at a hospital in Seoul in 2017. Photo: AFP
South Korea

South Korea draws Gulf oil storage interest as Hormuz stays closed

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE are among major oil producers looking to South Korea’s underground storage facilities, officials say.

Japan

Mogami momentum: why Japan’s warship is winning over New Zealand

Japan’s Mogami and Britain’s Type 31 are the top two contenders, but Australia may have already tipped the scales.

China trade

How China’s sharper tech edge forces South Korea to rethink old industrial ties

Scholars urge a pivot to shared AI and EV standards and cooperation, while an upgraded China-South Korea free-trade pact is deemed vital.

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An artificial intelligence-powered robot works at a “convenience store” during the 2026 World IT Show in Seoul. Photo: EPA
Singapore

Asia faces low hantavirus risk as Singapore isolates 2 from cruise over cases

Eight hantavirus cases linked to the cruise have been reported so far, including three deaths, the WHO says.

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A boat heading towards the port on Wednesday from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius, which is stationary off the port of Praia, Cape Verde. Photo: TNS
A boat heading towards the port on Wednesday from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius, which is stationary off the port of Praia, Cape Verde. Photo: TNS
Sri Lanka

Ex-SriLankan Airlines head in US$16 million Airbus corruption case found dead

Kapila Chandrasena was arrested in March on charges of conspiring to accept a US$16 million bribe for the purchase of 10 Airbus aircraft.

Japan

Japanese bus driver admits to speeding before crash that killed teenager

Investigators also found that the former municipal bus driver did not hold the type of license required to drive passengers for hire.

North Korea

North Korea to move artillery capable of striking Seoul to border with South

The large-calibre rifled gun has a range of over 60km, posing a serious threat to Seoul, which is only about 40km to 50km from the border.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a munitions factory on Wednesday. Photo: KCNA/EPA
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