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This Week in Asia /
Lifestyle & Culture
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K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop
Asia travel
Fame and celebrity
Singapore
Human intelligence remains critical in AI era: Singapore minister
Foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan cautions against overdependence on large-language models to solve every problem.
5 hours ago
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Japan
Japan’s ‘ibasho’ sense of belonging helps disaster survivors heal, study finds
16 May 2026 - 12:00PM
Indonesia
Why Indonesia is expanding under-16 social media ban to e-commerce
13 May 2026 - 6:00PM
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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.
13 May 2026 - 5:12PM
A row of 23 stone monuments in central Seoul representing South Korea and 22 other countries that fought alongside one another during the 1950-53 Korean war. Photo: Park Chan-kyong
Singapore
Singaporeans refute lack of hunger stereotype, warn of ‘self-fulfilling bias’
A recruiter’s comment on Singaporean workers supposedly lacking drive has sparked a fierce debate on evolving career goals and pay.
13 May 2026 - 9:30AM
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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.
10 May 2026 - 10:00AM
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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.
10 May 2026 - 8:00AM
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Tearful K-pop fans gather to mourn their idol at a hospital in Seoul in 2017. Photo: AFP
The Philippines
‘Foreigner won’: Filipinos divided over pageant winner’s US roots
Some social media users have questioned Bea Millan-Windorski’s win, while others say being Filipino is about ‘culture, history and belonging’.
9 May 2026 - 2:40PM
Thailand
How RedNote, WeChat are reviving Thailand’s Chinese tourism market
Thai businesses are asking online experts to help reel in young big spenders who prize authenticity over heavily advertised content.
7 May 2026 - 4:24PM
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Japan
Japan’s hikikomori recluses are growing old. So are their carers
What happens to more than 1 million social recluses in the world’s fastest-ageing society when the last person who cared for them is gone?
6 May 2026 - 3:49PM
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Malaysia
Art of the steal: Malaysia unveils recovered 1MDB masterpieces
A Picasso and a Miro are among four works on show, representing a fraction of the US$4.5 billion looted from Malaysia’s 1MDB fund.
6 May 2026 - 1:53PM
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Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki (second from right) inspects Joan Miro’s “Composition” (1953) at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya on Wednesday. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof
Japan
Japan army unit’s gun-toting AI-generated elephant logo gets trampled by critics
Officers created the logo using ChatGPT based on the ‘elephant’, ‘cool’, ‘blue flame’, and ‘mammoth’ keywords, a media report says.
5 May 2026 - 4:38PM
Malaysia
Penang’s cemetery tours spur interest in pioneers, colonial history
While the state receives millions in conservation funding, it faces challenges in preserving the Protestant cemetery due to its climate.
5 May 2026 - 1:12PM
Thailand
The cost of cute: how ‘petfluencers’ are driving Asia’s wildlife crime
Thailand is a key pipeline in a lucrative global trade that animal activists warn risks spreading zoonotic diseases and erasing biodiversity.
3 May 2026 - 12:00PM
Indonesia
Indonesia’s aim to lure more K-pop concerts spurs chorus of doubts
While Indonesian K-pop fans applaud Jakarta’s intention, they cite safety, venue capacity and bureaucracy as some of the key hurdles.
3 May 2026 - 8:00AM
Indonesian K-pop idol Carmen poses for photos alongside Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung at a state luncheon in Seoul on April 1. Photo: Instagram/2_jaemyung
Malaysia
‘Moral harm’: Malaysia’s culture war brigade tries to hose down water festival
Kuala Lumpur’s Rain Rave Water Music Festival faces backlash from critics who argue that such vulgar imports hurt conservative values.
1 May 2026 - 4:10PM
Japan
Japan’s higher education sector faces reckoning as student pool shrinks
The potential abolition of so many universities is a ‘dramatic move’ that analysts warn will affect thousands of students and teachers.
1 May 2026 - 6:51PM
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The Philippines
Filipino male pageant contestant’s viral swimsuit walk sparks body image debate
Observers said RJ Perkins’ viral moment shows beauty pageants might be ready to move beyond their traditional ideals.
30 Apr 2026 - 3:46PM
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RJ Perkins during his viral appearance in the swimsuit round of the Mister Pampanga pageant. Photo: Facebook / Mister Pampanga
Japan
Zoo in Japan’s Hokkaido delays reopening over search for body in incinerator
One of the employees reportedly told police he burned his wife’s body in an incinerator on the zoo’s grounds.
29 Apr 2026 - 4:54PM
Singapore
Singapore firm sorry after airport baggage handler caught tossing luggage
Ground-handling company SATS pledged to improve service standards and staff training after a video of the incident went viral.
29 Apr 2026 - 4:25PM
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Singapore
More Singaporeans are choosing jobs below their qualifications. Here’s why
A new survey shows 19.4 per cent of Singapore’s resident workforce had academic qualifications beyond what was required for their job in 2025.
29 Apr 2026 - 9:30AM
Japan
Why Japan’s travellers are rushing abroad for ‘golden week’ despite falling yen
The operator of Narita airport anticipates that 1.59 million travellers will pass through the airport over the two-week holiday season.
30 Apr 2026 - 10:04AM
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People depart Japan from Haneda airport in Tokyo on April 18. Photo: Kyodo
Japan
In hot water: Japan’s bathhouses struggle to stay afloat as oil prices spike
“Sentos” have cut operating hours and welcomed fewer customers, with some deciding to fold amid the energy crisis.
27 Apr 2026 - 4:00PM
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Singapore
Singapore’s answer to school bullying? The cane … and counselling
With student safety under the microscope, Singapore unveils a new framework in a bid to knock bullying on the head.
26 Apr 2026 - 11:15AM
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South Korea
Iconic South Korean district on the brink in divisive urban renewal fight
Conservationists worry that reshaping Seoul’s Sewoon District risks erasing both heritage and livelihoods.
26 Apr 2026 - 2:45PM
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