Yasujiro Ozu's 1953 masterpiece "Tokyo Monogatari" ("Tokyo Story") endures today as one of Japan's best-known classic films, though other films by Ozu and other noted directors have been lost to war and natural disasters. Now many thousands more are at risk due to Japan's strict copyright law.
Arts

Rare Japanese movie prints at risk of destruction

Tokyo Laboratory forced to scrap up to 20,000 films due to quirk of copyright law

26 October 2023
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Travel & Leisure

Japan's 10 best gardens for autumn moon views

From Kyoto to Tokyo, some of the top spots for centuries-old tradition

15 October 2023
Set 10 years after reunification, "2035" follows a crew of journalists as they travel the country interviewing people. (Photo courtesy of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival)
Arts

Korean reunification becomes horror-comedy film plot

Park Jae-in's mockumentary "2035" aims to make audiences shudder and giggle

30 September 2023
Questions over the future of Lisa, above, a Thai member of South Korean K-Pop group Blackpink, and other members are weighing on YG Entertainment's shares.
Media & Entertainment

South Korea's YG Entertainment hit by Blackpink uncertainty

Agency's shares sink on talk of departure by Thai member Lisa, others

22 September 2023
Ryusuke Hamaguchi poses for photographers upon arrival for the premiere of "Evil Does Not Exist" at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 4.
Arts

'Evil Does Not Exist' director Hamaguchi confronts modern anxiety

After 'Drive My Car,' Japan filmmaker completes festival trifecta in Venice

12 September 2023
Taiwanese Minister of Culture Shih Che says Taiwan must press ahead on social issues after legalizing gay marriage. (Taiwan's Ministry of Culture)
Taiwan tensions

Taiwan cultural rise on world stage threatened by China: minister

Beijing's arrest of publisher Fucha sparks backlash, tests 'cultural resilience'

11 September 2023
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Arts

Photographer James Nachtwey's stunning retrospective comes to Asia

'Memoria' depicts lifetime of bearing witness to wars, disasters and the human condition

10 September 2023
Nga Surachai Chanthimathon, founder of legendary Thai protest rock band Caravan, performs during his 75th birthday concert at the Thailand Cultural Centre on May 7. (Photo by Yumi Kajiwara)
Arts

Thai protest rocker 'Nga Caravan' celebrated at last

His band provided soundtrack for 1970s students fighting military government

7 September 2023
Fisher Yu Jing-ping is one of the most successful and influential cinematographers working in Asian cinema. (Courtesy of Fisher Yu Jing-ping)
Arts

Woman cinematographers are few but powerful in Hong Kong

Calls grow for more females in male-dominated sector of regional film industry

3 September 2023
Akiko Sasaki at work: A former TV anchor and roving reporter, she is now one of Japan's foremost benshi narrators for silent films. (Courtesy of Akiko Sasaki)
26 August 2023
The 24 Chinese characters that Yique and his classmates painted on a wall along Brick Lane sparked online abuse of the artist and drew wide media coverage. (Courtesy of Yiqueart)
Arts

Chinese slogans on London wall hold mirror to society: artist

Zhejiang-born Yique tries to find his place in UK after Brick Lane work

25 August 2023
Works by Indonesian artist Ari Bayuaji using upcycled trash collected from the ocean are displayed at the Kennedy Center in Washington. (Courtesy of Ari Bayuaji)
Arts

Indonesian artist transforms marine trash into art

Ari Bayuaji's invented fabric made from fishing junk makes a global connection

24 August 2023
Street performers show their colors at the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The number and variety of Asian shows at the festival has expanded significantly in recent years. (© Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society)
Arts

Asian acts triumph at Edinburgh Fringe

Laughter transcends cultural differences in Scottish arts festival

22 August 2023
In "December," Kana, played by Ryo Matsuura, faces retrial for the murder of a classmate when she was in high school. (Courtesy of 2022 December Production Committee)
Arts

An Indian director's take on Japan's courtroom reality

Anshul Chauhan's 'December' portrays flaws of people and society

20 August 2023
"When the Sky Blooms with Sakura." (Photo by Kenryu Gu, courtesy of Cai Studio) 
Arts

Artist Cai Guo-Qiang commemorates 2011 Fukushima disaster

Creation uses grand fireworks to remember victims and his own time in area

15 August 2023
"Lace and Khmer Silk Skirt": Sok Phorn received these as gifts from her husband when he proposed to her in a refugee camp. The lace was torn but she uses it as a tablecloth. (All photos by Kim Hak)
Arts

Capturing memories of the Khmer Rouge

Stories of Cambodian refugees who fled horror are unraveled from their belongings

13 August 2023
Nineone, a popular Chinese rapper, performing at a music festival on the outskirts of Beijing on July 9. (Photo by Shunsuke Tabeta)
Media & Entertainment

Young Chinese flock to music festivals, giving tourism a boost

Local rapper Nineone, Taiwanese singer Jay Chou thrill COVID-weary crowds

12 August 2023
Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki and a poster for his latest film, "The Boy and the Heron." (Nikkei montage/Source photos by 2023 Studio Ghibli, Getty Images)
Arts

Hayao Miyazaki's farewell film may be his most personal

'The Boy and the Heron' draws on Studio Ghibli legend's wartime childhood

11 August 2023
According to its website, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has a total of eight bronzes from Thailand’s so-called Prakhon Chai hoard in its collection, some of which rank “among the most important Southeast Asian bronzes of their age.” (Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Arts

Art crime investigators close in on stolen Thai antiquities

Intrigue surrounds struggle with Western museums over return of smuggled Prakhon Chai statues

10 August 2023
Kimonos owned by Queen frontman Freddy Mercury hang from the ceiling at Sotheby's, while outfits he wore onstage are displayed below. The items are included in a monthlong exhibition and auction titled "Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own." (Courtesy of Sotheby’s)
Arts

Freddie Mercury's love for Japan unveiled in Sotheby's auction

Queen frontman's belongings, including vast Japanese collection, up for sale

8 August 2023
Central Australian artist Rhoda Carroll demonstrates her art-making process at the National Indigenous Art Fair in Sydney in July. (Photo by Geoff Hiscock)
Arts

Collectors fuel boom in Australian Indigenous art

Fakes are emerging as a growing problem amid surging prices

6 August 2023
Models show off Lan Huong's modern twist on Vietnamese fashion in London's swanky Mayfair district. (Photo courtesy of the Embassy of Vietnam in London)
Arts

Vietnamese designer takes traditional dress to the world

Lan Huong makes international splash with sustainability as central goal

5 August 2023
Margot Robbie stars in "Barbie," which has reached over $29 million at the box office in China. 
Media & Entertainment

In China, 'Barbie' moves women to tears, 'triggers' men to walk out

Greta Gerwig's blockbuster film resonates as gender issue gains traction

4 August 2023
Marcus Lim of Penang's Ombak Potehi troupe operates a puppet used in a joint performance with Japanese group Team ITO. (Courtesy of Yew Kok Hong)
Arts

Pioneering puppeteers revamp 'Journey to the West'

Japanese-Malaysian production rewrites the script in unique adaptation of Chinese classic

25 July 2023
Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to attend Taylor Swift's concerts in Singapore next March.
Arts

Taylor Swift fever spotlights Singapore as Southeast Asia music hub

Fans from across region flock to city-state for shows by big-name artists

16 July 2023