Politics

A kindergarten in Japan: The country's birthrate has hit a 12-year low. (Photo by Kotaro Igarashi)
Society

Japan's steepening birthrate decline defies policy support

Coronavirus risks worse rich-nation dilemma from South Korea to France

6 June 2020
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, center, is having to pick sides to some extent between the U.S. and China. (Source photo by AP/Reuters) 
International relations

South Korea faces dilemma over Trump's G-7 summit invitation

Attending would boost Seoul's global clout but risks angering China

4 June 2020
Plaintiffs cheer in Seoul after receiving a favorable decision regarding compensation from South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018. (Photo by Yosuke Onchi) 
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korea sets for August sale of Japan assets over war labor

Court ruling triggers Tokyo, which warns of a 'serious situation'

4 June 2020
Temperature screening at Singapore's Changi Airport before the ban on short-term visits: The city-state is working to set up safe travel links with multiple countries.
Coronavirus

Singapore and China set strict rules for airtight 'travel bubble'

Business flyers will need visas, virus tests, contact tracing apps and more

3 June 2020
U.S. President Donald Trump described the group as “outdated” while talking to reporters aboard Air Force One on May 30.
International relations

Trump's G-7 expansion falls flat on reluctance to exclude China

Moscow uneager to alienate Beijing; members cool on Russia re-entry

3 June 2020
Workers toil on the Kunming-Vientiane Railway in Yuxi, southwest China's Yunnan Province, as Laos prepares to sell a U.S. dollar bond amid a looming repayment crisis.
Coronavirus

Laos' debt woes worsen as bills for China-funded dams loom

Coronavirus rattles first US dollar bond, adding pressure to weakened economy

1 June 2020
Lee Yong-soo, a South Korean who worked at a military brothel during World War II, touches a statue of a girl representing the "comfort women" during an unveiling in Seoul last August.
Politics

Comfort women scandal shakes South Korean politics and society

Victim claims incoming lawmaker treated women like 'bears doing tricks'

29 May 2020
South Korea had eased restrictions on business and daily life early this month after a dramatic decline in cases.
Coronavirus

Seoul returns to strict distancing as coronavirus cases spike

South Korean capital sees highest infection tally in three weeks

29 May 2020
Lee Choon-shik, center, was among those forced into wartime labor during Japan's colonial period.
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korea drops bill addressing wartime labor dispute with Japan

Victim compensation legislation seen as a compromise fails to move forward

21 May 2020
Lawmakers of Japan's ruling party had pressed for more reference to Taiwan in the diplomatic bluebook. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
20 May 2020
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a telephone conference May 13. (Photos by Reuters, Kyodo)
International relations

Xi eyes South Korea as possible first post-pandemic trip in 2020

Beijing extends olive branch amid tensions with Washington

14 May 2020
Busan is South Korea's second largest city in terms of both population and economic activity. Despite government efforts to support industry, the city has recorded tepid growth in recent years.
Economy

Boxes, barrels and problems pile up at South Korea's biggest port

Busan's economy was struggling even before the coronavirus outbreak

12 May 2020
The Beijing Capital International Airport may start receiving more travelers if the Chinese government can seal agreements with more countries a fast-track procedure for business travelers.
Economy

China proposes fast-track entry for Japanese business travelers

Arrangement lets in fliers who test negative for COVID-19

12 May 2020
Vietnam is bullish to achieve over 5% GDP growth in 2020. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the Special ASEAN summit on COVID-19 in Hanoi in April.
Economy

Vietnam vows 5% growth in post-outbreak foreign investment pitch

Prime minister calls on South Korea, Japan, US and Europe at business conference

11 May 2020
Shanghai Disneyland will reopen this week since it closed on January 25 amid China's coronavirus lockdown. 
Your Week in Asia

Shanghai Disney, Sony results and Bitcoin 'halving'

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political news

10 May 2020
Passengers wait at the domestic flight terminal of Gimpo airport in Seoul on April 29. Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines were restoring flights between Seoul and Jeju Island to pre-coronavirus levels over the Golden Week holidays.
Coronavirus

South Korea wary of coronavirus relapse as life returns to normal

Golden Week holidays offer tourism industry relief but worry authorities

7 May 2020
North Korean citizens seen wearing masks in front of Pyongyang Station on April 1.
N Korea at crossroads

Seoul says there is panic buying in North Korea

Kim Jong Un conducts duties, but economy under pressure

7 May 2020
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the completion of a fertilizer plant in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on May 2. (KCNA via Reuters)
International relations

Kim Jong Un intelligence shared with Seoul and Tokyo: US official

Washington looks forward to sitting down with North Korea, Marc Knapper says

6 May 2020
Kim Yo Jong, right, helps Kim Jong Un sign a joint statement in Pyongyang in September 2018: North Korean leader's younger sister could be handed over power in the event of an emergency.
Opinion

Change of leadership in North Korea threatens economic trouble for all

If Kim Jong Un dies, US and China competition for influence will heat up

30 April 2020
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has been granted sweeping powers that extend to controlling information on the epidemic.
Opinion

Authoritarians are using coronavirus for power grabs in Southeast Asia

From Philippines to Cambodia, politicians take powers and cash to fight pandemic

27 April 2020
The electoral win by South Korean President Moon Jae-in's Democratic Party of Korea allows him to pursue progressive economic policies. But he must balance those with the need to keep big business healthy.
South Korea election

Moon torn between vow to rein in chaebol and sustaining economy

South Korea's president ran against conglomerates now facing cash crunch

22 April 2020
The ruling Democratic Party's supporters wave their hands during a campaign in Seoul on Apr. 14: the landslide victory represents a long-term burden for South Korea's democracy.
Opinion

Three reasons for Moon's landslide in South Korea's elections

Political middle ground has shifted since last president's impeachment

21 April 2020
Health workers sterilizing the streets of the South Korean city of Daegu in February. 
Coronavirus

Seoul and Taipei show the world how to contain pandemics

Decisive action, speed and penalties stand in contrast to Japan's red tape

21 April 2020
A South Korean patient affected with the coronavirus disease arrives to cast her ballot for the parliamentary election at a polling station set up at a quarantine center in Yongin, South Korea on April 11.
Coronavirus

South Korea to adopt wristbands for quarantine violators

Move meant to help track virus, but critics worry about human rights violations

20 April 2020
The Moon administration will not actively try to improve relations with Japan, nor will it try to make waves.
South Korea election

Tokyo-Seoul relations at mercy of 2021 South Korea power struggle

Moon not likely to change Japan policy after victory, but problems lie ahead

18 April 2020