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June 18th, 2020

KAWAIINOMICS

Japan's new global content wave

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The Big Story

From Netflix shows to Nintendo: the resurgence of Japanese cool

Tech is bringing anime, manga and even wrestling into the global mainstream

Japanese subculture, with its history of oversize global influence, is again powering back into the mainstream. 
"I couldn't accept it," Ahok said of his first days in prison after being convicted of blasphemy charges. "I wanted to run away but I was afraid the prison guards would shoot me."
Business Spotlight

Rage fuels Pertamina's Ahok, Indonesia's most talked about Christian

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama embraces life after prison atop state oil giant

Sony plans a sequel to the action game "Marvel's Spider-Man" for the PS5.
Business trends

Sony PS5 aims to beat cloud gaming to the punch by keeping users

Console and subscription model will combat US game rivals focused on 5G advances

A ByteDance office in Los Angeles: The success of TikTok has made the company one of the most-desired places to work. (Photo courtesy of Bytedance)
China tech

TikTok owner now the hottest tech company among US job seekers

ByteDance draws interest from staff at Facebook, Amazon and Google

The Stanford research team found that thousands of Chinese bots are tweeting about the Hong Kong protests, COVID-19, exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, and Taiwan. 
Technology

Twitter removes over 170,000 accounts linked to Chinese propaganda

Foreign ministry says company should instead purge accounts 'smearing' country

Double-digit rental yields for luxury properties such as The View, a super villa with its own cinema on Bali's Uluwatu Peninsula -- known as billionaires row -- may be a thing of the past. (Photo by Ian Neubauer)
Property

Expats flee Bali as virus crashes Asia's top luxury villa market

Desperate owners offering tenants discounts of up to 85%

Online bullying has become an Asiawide problem that governments' legal arsenals have so far been unable to tame. © Illustration by Hiroko Oshima
Asia Insight

Hana Kimura's death fuels debate over how to stop cyberbullying

'Terrace House' tragedy highlights delicate balance of regulation vs. free speech

An elderly woman walks in Shanghai. China's social security expenditures for fiscal 2020 are set to exceed revenues for the first time since 1998. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

Trade war drains China's social security system

Efforts to lower the corporate burden ended up shrinking the pension pot

Abe's enormous power over personnel appointments has stifled bureaucrats. 
Politics

Abe's arm-twisting of bureaucrats paved way for Avigan blunder

Prime minister sought May approval for a virus treatment, and experts kept his hopes up

Protesters call on Philippine legislators to scrap an anti-terror bill that human rights activists fear will be used to suppress free speech and harass opponents of President Rodrigo Duterte. The rally was held June 4 in Quezon City.
Politics

The Philippines' Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020: Five things to know

Legislation already on Duterte's desk would give the president dramatic powers

Xi Jinping speaks after reviewing the Navy fleet in the South China Sea in April 2018: leadership demands more than brute might.
Opinion

China risks imperial overstretch with post-pandemic aggression

From Hong Kong to Himalayas, Xi Jinping seizes on disarray to expand global influence

The episode belies long-running accusations that the Filipino leader is nothing but a Chinese puppet.
Opinion

Duterte's U-turn on defense pact with US shows China threat

Philippines realizes it needs VFA protection as Beijing takes advantage of COVID-19

Detail of a painting titled "Follow the Orders of the Great Party and Win the Final Victory!” Hand-painted in acrylic on heavyweight paper by North Korean artists, it is based on a propoganda poster. (Courtesy of koryostudio.com)
Arts

North Korean art captures the world's imagination

Paintings offer unique insight into the Hermit Kingdom

Both passports have been a source of trouble and frustration for me. (Photo by Nikki Sun)
Tea Leaves

Two passports, one citizenship

Dual system highlights real dilemma for Hong Kong’s younger generation