80 m. ago Opinion | Why China should stop worrying and embrace ‘Japanification’

Opinion | Why China should stop worrying and embrace ‘Japanification’  South China Morning Post

Politics

6 h. ago Feature: Beijing street race marks new milestone in China's motorsport journey

Feature: Beijing street race marks new milestone in China's motorsport journey  Xinhua

Sport

8 h. ago Japan Post stops forcing delivery staff to ride bicycles as punishment

Japan Post has scrapped a controversial practice of forcing delivery workers involved in minor accidents to complete their rounds by bicycle – even in extreme heat – after admitting the measure “could be perceived” as workplace harassment. The decision followed an internal investigation into an incident involving a delivery worker who was instructed to continue his rounds by bicycle for two weeks during a summer heatwave, despite daytime temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees...

Politics

9 h. ago China's Innovent signs $11.4 billion cancer therapy deal with Japan's Takeda

China's Innovent signs $11.4 billion cancer therapy deal with Japan's Takeda  Reuters

Economics

13 h. ago A Difficult, Necessary Response to China: Curb the National Environmental Policy Act

A Difficult, Necessary Response to China: Curb the National Environmental Policy Act  American Enterprise Institute

Events

16 h. ago Why China Is Worried About Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s New Prime Minister

Why China Is Worried About Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s New Prime Minister  Forbes

Politics

20 h. ago Policy Updates: China skips U.S. soybeans in September for the first time since 2018

Policy Updates: China skips U.S. soybeans in September for the first time since 2018  Pro Farmer

Events

22 h. ago ‘Stealth husband’: Japan PM Takaichi’s spouse shuns the spotlight

Taku Yamamoto, husband of Japan’s first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, said he hopes to support his wife as a “stealth husband”, adding, “Unlike in the West, it is better for the partner to stay out of the spotlight here.” A former fellow Liberal Democratic Party member in the House of Representatives, Yamamoto said he was initially “drawn to the contrast” between Takaichi’s tough exterior and her femininity. The couple, who married in 2004, divorced in 2017 over political differences but...

Events

22 h. ago A ‘Pacific eyes’ intelligence body would offset China’s growing presence: report

Australia should lead the creation of a formal Five Eyes-style intelligence club in the Pacific amid the alleged threat of China’s growing presence in the region, a prominent foreign policy think tank suggests. Dubbed “Pacific Eyes”, the proposed intelligence-sharing alliance could help plug institutional gaps that “external powers” – particularly Beijing – were eager to exploit, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute argued in a report released on Tuesday. It recommended that the dedicated framework...

Politics

22 h. ago Call for ‘Pacific Eyes’ intelligence body to offset China’s growing presence

Australia should lead the creation of a formal Five Eyes-style intelligence club in the Pacific amid China’s growing presence in the region, a prominent foreign policy think tank has suggested. Dubbed “Pacific Eyes”, the proposed intelligence-sharing alliance could help to plug institutional gaps that “external powers” – particularly Beijing – were eager to exploit, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said in a report released on Tuesday. It recommended that the dedicated framework initially consist...

Politics

22 h. ago From pledges to policy: Indonesia’s Prabowo marks 1 year in office

As Prabowo Subianto marks his first year as Indonesia’s president, the former general is grappling with the challenge of turning his populist campaign promises into lasting policy. While early initiatives such as free meals for children have drawn praise, concerns over civil liberties, economic sluggishness and foreign policy decisions threaten to overshadow his administration’s achievements. Prabowo, who was sworn in on October 20 last year, campaigned on a platform of ambitious social...

Events

24 h. ago Chipmaker CXMT eyes US$42 billion Shanghai listing, sources say

Chinese memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) plans an initial public offering (IPO) in Shanghai as soon as the first quarter of next year, eyeing a valuation of up to 300 billion yuan ($42.12 billion), according to two sources briefed on the matter. Founded in 2016 with government backing, CXMT leads China’s strategic push to build a foothold in a global DRAM market long dominated by companies from Japan, South Korea and the United States. China’s leading manufacturer of dynamic...

Economics

27 h. ago 4 smugglers arrested for bringing gold into Japan from Hong Kong in underwear

Four people have been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle about 8kg of gold worth around 98.7 million yen (US$650,000) from Hong Kong to Japan by concealing gold powder in underwear, sources familiar with the matter revealed on Tuesday. Masamori Nishimura, 34, is believed to have orchestrated the smuggling attempt by instructing three women in their 20s and 30s to wear underwear with concealed gold powder on a flight in July last year, the sources said. The four admitted to the charges,...

Events

28 h. ago Concerned carmakers race to beat China's rare earths deadline

Concerned carmakers race to beat China's rare earths deadline  Reuters

Events

28 h. ago Louvre jewels may be irrecoverable as French police race against time

Crime gangs around Europe were increasingly robbing valuable jewels and gold from cash-needy museums like the Louvre, but while law enforcement often caught thieves, they struggled to recover the priceless goods, police and art experts have said. Only a small pool of criminals would be capable of such a job as Sunday’s audacious robbery in Paris and may already be known to police, the specialists said. But the objects themselves could be quickly broken down into component parts and sold on. “If...

Events

28 h. ago Takaichi becomes Japan’s first female PM, ending political crisis

Japan’s parliament elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister on Tuesday after her governing party secured a crucial coalition partner. Takaichi, 64, replaced Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tuesday’s parliamentary vote, ending Japan’s three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the coalition’s loss in the July parliamentary election. The moderate centrist Komeito party had split from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after a 26-year-long...

Politics

29 h. ago The UK Shouldn’t Be Conducting Foreign Policy in the Shadows

The UK Shouldn’t Be Conducting Foreign Policy in the Shadows  Bloomberg

Events

32 h. ago Is Japan making tourism more expensive to deter unruly visitors?

Japan’s proposed increase in visa fees and departure tax is an attempt to balance between dealing with overtourism and deterring misbehaving visitors at “the bottom of the pyramid”, according to industry observers. The government believes the present fees for visas and departure taxes are low in comparison with international standards, with the Asahi newspaper reporting that the additional funds would be used on improving tourism infrastructure and the education sector. If implemented, the...

Politics

35 h. ago China AI plan offers hope for robot companions and kids by 2035

When the Chinese government launched the “AI+” initiative in August, it was widely perceived as a new economic stimulus. However, observers may have underestimated Beijing’s true ambition. On October 10, senior officials and experts published a series of analyses in the official journal E-Government, offering the public its first comprehensive look at the initiative’s deeper strategic intent. Far from being merely an economic policy, “AI+” is a decade-long national blueprint designed to propel...

Politics

40 h. ago Beijing Channels $36 Billion Through Policy Banks to Spark Growth

Beijing Channels $36 Billion Through Policy Banks to Spark Growth  Caixin Global

Economics