2 h. ago Shinzo Abe shooter expected to plead guilty, trial begins next week

The trial of a man indicted for killing former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, allegedly due to a grudge against the Unification Church, will begin next week, three years after the shooting shed light on the church’s links to politicians. Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, is expected to plead guilty to the murder of Abe, post-war Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, with his defence team likely to call for leniency, saying his upbringing was marked by “religious abuse”, according to sources close to the...

Events

3 h. ago Poor Japan lorry driver, 60, who was switched at birth is heir to rich family

A poverty-hit Japanese lorry driver who discovered that he was switched at birth from an affluent family sued the hospital involved, which has been ordered to pay him compensation of 38 million yen (US$250,000). The 2013 case has resurfaced online amid the reporting of several recent cases of Chinese children who were abducted at a young age, grew up in poor families and were reunited with their rich parents. In November 2013, a court ruled that the San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo’s Sumida district...

Politics

4 h. ago Thailand Team vs. People’s Republic of China Day Three Results: 2025 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown

Thailand Team vs. People’s Republic of China Day Three Results: 2025 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown  LPGA

Politics

5 h. ago China’s 4th Plenary Session: Beijing Resolved to Prepare for Long

China’s 4th Plenary Session: Beijing Resolved to Prepare for Long-term Confrontation with U.S.  The Japan News

Politics

8 h. ago Japan’s new leader faces diplomatic gauntlet with Trump, China and regional summits

Japan’s new leader faces diplomatic gauntlet with Trump, China and regional summits  WTOP

Politics

10 h. ago Japan café allows customers to serve staff as maids for US$25, attracts many men

A unique café in Japan is charging 4,000 yen (US$25) for customers to experience being a maid by serving members of staff posing as clients. The quirky new trend launched by a creative team dedicated to maid cosplay culture in Japan has attracted much attention from male customers. This spring the group introduced a pop-up concept called the “Cafe Where You Can Become a Maid”. For 4,000 yen, customers can enjoy a 90-minute immersive experience. While the exact number of daily visitors is...

Economics

20 h. ago Historic diamond brooch abandoned by defeated Napoleon to go up for sale

A diamond brooch owned and abandoned by Napoleon Bonaparte after the Battle of Waterloo will go up for auction for the first time. The brooch, made of nearly 100 diamonds, was left behind after the emperor fled Waterloo’s battlefield to return to Paris, and was given to the king of Prussia three days later as part of the trophies his armies took back. The Battle of Waterloo, in 1815, was Napoleon’s final defeat. The brooch will go under the hammer for the first time in Sotheby’s The Royal and...

Culture

21 h. ago Beijing sets October 25 as day to commemorate Taiwan’s restoration

Beijing has formally designated October 25 as the day to commemorate Taiwan’s restoration, as it again asserts its sovereignty over the self-ruled island. The National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the country’s top legislative body, ratified the decision on Friday. State news agency Xinhua reported that commemorative events would be held on Saturday, the 80th anniversary of the surrender of the Japanese forces in Taiwan to the then ruling Kuomintang (KMT). The surrender ended Japan’s...

Politics

24 h. ago China must stay focused on ‘own work’ despite external challenges, Xi says

During the preparatory period for China’s next five-year plan, President Xi Jinping stressed the country needed to stick to its strategy of “focusing on doing its own work” and seizing the initiative amid an uncertain external environment, according to a report by the state-run news agency Xinhua. The comments, which Xi originally made during a symposium in August, were published on Friday, the day after the conclusion of the fourth plenum of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, where...

Politics

25 h. ago ‘Death is a journey’: dying China dad teaches daughter to face fate with courage

A terminally ill father in eastern China has inspired millions online by teaching his daughter to face death with courage and peace. A Shanghai woman known online as Dong Sanbai has shared the story of her 67-year-old father, Dong, who loves music, books and fishing. Born into poverty, Dong worked in a factory as a young man but spent his nights teaching himself Japanese. His determination paid off when he was accepted into the prestigious Shanghai International Studies University. After two...

Events

29 h. ago PM says Japanese ‘uneasy’ over foreigners as ‘deportations’ rumours spread

Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Friday that the country needs foreign workers to address labour shortages due to a declining population but some “rule breaches” had made the public feel “uneasy”. “Some illegal activities and breaches of rules by certain foreigners have created situations where members of the public feel uneasy and perceive unfairness,” Takaichi said in her first policy speech. “While we draw a clear line from xenophobia, the government will respond resolutely...

Politics

29 h. ago Australia Team vs. People's Republic of China Team Day Two Results: 2025 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown

Australia Team vs. People's Republic of China Team Day Two Results: 2025 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown  LPGA

Politics

30 h. ago Plane wreckage removal to take 2 days, probe up to a year: Hong Kong experts

Securing and removing the cargo plane that crashed after veering off its path at Hong Kong’s airport and killing two security workers will take at least two days, while investigations into the accident are expected to last up to a year, aviation experts have said. Louis Szeto Ka-sing, a specialist in vessel design and maintenance, said on Friday that the first step in salvaging the cargo plane was to determine whether the two halves of the aircraft remained partially connected underwater. He...

Politics

32 h. ago Japan wants to cut overwork deaths to zero, but new PM stands in the way

The head of Japan’s largest umbrella group for labour unions on Thursday countered Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s wish to ease restrictions on overtime work, warning that it will go against the recent push for workstyle reforms. “It is unacceptable,” Tomoko Yoshino told a press conference after Takaichi instructed her labour minister to consider relaxing the rules. Before becoming prime minister on Tuesday, Takaichi caused a stir when she vowed to dispense with the phrase “work-life balance”...

Events

34 h. ago Why Japan’s first female PM is winning hearts – even with scandal

Sanae Takaichi has made a strong debut as Japan’s first female prime minister, with early polls showing widespread public confidence in her leadership – despite her decision to appoint several politicians who have been embroiled in scandal. A Yomiuri Shimbun survey released this week found 71 per cent of respondents backed her administration, climbing to 80 per cent among voters aged 18 to 39. That places Takaichi’s debut as the fifth most popular of any new government since 1978 – surpassing...

Politics

36 h. ago Trump to meet Xi in South Korea next Thursday as part of key Asia trip

US President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 30 in South Korea, the White House confirmed. “On Thursday morning local time, President Trump will participate in a bilateral meeting with President Xi of the People’s Republic of China,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing on Thursday. The meeting between the two leaders will take place at the end of a trip by the US president to Asia, which will begin in Malaysia, continue to Japan and...

Politics

38 h. ago China’s rare earth export control regime is blowback from US policy

To justify his threat of a 100 per cent tariff on imports from China, US President Donald Trump framed China’s tightening of its export controls on rare earths as “hostile”. However, Beijing’s expanded rules are a direct and reasonable response to the Trump administration’s relentless campaign of ratcheting up restrictions on Chinese companies and exports. On September 12, just two days before US-China trade talks in Madrid, Spain, the US blacklisted 23 Chinese institutions. On September 25,...

Events

40 h. ago Plug pulled on Chinese firm Gotion’s US plant, days before Trump meets Xi

After years of fiery protests, lawsuits and intense scrutiny over alleged Communist Party ties, the plan for a controversial multibillion-dollar Chinese electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan is officially dead. The setback comes just days before President Xi Jinping will meet US counterpart Donald Trump to talk about fair trade and economic relations in South Korea. On Thursday, the state’s economic arm announced that it had suspended US$175 million in grants for the enterprise after...

Politics

46 h. ago Is the ‘Big One’ coming? Earthquake mania grips Philippines as fears mount

A spate of powerful earthquakes across the Philippines has triggered widespread panic, sparked a flood of misinformation and prompted officials to take decisions that experts warn could undermine long-term disaster readiness. Analysts say the anxious public reaction – from mass hysteria in schools to viral conspiracy theories about “The Big One” – underscores a pressing need for better science communication and coordination between government agencies, especially in a country highly exposed to...

Politics

47 h. ago Southeast Asia: China’s Cyber Incubator and the Looming Day One Threat

Southeast Asia: China’s Cyber Incubator and the Looming Day One Threat  The Diplomat – Asia-Pacific Current Affairs Magazine

Events