42 m. ago WeChat Pay records fourfold rise in mainland tourist taxi payments in Hong Kong

WeChat Pay Hong Kong has recorded a fourfold increase in mainland Chinese tourist payments for taxi services in the city from last year and growing usage among locals and visitors alike, according to parent company Tencent. Vice-President of Tencent Financial Technology Daniel Hong Danyi said on Thursday that the number of transactions from mainland tourists paying for taxi fares through WeChat Pay had seen a fourfold increase year on year. “We saw that previously, many mainland tourists coming...

Economics

2 h. ago Japan Says Chinese Fighter Jet Flew Too Close to Its Military Plane

Japan Says Chinese Fighter Jet Flew Too Close to Its Military Plane  The New York Times

Events

3 h. ago Japan ‘selfie grandma’, Kimiko Nishimoto, dies at 97, famous for quirky photos

A woman known as Japan’s selfie grandma who redefined ageing with her quirky self-portraits, has died, aged 97. Despite taking up photography late in life, nonagenarian Kimiko Nishimoto started learning the skill at the age of 72. She showed an uncanny ability to entertain and delight with her images. She held her first solo exhibition in 2011 and published her first book of photos in 2016. After joining social media in 2018, she quickly gained more than 400,000 followers. Nishimoto was born in...

Events

3 h. ago ‘Overflowing with faeces, urine’: 150 dead cats found in Japanese woman’s home

A volunteer at an animal welfare group in Japan has been arrested after about 150 dead cats were discovered at her home in Kumamoto city. Police and animal rescue volunteers found the bodies, some in an advanced stage of decomposition, on Tuesday after they entered the woman’s home to investigate a pet owner’s complaint to the animal welfare group on May 27. The complainant said she had handed over four of her late mother’s pet cats to the suspect, who had promised her regular updates and...

Events

4 h. ago Hong Kong Airlines cuts Japan routes over sluggish tourism and tremor concerns

Hong Kong Airlines is set to cancel flights to Kagoshima and Kumamoto in Japan in July and August, citing sluggish demand for tourism in the country, while flight schedules between the city and Nagoya will also be adjusted. The carrier announced the flight adjustments on Thursday amid growing concerns about a long-feared megaquake predicted to hit Japan. The airline said affected passengers could rebook to other destinations, including other cities in Japan and mainland China, as well as Taipei,...

Society

4 h. ago Hong Kong flights to 2 Japanese cities cut over sluggish tourism and quake fears

Hong Kong Airlines is set to cancel flights to Kagoshima and Kumamoto in Japan in July and August, citing sluggish demand for tourism in the country, while flight schedules between the city and Nagoya will also be adjusted. The carrier announced the flight adjustments on Thursday amid growing concerns about a long-feared megaquake predicted to hit Japan. The airline said affected passengers could rebook for other destinations, including other cities in Japan and mainland China, as well as...

Politics

11 h. ago Japan weighs tightening rules on visa popular among Chinese nationals

Japan is considering increasing the minimum investment threshold for its business manager visa in a bid to make it harder for foreigners to obtain residence status and launch commercial operations in the country, as the scheme becomes increasingly popular with Chinese nationals. The visa, which offers relatively accessible entry for foreign entrepreneurs, permits stays of up to five years for those who either invest 5 million yen (US$34,711) or hire two full-time employees while maintaining an...

Politics

13 h. ago US venture capital firm to unload stakes in 40 Chinese tech start

Shares of a few dozen China-based start-ups may be up for grabs as their investor, US venture-capital firm Eight Roads, plans to exit its Chinese technology holdings. The move, reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday, comes as geopolitical tensions and a sluggish Chinese economy prompt some global investors to retreat. Domestic and government-backed funds and financing products would increasingly drive start-up funding in the world’s second-largest economy, analysts said. Fidelity Ventures-backed Eight...

Politics

15 h. ago Beijing’s ties with Moscow and Kyiv should be leveraged for peace

The International Organisation for Mediation launched in Hong Kong late last month, counting 32 countries as founding signatories. An institution designed to supplement and actualise Article 33 of the United Nations Charter is something the world increasingly needs as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drags into its fourth year. Recent peace talks in Istanbul produced no appreciable progress, while swings on the battlefield have long since given way to a grinding impasse. Neither side appears capable...

Politics

26 h. ago Japan eyes 80% cut in 298,000 death toll for potential Nankai monster quake

Japan is seeking to reduce by 80 per cent in the next decade its estimated 298,000 death toll from a potential megaquake in the Nankai Trough. Authorities also intend to halve the maximum number of buildings expected to be completely destroyed in such a disaster from the current projection of 2.35 million. The targets align with a 2104 basic blueprint but will also take into account the latest damage estimates released in March, according to the Kyodo news agency. A revised plan for emergency...

Events

26 h. ago DJI launches US$10,000 enterprise drone that can avoid power lines at night

DJI, the world’s biggest maker of consumer drones, this week launched a US$10,000 enterprise flagship model, the Matrice 400, with extended flight time and an obstacle-sensing system to avoid buildings, mountains and high-voltage power lines at night. The new enterprise drone offers a 59-minute flight time, a payload capacity of up to 6kg, and a powerful lidar and mmWave radar-based obstacle-sensing system that makes this a versatile drone for applications such as emergency air response, power...

Events

27 h. ago China’s military says Japan ‘breaching pacifist constitution’ with missile tests

China’s military has accused Japan of undermining regional security after it tested new long-range anti-ship and hypersonic missiles. A commentary published by the military mouthpiece People’s Liberation Army Daily on Wednesday said that the extended range of missiles would be “a real deterrent to multiple surrounding areas”. It also argued that the increased ability to strike long-range targets was “breaking the restrictions of the pacifist constitution that the Japanese Self-Defence Forces...

Events

27 h. ago Indonesia’s green groups welcome move to axe mining permits in Raja Ampat

Indonesia’s green groups and Papuan residents have welcomed President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to revoke almost all nickel-mining permits in the country’s biodiversity gem of the Raja Ampat Islands, but urged authorities to protect other small and outlying areas from damage brought by such activities. Raja Ampat, an archipelagic region in Southwest Papua, has been dubbed the “last paradise on Earth” due to its extremely rich terrestrial and marine biodiversity, which includes 540 species of...

Politics

28 h. ago Hong Kong environment chief rejects relaxed quarantine rules for imported pets

Hong Kong’s environment chief has ruled out flexible quarantine arrangements, including at home, for imported cats and dogs, but will consider extending hours and increasing the number of checkpoints for pet transport from mainland China. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan told a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday that existing quarantine facilities are sufficient for imported pets, adding that the government would not consider altering the quarantine method for now due to...

Politics

30 h. ago China and Japan must beat mutual hostility while also handling tariffs: envoy

China and Japan must work hard to improve public opinion towards each other, Japan’s top envoy in Beijing said, as the Asian neighbours move to stabilise ties amid shared concerns about tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. “The most difficult aspect of current Japan-China relations is the sentiment between the two peoples and, very unfortunately, there are still some negative perceptions that linger in Japan regarding China, and vice versa in the Chinese society regarding Japan,” said...

Politics

30 h. ago Japan’s Osaka Expo water shows suspended as Legionella levels top safety limit

Legionella bacteria 50 times above safe levels have been detected at Japan’s Expo 2025 in Osaka, the latest in a string of problems plaguing the event since its opening in mid-April. On Monday, the expo organisers announced that the popular daily fountain shows and a shallow pool area had been temporarily cancelled for deep cleaning due to bacterial contamination. The aquatic show at the Water Plaza has been suspended since June 4, when Legionella bacteria of up to 20 times the legal limit were...

Politics

30 h. ago How Indonesian fintech firm is bridging funding gaps for women entrepreneurs

Across Indonesia’s vast archipelago, millions of women running small businesses in rural areas remain locked out of traditional banking – a gap increasingly filled by fintech firms offering microloans as economic pressures mount. One of the most prominent players in this space is Amartha, a Jakarta-based lending platform that connects borrowers in remote communities with financial institutions. Founded in 2010, it now counts about 3 million active borrowers – 99 per cent of them women operating...

Economics

35 h. ago Man in Japan arrested over suspected attempt to repeat 1987 attack on reporters

Police in Japan have arrested a man over a parcel containing threats sent to a news outlet in a suspected copycat attempt of the most serious attack on the media in the country’s modern history. Kazuhiro Muto, 38, was arrested at his home in the city of Fuji, Shizuoka prefecture, on June 3, a month after a parcel allegedly from him was delivered to an office of the Asahi Shimbun in Nishinomiya, the newspaper reported. The parcel arrived just after the anniversary of the May 3, 1987 attack in the...

Events

37 h. ago Japanese debate over US immigration raid protests and influx of foreigners

US President Donald Trump’s deployment of thousands of military personnel to Los Angeles in response to protesters rallying against his administration’s immigration raids has split public opinion in Japan, where debates have escalated in recent years over an influx of foreigners into the country. The protests in Los Angeles – now in their third day – have prompted Trump to order around 4,000 National Guard personnel and 700 Marines to the city. Clashes between both sides have led to rubber...

Events

37 h. ago In Japan, LA protests are dividing people as much as in the US. Here’s why

US President Donald Trump’s deployment of thousands of military personnel to Los Angeles in response to protesters rallying against his administration’s immigration raids has split public opinion in Japan, where debates have escalated in recent years over an influx of foreigners into the country. The protests in Los Angeles – now in their third day – have prompted Trump to order around 4,000 National Guard personnel and 700 Marines to the city. Clashes between both sides have led to rubber...

Events