5 h. ago Want to relive the Chinese military parade? Try this cuddly missile plushie

A week has passed since China held its Victory Day parade but fans have kept up the national pride momentum by buying missile toys and creating trend videos. Toymakers across Taobao, the country’s biggest e-commerce site, are busy making plush toy versions of the DF-61 and DF-5C domestically made intercontinental ballistic missiles that were unveiled in the September 3 parade. In one shop, a pillow replica of the DF-5C comes in green, brown and white, and in three sizes up to 160cm (61 inches)....

Events

8 h. ago Daughter sues Japan hospital over triple billing for Chinese mum’s treatment

A woman filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against a hospital in Japan that diagnosed and treated her Chinese mother with a brain tumour in 2022, claiming it illegally billed her mother three times the rate applied to uninsured Japanese patients. In the suit filed at the Osaka District Court, the woman is seeking confirmation that she is not liable for around 4.5 million yen (US$30,506) in medical fees charged by the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Centre in Suita, Osaka prefecture. According to...

Economics

11 h. ago Sobering trend: nearly half of young Japanese never drink alcohol, survey shows

Nearly 44 per cent of Japanese in their twenties never drink alcohol and another 16 per cent do so less than once a month, according to a new survey – a generational shift that is rattling Japan’s drinks industry and challenging long-held social norms. The findings, by Tokyo-based marketing consultancy Mery Co, reflect deeper changes in Japanese society, observers say, with pandemic-era habits, rising costs and evolving attitudes about work and well-being reshaping how younger generations...

Politics

13 h. ago Japan winds down Russia outreach as geopolitical rifts eclipse soft power aims

Tokyo will close all six of its government-funded Japan Centre offices in Russia – long tasked with promoting trade, language education and business ties – citing major changes in bilateral relations and the view that their mission has run its course. While Japanese officials framed the move as a functional decision, analysts say it reflects a broader shift in Tokyo’s posture towards Moscow driven by the war in Ukraine, mounting pressure from Western allies and recent police raids on Japanese...

Politics

24 h. ago For EU and China, Beijing parade was a missed chance to build bridges

The recent military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of victory against the Japanese invasion was a stunning display of precision and power. Rows of soldiers moved with robotic synchrony and new weapons systems – hypersonic missiles, stealth aircraft and autonomous drones – rolled past Tiananmen Square, signalling China’s arrival as a military peer to the United States. The presence of leaders from across the Global South, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean...

Politics

34 h. ago Trump tariffs cut into China sales of US firms: AmCham Shanghai survey

Trump tariffs cut into China sales of US firms: AmCham Shanghai survey  Fibre2Fashion

Economics

46 h. ago Survey Finds Beijing’s Grip Deepening Worldwide as North America and the Caribbean Emerge as Vulnerable Fronts

Survey Finds Beijing’s Grip Deepening Worldwide as North America and the Caribbean Emerge as Vulnerable Fronts  The Bureau | Sam Cooper

Politics

48 h. ago Family offices to keep consistent allocations over next year: Goldman survey

Global family offices will remain consistent in their strategic allocations over the next 12 months amid growing concerns over geopolitical risks, though some are willing to increase their exposure to public and private equity, Goldman Sachs said in a survey published on Wednesday. Meena Flynn, co-head of global private wealth management at the US investment bank, said the global average asset allocation remained broadly consistent from 2023 to 2025, though respondents expressed concerns about...

Society

54 h. ago Japan Airlines to fire drunk pilot amid rebuke over flight delays

Japan’s transport ministry on Wednesday reprimanded Japan Airlines and urged it to report back on preventive measures it will take after an incident in which a pilot was unable to fly from Hawaii to Japan after failing a preflight alcohol screening, delaying three flights for hours. The major Japanese air carrier has in recent years faced multiple similar drinking incidents involving its pilots, and it comes after a previous warning given to JAL in December by the Ministry of Land,...

Events

55 h. ago Pressure is getting to US firms in China as they feel weight of tensions: survey

American companies doing business in China are more pessimistic about the next five years than ever before, in the face of rising geopolitical uncertainties, fierce competition and a chronic economic slowdown, according to findings by a prominent business chamber. Only 41 per cent of surveyed American firms expressed optimism about their five-year business outlook in China, or almost half the rate in 2021, according to a report released by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Shanghai on...

Events

55 h. ago ‘It’s hard to succeed’: US firms in China report record pessimism amid tensions

American companies doing business in China are more pessimistic about the next five years than ever before, in the face of rising geopolitical uncertainties, fierce competition and a chronic economic slowdown, according to findings by a prominent business chamber. Only 41 per cent of surveyed American firms expressed optimism about their five-year business outlook in China, or almost half the rate in 2021, according to a report released by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Shanghai on...

Events

61 h. ago Japan’s Ishiba poised to give a speech on WWII. Why is his party so worried?

Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba plans to deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly later this month when he is expected to share his views on the causes of World War II, prompting concerns among conservatives that he may offer a more sweeping apology than any previous Liberal Democratic Party leader. Ishiba announced on Sunday that he would step down, with an election to replace him as party president and prime minister of the nation expected to take place in early...

Events

2 d. ago Tycoon Philip Ng builds Vitasoy stake nearly on par with largest shareholder

Singaporean tycoon Philip Ng Chee Tat has amassed a stake in Vitasoy International that is nearly as large as the company’s biggest shareholder in a series of purchases since October. Via his food and drink firm Yeo Hiap Seng and his family office, Philip Ng, the younger brother of Sino Group chairman Ng Chee Siong, has increased his stake in Vitasoy to 16.03 per cent, or 168 million shares. Winston Lo Yau-lai, Vitasoy’s executive chairman, owns a 16.37 per cent stake in the company. Ng bought...

Politics

3 d. ago Tourists, locals, flock to Attack on Titan Japanese manga exhibition on Day 1

Mainland Chinese tourists and local residents have flocked to a Japanese manga exhibition in Hong Kong featuring a 6.2-metre-tall (20.3 feet) display, with fans splashing out on souvenirs exclusive to the city. The “Attack on Titan Exhibition FINAL ver. Hong Kong” opened at The Twins shopping centre in Kai Tak on Tuesday, featuring more than 200 artwork replicas, animations, and interview clips with creator Hajime Isayama. Attack on Titan has sold more than 140 million copies since it was first...

Events

3 d. ago Will Japan’s new leader bring more pressure to relations with China?

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation after less than a year in the job might not be surprising, but it will add to uncertainty over relations with China. “Now is the time for me to resign as the negotiations on US tariffs have come to an end,” Ishiba said on Sunday, citing a trade deal reached with the United States on Thursday that cuts tariffs on Japanese car imports from 27.5 to 15 per cent. Ishiba’s announcement came a day before his Liberal Democratic Party was to decide...

Politics

4 d. ago Who will be Japan’s next PM? Ruling party grapples with a ‘poisoned chalice’

Less than 24 hours after Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation as prime minister, Japan’s ruling party faces a leadership contest that few seem eager to win and even fewer to survive, as it lays bare internal rivalries. Few within Japanese politics were truly taken aback when Ishiba confirmed his decision to step down as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in a televised address on Sunday evening. On Monday, former LDP secretary general Toshimitsu Motegi became the first to throw his...

Politics

4 d. ago Beijing Sanctions Japanese Lawmaker in First Over China Comments

Beijing Sanctions Japanese Lawmaker in First Over China Comments  Bloomberg

Politics

4 d. ago China sanctions Japanese lawmaker Seki Hei, accusing him of spreading falsehoods

Beijing has sanctioned a conservative, opposition Japanese lawmaker, saying that he spread falsehoods on issues involving Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, undermining Chinese sovereignty. In a rare move, the Chinese foreign ministry announced the sanctions on Monday morning against Seki Hei – known in China as Shi Ping – a 63-year-old China-born political commentator who was elected to the House of Councillors this year on the Japan Innovation Party’s ticket. According to the ministry’s...

Politics

4 d. ago China sanctions Japanese lawmaker Seki Hei, accusing him of spreading fallacies

Beijing has sanctioned a conservative, opposition Japanese lawmaker, saying that he spread falsehoods on issues involving Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, undermining Chinese sovereignty. In a rare move, the Chinese foreign ministry announced the sanctions on Monday morning against Seki Hei – known in China as Shi Ping – a 63-year-old China-born political commentator who was elected to the House of Councillors this year on the Japan Innovation Party’s ticket. According to the ministry’s...

Politics

4 d. ago China sanctions Japanese lawmaker Seki Hei over ‘spreading fallacies’

Beijing has sanctioned a conservative, opposition Japanese lawmaker in a rare move, saying that he spread falsehoods on issues involving Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, undermining Chinese sovereignty. The Chinese foreign ministry announced the sanctions on Monday morning against Seki Hei – known in China as Shi Ping – a 63-year-old China-born political commentator who was elected to the upper house of the Japanese legislature two months ago. According to a statement from the ministry, Seki has...

Politics