Asia

The sacred deer that have been a fixture of the ancient Japanese capital of Nara for centuries are beginning to wander far from the city’s famous park, where they have been fed and adored by millions of tourists and locals over the years. A male deer was recently spotted in the Zengenji district of Osaka, around 40km (25 miles) from its normal habitat and 3km from the city’s bustling main station. The appearance of wild deer in one of the most urban areas in Japan has attracted crowds of curious...

A state-sponsored forced labour programme which has escalated in recent years has generated up to US$500 million annually for North Korea, according to a report by a global rights group. It also warned that workers are trapped in “brutal” conditions where they are subjected to “control, abuse and coercion”. Containing first-hand testimonies of North Koreans exploited in the programme, the report published on Wednesday by Global Rights Compliance – an international human rights foundation – noted...

Gulf exporters are scrambling to bypass the Strait of Hormuz after Iran choked off most of the maritime traffic in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rushed to divert exports through overland pipelines; officials warned that even naval escorts could not guarantee safe passage. About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade passed through this narrow waterway. The immediate shock was felt in the Gulf. The strategic...

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will arrive in Hong Kong on Thursday for a three-day visit, meeting the city’s leader, politicians and businesspeople, and will also examine key sites in the Northern Metropolis megaproject to explore collaboration opportunities. It will be Wong’s first official visit to Hong Kong since he assumed office as Singapore’s fourth prime minister in May 2024. The visit will follow Wong’s attendance at the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference in Hainan...

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday Islamabad was prepared to host negotiations to stop the US-Israel war with Iran, after mounting speculation it could act as a mediator. “Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the WAR in Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he wrote on X. “Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and...

Malaysian users are among victims targeted by a newly uncovered iPhone spyware operation that researchers say was used by multiple threat actors across countries, in a sign that sophisticated mobile-hacking tools are spreading through a murkier commercial and criminal ecosystem. The spyware, known as DarkSword, was observed targeting entities in Malaysia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and was uncovered by investigators shortly after they exposed another exploit kit, Coruna, linked to the...

The Japanese government said it will start releasing 30 days’ worth of state-held oil from Thursday to cushion the impact on the economy as concerns over supply mount and oil prices soar amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran. On Tuesday, the industry ministry announced that the government plans to sell a total of about 8.5 million kilolitres of oil from 11 storage bases across the country, following the private sector’s release of 15 days’ worth of oil stockpiles last week. According to the...

Philippine ⁠President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on ⁠Tuesday declared a state of national energy emergency in response to the Middle East conflict and what he called an “imminent danger” posed to the country’s energy supply. Marcos ‌Jnr said a committee has been formed to ensure the orderly movement, supply, distribution and availability of fuel, food, medicines, agricultural products and other essential goods. In an executive order shared with media, Marcos Jnr said the conflict had created...

Vietnam is among Southeast Asian countries most hard-hit by the global energy crisis, with Hanoi’s bid to forge deals with Russia this week laying bare its urgency to stem the bleed that may threaten its objective of double-digit economic growth. Observers also say the fallout in fuel supply caused by the Iran war could even chip away at the legitimacy of Hanoi’s new leadership. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Russia this week reportedly saw the signing of several...

People’s Daily, a mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party, has warned Japan that higher military spending and what the newspaper called a looming “defence bubble” will not save an economy weakened by the falling yen and Iran war energy crisis, amid a protracted diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo. In a Tuesday commentary published under the “Zhong Sheng” pen name – a pseudonym used to voice Beijing’s position on global affairs – the paper said the administration of Japanese Prime...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is facing accusations of diplomatic sycophancy after White House footage showed her giggling at a portrait of an autopen – placed by US President Donald Trump in the spot reserved for his predecessor Joe Biden – during summit talks last week. The clip, posted on the official White House website, shows Takaichi pointing at the framed picture, then laughing and covering her mouth. It was filmed on the “Presidential Walk of Fame”, a gallery unveiled by Trump...

Singapore authorities warned on Tuesday that involvement in organisations linked to the Israeli military, such as Sar-El, would not be acceptable under current conditions and could attract action under the law. In a joint media release, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Defence (Mindef) noted that Sar-El’s website states that it is “deeply committed to supporting the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces)”, and its volunteers “work side-by-side with soldiers on IDF bases”. “Being involved...

He accused the United States of “state terror”. He vowed North Korea would never surrender its nuclear weapons. And yet Kim Jong-un’s address to the Supreme People’s Assembly contained one notable omission: any direct attack on Donald Trump. That absence was an attempt to leave the door to diplomacy ajar, analysts said, even as North Korea’s supreme leader slammed it shut on the notion that his nuclear-armed nation could be pressured, coerced or subdued like other US adversaries. “The United...

The Philippines says grounding planes due to a shortage of jet fuel brought on by the war in Iran is a “distinct possibility”, according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. “Several countries have already told our airlines they cannot fuel their aircraft, so they have to carry fuel there and back,” Marcos said in an interview on Tuesday. “Long haul is going to be a much more serious problem.” Asked whether, inevitably, planes may have to be grounded, Marcos said, “We’re hoping not, but it’s a...

Two years ago, Vina Arazas found her dog’s lifeless body in a sack. The man responsible for beating her golden retriever Killua to death was made to pay a fine of just 1,000 pesos (US$17) – despite his crime being caught on camera and widely shared on social media. Now, a coalition of animal welfare groups in the Philippines is rallying behind two new bills that would place dedicated animal protection officers in every police station and create a national oversight body for such cruelty...

Malaysia has vowed to crack down on fuel subsidy abuse after a viral video showed a woman illicitly buying 71 litres (18 gallons) of RON95 petrol in a single transaction, as regional supply concerns persist amid US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The finance ministry said late on Monday that investigators identified the customer as a Malaysian citizen. Both the identity card used in the purchase and the vehicle owner will be blocked from the inflation-easing fuel subsidy scheme. This programme allows...

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Why Philippines struggles to tap its US$1 trillion mineral wealth As the Philippines forms partnerships with several countries to harness its potentially huge wealth of critical minerals, analysts have called for a coherent road map to develop the country’s mining...

The man and woman who allegedly engaged in an indecent act at a Malaysian cemetery in Penang have been arrested and remanded for three days until Thursday. Penang police chief Commissioner Azizee Ismail said the couple, in their 30s and 50s, were picked up on Monday night. “We detained the couple in the George Town area. Initial checks found that they are not husband and wife,” he told the media on Tuesday before the couple was produced in court for a remand order. Azizee said the case is being...

In New Zealand, Keisha Constantino likes to start her morning at a leisurely pace. She wakes up at 7am and takes time to get ready, reading a book or making matcha before heading to work as a teaching assistant and doctoral researcher at the University of Auckland. While at work, the 32-year-old Filipino balances her time between researching, writing and grading coursework, after which she heads to the university gym to exercise before heading home. “My evenings are sacred. I don’t take home any...

In earthquake-prone Japan, 20 seconds could make a difference in minimising loss of life among train passengers who experience traumatic shaking during a major seismic event. The operator of the Shinkansen line between Osaka and Fukuoka in southern Japan is upgrading its earthquake early warning system to give trains operating at speeds of up to 300km/h (186mph) an additional 20 seconds to slow down and avert catastrophe in an area that experts warn could be hit by a megaquake at any moment. In...

When the late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe gave his landmark speech in the Indian parliament in August 2007 referring to the “confluence of the two seas”, he gave birth to the concept of the Indo-Pacific as a strategic space connecting East and South Asia. But the latest conflict in the Middle East illustrates how South Asia’s interconnectedness increasingly lies to its west. Some of these connections are deeply rooted in history: South Asia is home to the world’s largest Muslim population...

As the Iran war fuels global fears of stagflation, a debate is intensifying over whether the crisis poses an immediate risk to China’s sources of external demand or a strategic opening for its exporters. Mirroring the supply chain upheavals of the pandemic era, the crisis has prompted new questions about whether China will be able to leverage its industrial base and supply-side resilience if a prolonged conflict further fractures global supply chains. “China’s economy looks strong on the surface...

Daniel Gech looks at prices on a board at a Sokimex petrol station in Phnom Penh and winces. Four weeks into the war in the Middle East, the ripple effects of a faraway conflict are beginning to threaten the Cambodian teenager’s ability to earn and learn. The 16-year-old uses his moped to travel between his home and school, and for his work in the evening. It now costs him an extra US$2 a day to fill up his tank – or US$14 a week – and the price is rising, a significant surge in a country where...

The world faces an energy crisis worse than both 1970s oil shocks combined if the Middle East war drags on, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned on Monday, as Israel launched fresh strikes on Tehran and threatened weeks more fighting. In a stark warning over what lies ahead unless the fighting ends soon, Fatih Birol said the world was losing more oil each day than the combined impact of the two 1970s oil shocks and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This crisis as things stand is...

In a quiet suburb of the Malaysian city of Klang, Farouk* scrolls through his phone, replaying videos of a toddler learning to walk, laugh and reach out to steady himself – milestone moments of a son whom he is forced to love through a screen. “He is now two years old, but I have never held him,” the 26-year-old Rohingya man said. “I have only seen him twice from afar at the gate.” Farouk’s wife gave birth in a Malaysian immigration detention centre a day after the family were arrested in early...

Japan’s top government spokesperson said on Monday that one of two Japanese nationals detained in Iran has safely returned home in good health. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara’s confirmation came one day after Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi announced the person’s release. Motegi, speaking on a Fuji Television talk show on Sunday, said the person had been detained since last year and was released on Wednesday. He said the person took a flight from Azerbaijan. Kihara, at a regular press...

Last week, the energy shock caused by the war in Iran showed signs of becoming a full-blown financial and economic crisis. The attacks on energy infrastructure across the Middle East, coupled with soaring prices of crucial refined petroleum products such as diesel and jet fuel, forced investors to start pricing in a prolonged disruption to supply and a contraction in demand. Even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens sooner than anticipated, the scale of the damage to energy assets in the Persian Gulf...

China has cut exports of two metals used in military technology to Japan while increasing shipments of rare earth magnets, in what could signal a muted warning after geopolitical tensions between the two Asian economies flared last year. Exports of gallium to Japan registered zero volume in the first two months of the year, compared with 8,007kg (17,652 pounds) in the same period of 2025, customs data showed. Germanium exports were also at zero in January and February, compared with 400kg (882...

Washington and its allies are drawing up plans to establish an ammunition production facility in the Philippines, a move critics warn would turn the Southeast Asian nation into a logistics arm of US “warmongering”. The proposal emerged last week from the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience (PIPIR), a US-led initiative founded in 2024 to reduce supply chain vulnerabilities and help allies produce and sustain military equipment closer to potential flashpoints. Members agreed to...

Indonesia’s president, under fire at home for signing up to US counterpart Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, has insisted his country will not pay the US$1 billion joining fee for permanent membership. Jakarta had only committed peacekeeping troops for the initiative, Prabowo Subianto said in a statement published on the presidential YouTube channel Sunday. The “Board of Peace” came together after the Trump administration, teaming up with Qatar and Egypt, negotiated a ceasefire in October to halt...