SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister has demanded a detailed “explanation” from Seoul over a drone it accused South Korea of flying over its territory, state media reported Sunday (Jan 11). The North alleged on Saturday that the…

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may call an early general election, the head of her party’s coalition partner said on Sunday (Jan 11), after media reported she was considering a February vote. It would be the first time for…

BEIJING: A week in which long-time tensions between neighbours China and Japan ratcheted up economically end politically drew to a close with no sign of improvements Friday (Jan 9) as the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo rebuffed his host nation and…

TOKYO: Japan said Friday (Jan 9) that international trade should be “smooth” after media reports said China was delaying Japanese imports as well as rare-earth exports to Tokyo, as their two-month-old spat escalates. China has ramped up pressure on its…

WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday (Jan 9) announced some US$45 million in aid as it tries to bolster a fragile truce between Thailand and Cambodia. Michael DeSombre, the top State Department official for East Asia, was visiting Thailand and Cambodia to…

SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has portrayed himself and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a pair of affectionate penguins in a social media post urging the leader to meet him. Writing on social media platform X,…

North Korea on Thursday displayed apparent progress in the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine, with state media photos showing a largely completed hull, as leader Kim Jong Un condemned rival South Korea’s push to acquire the technology. North Korea’s official Korean…

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) — U.S. President Donald Trump will leave late Friday for his first trip to Asia of his second term, during which he will visit Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, and hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the…

Respected figure: Margaret Thatcher. Personal goal: To become Japan’s Iron Lady. It was only after two failed attempts that Sanae Takaichi finally achieved her long-held ambition. In a historic parliamentary vote on 21 October, the 64-year-old was elected Japan’s first…

North Korea showed off a new hypersonic glide vehicle and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) at a military parade late Friday, as it marked 80 years of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea. The Hwasong-11Ma hypersonic weapon and the Hwasong-20 ICBM,…