With Iran effectively turning the Strait of Hormuz into a toll gate, energy shortages are worsening across Asia. Amid the supply crunch, countries are increasingly turning back to coal for electricity, potentially slowing efforts to tackle climate change.

On this week's Access Asia we look at how Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator to end the war in Iran. The Atlantic Council's Michael Kugelman tells us the conflict spillover risks are particularly acute, adding that Pakistan badly wants to avoid getting dragged into the war.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi travelled to Washington hoping to strengthen ties with the United States. The visit turned into a delicate balancing act amid US President Donald Trump's growing pressure on allies to help the US in the Iran war. Yuka Royer discusses the visit with James Schoff, Senior Director at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA.

Asian nations, including India, are feeling the impact of the ongoing war in Iran. We explore how dependent the region is on West Asia for energy and consider whether New Delhi should position itself as a mediator to help bring the conflict to an end.

The fallout of the US-Israeli war on Iran is reverberating across Asia. China has condemned the attack and the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, but is staying well clear of the conflict itself. Developing Asian economies that rely on remittances face uncertainty as millions of migrant workers are caught in the crossfire. The war is also unsettling Pakistan, which shares a restive border region with Iran. We get expert insights in this edition of Access Asia. 

In this edition of Access Asia, we explore what the recent visit by India's prime minister to Israel means for both sides. Narendra Modi's public embrace of Benjamin Netanyahu may have raised eyebrows at home, but it is part of New Delhi's broader strategic vision. We ask our analyst whether New Delhi has abandoned the Palestinian cause. Plus, we find out whether the rise in South Korea's birth rate is here to stay. 

As France and India kick off the 2026 "Year of Innovation", Access Asia is on the ground in New Delhi, just weeks after landmark free trade agreements were signed with the EU and the United States. 

As plenty of drama plays out on the slopes of the Milano-Cortina Olympics, Malaysian alpine skier Aruwin Salehhuddin is giving it her all as the only athlete representing her country. From the Olympic Village, she shares her excitement and pride with Yuka Royer, and speaks about her dream of spreading winter sports in Southeast Asia. 

From a K-pop drum duet to a feud with China to an extra-early election, Japan's PM Sanae Takaichi has had quite a roller-coaster ride in her first three months in office. Riding on a wave of popularity, the hardline conservative dissolved parliament and called an election nearly three years early in a bid to regain a single-party majority and consolidate her hold on power. We take a closer look at Japan's "iron lady" and her policies since becoming the country's first female leader. 

In a landmark ruling, a Japanese court has ordered North Korea to pay compensations to victims of a mass repatriation programme that ran between 1959 and 1984. More than 93,000 ethnic Koreans and their Japanese spouses were lured by the promise of a "paradise on Earth" with free education, healthcare and guaranteed jobs, only to suffer human rights abuses, poverty and famine. Yuka Royer speaks with Human Rights Watch's Kanae Doi about the significance of the court decision.