Asia - South China Morning Post

Nearly half of Japanese full-time workers in their 20s engage in oshikatsu – a practice that involves devoting time to pop or sports idols, anime characters or hobbies such as collecting model trains – according to a recent recruitment survey.

The findings, released on Friday by Mynavi Corp, indicate that the trend – spanning everything from social media posts to buying merchandise and attending fan events or concerts – has shifted from a niche subculture into the mainstream and could even...

A senior official in Malaysia’s northern state of Kedah has defended the use of Chinese characters on a foundation stone for a tyre plant, after the inscription drew criticism in a country where public displays of Chinese text can become flashpoints over national identity and political loyalty.

The controversy began after photos circulated of a foundation stone bearing Chinese characters at the groundbreaking ceremony for Prinx Tire Malaysia, the local subsidiary of Chinese tyre maker Prinx...

A court in Japan has ordered the Tokyo metropolitan government to pay 39 million yen (US$247,970) in damages to the family of a Nepalese man who died after being excessively restrained by police eight years ago.

Arjun Bahadur Singh was arrested in 2017 on suspicion of carrying a credit card that did not belong to him.

Police later kept the 39-year-old in a detention room, tying a belt and rope around his wrists and knees for about two hours after he became violent, the Mainichi newspaper...

Malaysian rapper Namewee has been criticised by Taiwanese model Sprite Fang for seeking part-time jobs amid ongoing investigations into the death of social media influencer Iris Hsieh, Oriental Daily reported.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Fang, 42, wrote: “You don’t have money, but at least you still have your life. You can keep writing music to generate income. However, Iris had money but is no longer alive to spend it.”

Fang urged Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, to take...

Malaysia’s embattled football association has been plunged deeper into crisis after the government suspended fresh funding over a document-forgery scandal that has embarrassed the football-mad nation.

Football’s governing body, Fifa, has issued fines and player bans and launched criminal complaints after it found the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had cheated by faking documents of seven foreign-born players.

Two of the players scored in a victory over Vietnam in an Asian Cup qualifier...

Miss Mexico was crowned Miss Universe in Thailand on Friday, strutting to victory after the beauty pageant’s host had publicly chastised her, among several dramatic missteps in the run-up to the final stage.

Contestants from Ivory Coast, the Philippines, Thailand and Venezuela also made it to the final round, selected from more than 120 women vying for the title of Miss Universe in a contest considered one of the “big four” of global beauty pageants.

But before Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch was...

Plunder, corruption and bribery charges were recommended against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s cousin for his alleged involvement in a corruption scandal.

The Department of Public Works and Highways sought these charges against former House speaker Martin Romualdez during a filing at the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday.

The same charges were also recommended for resigned lawmaker Zaldy Co, who was formerly head of the House of Representatives’ appropriations committee. Romualdez...

The Philippines’ deepening flood-control corruption scandal has now drawn in one of the country’s most influential religious groups, with a mass mobilisation by members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) church offering a revealing glimpse into the political fault lines reshaping Manila’s crisis.

The two-day gathering, which began on Sunday and drew more than half a million INC members to the capital, was officially framed as a demand for transparency and accountability over billions of pesos...

A Miss Universe contestant who dramatically fell off stage on Wednesday during a preliminary round of the pageant was doing fine and recovering in hospital, the organisation’s leader said.

Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry was walking across the stage when she stepped directly off the elevated surface during Wednesday’s portion of the competition in Bangkok.

Social media videos showed several people rushing to Henry’s aid as soon as she walked off stage, and other clips showed her leaving on a...

Mere days after her election as Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi delivered a policy speech declaring that a major priority was to build a strong and resilient economy. Since then, her administration has ushered in a rapid-fire series of policies to support digital assets, with the goal of countering Japan’s sluggish economic growth.

This shift has introduced a new dynamic in Asia, with Tokyo clearly no longer content to watch Hong Kong become Asia’s premier cryptocurrency hub. Instead,...