Asia - South China Morning Post

A former Japanese mayor who resigned over 99 sexual harassment allegations has been elected as a town councillor, officials said on Monday, sparking anger and shock online.

Hideo Kojima stepped down in March last year after an official investigation accused him of incidents of harassment in the town in central Gifu region, including touching a colleague’s breasts and buttocks.

An official in the town said Kojima had been elected, with the town website showing he came in second among the 10...

A woman accused of killing her two young children and hiding their bodies in suitcases stood trial in New Zealand on Monday, in a case that has transfixed the country since the remains were discovered in 2022.

Lee Hak-yung, 44, appeared at the Auckland High Court. A Korean-born New Zealander, she is accused of killing her children – six-year-old Minu Jo and eight-year-old Yuna Jo – in 2018, shortly after the death of her husband from cancer.

The children’s remains lay undiscovered for years...

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...

As Mount Fuji looms tranquilly over Tokyo’s skyline, city officials are racing to prepare for a disaster that has not struck in more than three centuries – but could happen “at any time”.

For the first time, authorities in Japan’s capital have mapped out exactly how they would evacuate millions if the dormant volcano awakens, in an overhaul of the city’s disaster playbook.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s new volcano disaster prevention plan outlines which roads will be cleared first and...

A 41-year-old woman has been charged with assault in Malaysia after she attempted to embrace the Sultan of Perak last month.

The incident, which took place in front of the Ipoh Town Hall at 8.20am on August 31 during Independence Day celebrations, has prompted scrutiny of security arrangements surrounding Malaysia’s royalty.

Nurhaswani Afni Mohamad Zorki from Kampung Manjoi appeared before Magistrate Mohd Harith Mohd Mazlan on Monday, where she was formally charged under Section 352 of the Penal...

Thailand’s influential former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived back in the country on Monday, his political party said, a day before a Supreme Court verdict that could potentially send the tycoon to prison.

Thaksin left Thailand unannounced on Thursday, prompting frenzied speculation he had fled into exile to avoid possible jail amid a scramble for power. On Friday, the government led by the Pheu Thai party he backs fell after it lost a vote in parliament to a rival party.

“He has...

Mud splattered across gates. Walls daubed with “thief” and “corrupt”. In the Philippines, anger over the misuse of funds set aside for flood control projects has found its target: the properties of contractors accused of siphoning off billions and the offices of government agencies.

After rallying outside the Department of Public Works and Highways and pelting it with waste water-filled balloons and rotten fruit on Thursday, protesters descended on the House of Representatives the day afterwards...

The operators of the shopping centre at the base of Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers faced backlash on Monday after pro-Palestine protesters were forcibly removed by security as they entered the building at the end of a rally.

Malaysia has long taken pride in being Southeast Asia’s most vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, meaning actions taken against those protesting against Israel’s assault on Gaza can quickly whip up public outrage.

Former member of parliament Chua Tian Chang was...

US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned foreign companies to obey US law after immigration officials arrested some 475 individuals including South Korean workers at a Hyundai-LG battery plant being built in the southern state of Georgia.

The arrests were made in a raid by US authorities on Thursday during the largest single-site operation implemented so far under Trump’s nationwide anti-migrant drive.

“Please respect our Nation’s Immigration Laws,” the president posted on social media...

Since seizing power in a coup 4 ½ years ago, Myanmar’s military rulers have had a strained relationship with much of the outside world.

Largely shunned by the West, the generals have even struggled for diplomatic recognition within Asean, which has barred the junta from high-level meetings and blocked it from assuming the rotating chairmanship that it was scheduled to take up next year.

But in China late last month, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing chalked up a victory in his quest for validation,...