Asia - South China Morning Post

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he thinks Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is his “biggest fan” among world leaders.

“Japan’s doing very well,” Trump said at a press conference after a Group of Seven summit concluded in the French spa resort of Evian-les-Bains. “I have to tell you, she thinks I did a great job. You have to call her and ask her. She’s doing a very good job, by the way.”

Trump’s comments came after he was asked whether he had called on other G7 members, including...

Japan’s push to build its own civil aviation sector and stay competitive in the technology race against China could receive a boost from a potential partnership with American aircraft giant Boeing.

The country is already a key Boeing partner, possesses advanced manufacturing technologies and could benefit from a captive domestic market – factors that analysts say make its plan to develop a commercial aircraft viable, as it seeks to rebound from the failed SpaceJet airliner programme.

“It’s what...

US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday attempted to defuse escalating tensions over the recent killing of three Indian sailors by American naval forces off the coast of Oman.

Speaking to the media after their first bilateral meeting in 16 months, Trump said both Washington and New Delhi continue to “work together” on the issue, calling commercial vessel operations “a rough profession”.

“I heard about that,” Trump added, without offering any condolences or...

When Singaporean Joel Tan stood before fellow Harvard Medical School PhD graduates recently, he recalled how the chance to study biology had once seemed unrealistic because he was told his grades were not good enough.

“I often think about how much of my life depended on someone, somewhere, deciding that my past performance did not have to define my future potential,” said Tan, who delivered the student address at the Harvard Medical School-affiliated PhD programmes’ hooding ceremony on May...

A leadership stand-off in the Philippine Senate ended Wednesday with the removal of an ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte as leader of the chamber, which will soon start the impeachment trial of his daughter, incumbent Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio.

With 13 of 24 senators backing him, Sherwin Gatchalian, an ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, was elected Senate president. His rival, Alan Peter Cayetano, a key supporter of Duterte, admitted defeat.

“He’s the leader the Senate needs...

The son of Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was arrested on Wednesday on corruption charges, the anti-bribery commission said, the latest case to target the once all-powerful political clan.

Yoshitha Rajapaksa, 38, is accused of tapping state funds for overseas training during his career as a naval officer.

The Bribery Commission said he was being investigated for having risen through the ranks without the necessary qualifications and going to Britain for government-funded officer...

Fifa has extended an official invitation to a South Korean YouTuber to attend her country’s World Cup match against Mexico on Thursday after she was subjected to a racist gesture during a recent game.

The football governing body said the match, which falls on the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, will be used to deliver a “message of inclusion and respect”.

The UN established the observance in 2021 to tackle what it called the “exponential spread” of hate speech, xenophobia and...

Indonesia’s rupiah rallied from a historic low this week, its stock market surged and a closely watched sovereign wealth fund bond offering was oversubscribed, offering Southeast Asia’s largest economy a reprieve after months of asset pressure.

But economists have warned that the relief may come at a cost as the same forces helping stabilise the rupiah, including higher interest rates and easing external pressure, could deepen financial strain on the country’s shrinking middle class and weigh on...

The US Navy has launched its largest annual humanitarian mission in the Indo-Pacific with a renewed focus on Southeast Asia, in what analysts described as part of Washington’s effort to rebuild confidence and project soft power in a region central to its rivalry with China.

Pacific Partnership 2026, the US Navy’s largest annual maritime humanitarian and civic assistance effort in the Indo-Pacific, began after US personnel departed San Diego on May 27 for a mission-coordinating hub in the...

Illegal cyber activities accounted for around a third of all crimes recorded in some Asian countries, with scams the most widespread and financially damaging, according to a new Interpol report.

The global policing agency’s latest cyber threat assessment cited the increasing dominance of online crimes compared to traditional illicit activity, describing the activities as “persistent, large-scale challenges affecting multiple jurisdictions” linked to the rapid adoption of digital...