Asia - South China Morning Post

Japan’s call to maintain “impeccable” defences on its northern frontier reflects Tokyo’s deepening concern over growing Russian military activity in the region, analysts say.

They also point to rapid north-south troop deployment exercises as preparation against a potential “diversionary operation” around Hokkaido: a scenario in which Russia could open a second front if Japan were already focused on a crisis with China in the south.

During a visit to military bases in Hokkaido on Saturday,...

South Korea’s push to acquire its first nuclear-powered submarines is moving back up President Lee Jae Myung’s defence agenda, but analysts say delayed US consultations, non-proliferation concerns and budget pressures still stand in the way.

Lee on Tuesday urged faster efforts to secure the submarines, describing them as core strategic assets for the country’s future defence capabilities.

“We need to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and drone technologies, while speeding up the...

At 2am, Kim, a 25-year-old office worker, opens a site designed to look like a food delivery app, though he has no plan to order. He chooses menu items, drops them into a cart and simulates the experience of placing an order.

“It somehow feels like I actually ordered something,” he said.

Kim said the habit helps him resist late-night cravings.

“There are many times when I crave food late at night but hold back to save money. It feels like a real delivery app, so I somehow keep looking at it,”...

The collapse of UN talks on the future of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has sharpened concern in Japan that outer space could become the next arena for nuclear and military rivalry.

With Russia accused of developing a nuclear anti-satellite capability, China and Russia advancing weapons that can disable satellites and the US pursuing space-based missile defence systems, some in Tokyo are calling on Japan to take the lead in drawing up new rules for the peaceful use of space.

Analysts say...

When Washington, Beijing and Moscow begin to treat one another as bargaining partners again, northeast Asia feels the pressure. Taiwan, Korea, sanctions, energy routes, nuclear risks and missile defence are no longer separate theatres. They increasingly belong to one strategic conversation between the US, China and Russia.

Northeast Asia itself is already being reorganised through three trilateral structures with different purposes, degrees of institutionalisation and strategic effects. Thus the...

The foreign ministers of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, nations gathered in New Delhi on Tuesday in a coordinated display of unity aimed at reaffirming the bloc’s relevance amid recent shifts in geopolitical dynamics.

The Quad, comprising the United States, Japan, Australia and India, aims to promote a “free and open” Indo-Pacific and balance China’s expanding influence in the strategically vital region.

With US President Donald Trump fresh from talks with Chinese President Xi...

Indonesia has blocked predictions market ⁠Polymarket as part of its crackdown on online gambling, its communications and digital ministry said, days after the site took bets on a premature end to Prabowo Subianto’s presidency.

Gambling is illegal in Indonesia and authorities have been clamping down on online betting.

“The government will not allow any form of online gambling in Indonesia,” the ministry said in a statement.

Ministry official Alexander Sabar late on Friday said Polymarket was...

James Bernardo, 30, was delivering food on Teodoro street in Angeles City in the Philippines when a nine-storey building under construction on the opposite side of the road collapsed behind him.

“What I heard behind me sounded like an aeroplane landing. The sound was unlike anything normal. When I looked at my side mirror and then turned around, what I saw were pylons falling and power lines sparking,” Bernardo told This Week in Asia.

In just seconds, the structure had morphed into a twisted...

Malaysian police have arrested 51 men in a drug raid at a luxury Kuala Lumpur hotel, describing the scene as a “gay party” with “immoral activities” committed.

The language has drawn scrutiny from lawyers and rights advocates who say the terms risked prejudicing suspects and stigmatising LGBTQ people.

Bukit Aman narcotics chief Hussein Omar Khan said four raids were carried out between 2.35am and 5am on Sunday after police received intelligence about what they described as a “drug party” and...

The Indonesian government’s decision to accept a US proposal to turn an underused airport into a maintenance hub for Lockheed C-130 Hercules military aircraft has stirred up a familiar debate: how far can Jakarta deepen defence ties with Washington while preserving its non-aligned stance?

The plan, which would make Indonesia home to the first facility of its kind in Southeast Asia, emerged alongside a separate discussion over allowing US military aircraft to access Indonesian airspace, adding to...