Asia - South China Morning Post

The deaths of three children by suspected suicide in recent weeks have shocked Indonesia, with child protection advocates saying they should serve as a “wake-up call” for the nation to pay more attention to young people’s well-being and mental health, particularly in remote and disadvantaged areas.

In one case, reports that a child had asked for money for basic school supplies shortly before his death raised questions about whether state welfare programmes were reaching families most in need,...

South Korea will take part as an observer in the inaugural meeting of the US-led “Board of Peace”, dispatching a former envoy to Thursday’s session in Washington, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Kim Yong-hyun, former ambassador to Egypt, will attend the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace scheduled for February 19, as the South Korean representative,” the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

A ministry official said that South Korea would attend as a non-member observer...

An Indian professor has falsely suggested a Chinese-made robot dog displayed at a major AI summit was developed by her university, prompting backlash in a situation politicians derided as “embarrassing” on Wednesday.

The silver mechanical dog, a model sold by Chinese start-up Unitree, appeared at a booth run by the private Galgotias University at this week’s AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

Following online uproar over the professor’s claim in a televised interview, Galgotias said that while it...

Japan plans to deploy 300 elite ground soldiers to the Philippines for this year’s Salaknib military exercise, marking the first time the bilateral US-Philippine drills will include troops from additional partners.

Officials and analysts say the move signals an operational shift away from simple bilateral engagements towards tight-knit “minilateral” security coordination among US allies, with a growing focus on remote island defence and contingencies in the Taiwan Strait and the South China...

China and South Korea have had a turbulent relationship over the past few years as they compete across a range of hi-tech industries. But the two countries now appear to be bonding over a shared challenge: their rapidly ageing societies.

The issue has featured on the agenda of several meetings between President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in recent months, with the leaders pledging to work together to deal with the economic changes being wrought by their nations’ low...

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio announced on Wednesday that she will run for president in 2028, formally declaring a bid long widely expected as her political camp confronts mounting legal and institutional pressure.

“I offer my life, my strength and my future in the service of our nation,” she said in announcing her candidacy. “I am Sara Duterte. I will run for president of the Philippines.”

The daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte used her brief speech to accuse President...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will not send a cabinet minister to an annual ceremony calling for the return of the Liancourt Rocks – known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea – stepping back from an earlier pledge and signalling a softer touch towards Seoul.

Analysts say the decision not to dispatch a senior minister to the event reflects a pragmatic effort to steady Japan-South Korea ties, even if it leaves some of her most conservative supporters “very...

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi entered office with an unusually strong political mandate following her decisive election victory on February 8. Among her early signals was a renewed emphasis on science, including a call for a substantial expansion of investment in basic research. For a country grappling with demographic decline, fiscal pressure and intensifying technological competition, the message was clear: knowledge and talent are once again central to national strategy.

The political...

Two recent convictions tied to Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived 2024 martial law decree have effectively sealed his fate, some legal observers say, as judges prepare to rule on the insurrection charge against the former South Korean president.

On Thursday, a three-judge panel at the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 25 is set to deliver its verdict and sentence on the 65-year-old, weighing the prosecution’s request for the death penalty and any mitigating factors.

The ruling will test...

A bipartisan chorus of lawmakers and national security experts in Washington is calling on the administration of US President Donald Trump to convene a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue leaders’ summit ahead of Trump’s expected meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in April.

The push aims to project a unified front among Indo-Pacific democracies and prevent potential misunderstandings during high-stakes negotiations with Beijing. The Quad, an informal grouping that also includes Japan and...