South China Morning Post - East Asia

Xi Jinping charms Moon Jaei-in as China and US compete for an ally in South Korea

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 15:59:22 GMT

Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed on Tuesday to “promote high-level exchanges” between the two countries in a development likely to be greatly scrutinised by Western powers seeking to draw Seoul into an “alliance of democracies” against Beijing.In a late night 40-minute discussion that was the first phone exchange between the two leaders in eight months, Xi and Moon also agreed to reschedule a visit by Xi to Seoul that was postponed last year due to the…

Japan joins calls for Russia to release Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, protesters

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 11:21:33 GMT

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday urged Moscow to release Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and peaceful protesters from detention, joining the United States and the European Union in expressing concerns over the crackdown.“The Japanese government is closely watching (the situation) with concern,” Motegi told a press conference. “We want to request the release of Mr. Navalny and those who have been detained arbitrarily while engaging in peaceful demonstrations…

For Japan’s Covid-19 vaccine tsar Taro Kono, will a successful vaccination drive put him one ...

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 06:30:12 GMT

He has anointed Pokemon and Hello Kitty as special envoys to promote the city of Osaka for the 2025 World Expo, and has a notoriously sweet tooth, with macarons a particular favourite – but Japan’s Taro Kono also has a combative streak, with some comparing his Twitter use to that of former US president Donald Trump.Kono, 58, has had strong words for both South Korea and China, and has shut down people that disagree with his opinions on platforms such as Twitter with withering retorts or simply…

South Korean pro-equality party chief sacked for sexual harassment

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 08:14:38 GMT

The head of a left-wing South Korean political party that has championed gender equality was sacked on Monday for sexually harassing one of his own MPs, a prominent rights campaigner.Kim Jong-cheol was chairman of the Justice Party, which with six representatives is the third-largest in the South Korean parliament, and was stripped of his position after admitting harassing Jang Hye-yeong, the party said in a statement.He is the latest male politician to be brought down by an abuse case in the…

Some 132,000 Filipinos call Japan home, years after arriving to work at pubs

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 07:30:12 GMT

Almost four decades after the first workers arrived in Japan to work at “Philippine pubs”, the Filipino community has become one of the most rooted in the East Asian country – but one that still remains largely female.Filipinos are the fourth-largest foreign group after the Chinese, South Korean, and Vietnamese communities, with many choosing to spend their lives here.As of June 2019, just under half of the 282,023-strong Philippine community legally living in Japan – or 132,551 people – held…

US, Japan defence chiefs vow closer ties amid China’s activities in South, East China seas

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 04:47:04 GMT

Japan’s Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi and his newly appointed US counterpart Lloyd Austin agreed on Sunday to enhance their countries’ alliance amid China’s growing maritime assertiveness.“We agreed to oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the South and East China seas,” Kishi told reporters after the two held phone talks.Kishi said they reaffirmed that Article 5 of the Japan-US security treaty requiring the United States to protect Japan against an armed attack covers the…

Covid-19 leaves Japan’s ski resorts deserted amid perfect conditions for famed Japow powder snow

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 01:00:09 GMT

The snow this winter on Japan’s ski runs and the powder on the off-piste is probably the best it has been in a decade. Unfortunately, there is virtually no one to enjoy it as foreign winter sports fans are not permitted to enter the country due to the coronavirus pandemic and worried Japanese are opting to batten down the hatches and stay at home. The result is that resort operators, hotels, ski schools and all the related businesses, from owners of rental properties to restaurants, rental…

Coronavirus: Japan death toll tops 5,000; Malaysia cases hit new daily high

Sat, 23 Jan 2021 11:13:09 GMT

The death toll from the novel coronavirus in Japan surpassed 5,000 on Saturday as the country struggles to curb a third wave of infections, according to a Kyodo News tally.The pace of deaths linked to the virus has accelerated recently, forcing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to declare a state of emergency in 11 of the country’s 47 prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, earlier in the month.Of the total, more than 3,000 deaths were reported since the ongoing resurgence emerged in…

South Korea orders Japan to pay damages to group of former ‘comfort women’ over treatment ...

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 23:18:46 GMT

A South Korean court ruling that ordered the Japanese government to pay damages to a group of former “comfort women” over their treatment in Japanese military brothels became final Saturday as a deadline for Tokyo to appeal expired.The Japanese government had until Friday to appeal the first such ruling in South Korea, but it refused to participate in the case from the outset, citing sovereign immunity – a principle under international law that allows a state to be shielded against the…

Tokyo seeks US vow of support in East China Sea, as dispute with Beijing heats up

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 09:00:25 GMT

In a sign of the significance of the issue for Japan, Tokyo has wasted no time in getting the new administration in Washington to confirm that disputed islands in the East China Sea are Japanese territory and that the US would come to Japan’s assistance should that control be jeopardised.Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser to new US President Joe Biden, held talks on Thursday with Shigeru Kitamura, the head of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, on a range of issues. From Tokyo’s…

Suicides in Japan up for first time in 11 years, as coronavirus stress hits women harder

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 08:00:24 GMT

The number of people taking their own lives in Japan rose for the first time in over a decade last year, as the coronavirus pandemic reversed years of progress combating a stubbornly high suicide rate.Japan’s health and welfare ministry said on Friday that 20,919 people died by suicide in 2020 according to preliminary data, up 3.7 per cent from the previous year. That compares with 3,460 deaths from coronavirus in the same period.It marks the first year-on-year rise in suicides in more than a…

Coronavirus: Japan to toughen restrictions; Malaysia’s daily deaths jump

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 05:30:35 GMT

Japan’s cabinet approved draft laws to toughen coronavirus restrictions on Friday, a move that could threaten rule-breakers with fines and prison sentences for the first time since the outbreak began, as the country plans to start rolling out vaccinations as early as late February.With just six months until the virus-postponed Tokyo Olympics are due to begin, the capital and other regions are currently under a state of emergency in an attempt to quell a record spike in Covid-19 infections. But…

South Korea jails former Olympic coach for sexual assault, but case ‘tip of the iceberg’: ...

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 05:00:35 GMT

The former coach of South Korea’s double Olympic speed skating gold medallist has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison in a notorious case that exposed the seedy side of the country’s sports arena that often prioritises performance at the expense of human rights.Cho Jae-beom, 39, was jailed for 10 and a half years on Thursday for sexually assaulting and physically abusing Shim Suk-hee, 23, for more than three years. The abuse started when she was just 17 and continued until a few…

Vanishing snow, sinking Tokyo Sky Tree: sobering forecast for Japan if climate change goes unchecked

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 10:14:39 GMT

The famed geisha of Kyoto are collapsing from the heat. The apple trees that are a feature of Japan’s northern Aomori prefecture are barren. A ski slope in the central Nagano prefecture is green due to a lack of winter snow. Numerous other parts of the country – from Iwate to Yamagata, Ishikawa, Osaka and the city of Tokyo – are under water.These are some of the scenarios showing what the most famous landmarks in all of Japan’s 47 prefectures will look like if climate change continues unabated…

Japan, South Korea exports boosted by China demand

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 06:56:13 GMT

Japanese exports gained in December for the first time in just over two years, with shipments to China climbing even as the coronavirus pandemic resurged in other key markets, while South Korea’s early trade data showed exports continued to rise in January, as demand for tech products stayed resilient.The value of Japan’s overseas shipments rose 2 per cent compared with a year earlier, snapping a 24-month losing streak that came amid trade wars and the coronavirus, the finance ministry reported…

‘No South Korean culture’: North Korea cracks down on foreign media, speaking styles, porn

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 00:00:09 GMT

North Korea is reportedly imposing stiff fines or prison for anyone caught enjoying South Korean entertainment or copying the way South Koreans speak as leader Kim Jong-un steps up a war on outside influences and calls for better home-grown entertainment.A sweeping new “anti-reactionary thought” law was imposed late last year, and this week new details were reported by Daily NK, a Seoul-based website that reports from sources inside North Korea.Measures include fines for parents whose children…

Kimchi wars: South Korean academic takes spat with China to new level with tart ad in New York Times

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 13:00:13 GMT

A renowned South Korean academic activist has taken the simmering row with China over which country invented kimchi to a new level – by placing an advertisement in The New York Times promoting it as a purely Korean culinary offering. Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin University in Seoul who specialises in publicity, said he launched the campaign announcing Kimchi as an “iconic food of Korea and its culture”, as acknowledged by Unesco, “in order to let all the peoples in the world know…

South Korea’s Moon names new foreign minister as he looks to revive stalled peace talks with ...

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 07:01:41 GMT

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday named a former national security adviser who played a key role in realising the first-ever summit between the United States and North Korea as the country’s next foreign minister. The nomination of Chung Eui-yong – who told outgoing US President Donald Trump that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un wanted to denuclearise – comes hours before the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden. Chung will replace Kang Kyung-wha, Seoul’s first female…

Biden administration to fully review North Korea approach: Blinken

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 04:49:28 GMT

US President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said on Tuesday the incoming administration planned a full review of the US approach to North Korea to look at ways to increase pressure on the country to come to the negotiating table over its nuclear weapons.At the same time, the United States would also look at providing humanitarian help to North Korea if needed, Blinken said.“We do want to make sure that in anything we do, we have an eye on the humanitarian side…

Why is Suga so insistent on the Tokyo Olympics? It’s partly the threat of losing face to China

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 23:00:19 GMT

In the Diet on Monday, delivering his first policy speech of the year, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was adamant about the two issues that have come to overshadow his administration – Japan would overcome Covid-19 “as soon as possible”, he insisted, and the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games and Paralympics would go ahead as scheduled. Both tasks appear to be monumental in scale, and Suga has a lot riding on meeting those promises. If he gets them right, he becomes the leader who pulled off the…