South China Morning Post - East Asia

Indonesia’s former president Joko Widodo has begun a nationwide political tour that analysts say is aimed at transforming his younger son’s small party from a marginal player into a significant force before the 2029 elections. Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, kicked off the tour in Lampung on Friday, using the visit to appear alongside Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) officia...

Unstaffed coffee ⁠shops, ramen eateries and flower outlets are spreading across South Korea as owners turn to robots and self-service to overcome rising labour costs in a business model that relies on the widespread honesty of users. Such stores, usually open 24 hours, were estimated to number 9,000 nationwide by the end of 2024, the National Fire Agency said, while payments pro...

A court order requiring Japan’s government to compensate the family of a Peruvian man who sustained a broken arm at an immigration facility has intensified scrutiny of the country’s detention system, with rights experts saying the case shows reforms are urgently needed. On June 25, the Osaka High Court ordered the government to pay 880,000 yen (US$5,400) in damages to the family...

More than 2 million cars could be damaged by tsunami waves in the event of a megaquake along the Nankai Trough off Japan’s Pacific coast, according to a survey by an organisation offering free rental vehicles to disaster victims. The survey, which covered 12 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, including Aichi in central Japan, showed that at least 2.04 million privately owned vehicles co...

Ukraine’s unresolved decision regarding two North Korean prisoners of war who have said they want to go to South Korea has given Kyiv leverage as it presses Seoul to sell weapons for its war against Russia, observers say. The soldiers, captured in early 2025 after being deployed to Kursk to support Russia’s war effort, are considered South Korean nationals under Seoul’s constitu...