ASEAN News

JAPAN: There are many Japanese farmers who begin to worry about Typhoon Season months in advance, haunted by recollections of the tremendous rains and landslides that devastated wasabi farms during one of these storms. “Due to global warming, typhoons are now more powerful than ever before. It’s becoming stronger,” said an elderly farmer in Okutama, a suburb west of Tokyo, …

CHINA: The country’s market regulator announced on Sunday that a number of companies, including Alibaba and Tencent, had been fined for violating anti-monopoly regulations regarding the transparency of transactions (Jul 10). There were 28 trades that were found to have broken the rules by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). Alibaba’s Youku Tudou streaming platform is one of the …

SOUTH KOREA: Satellite images show what appear to be multiple missile launches from North Korea, South Korea’s military said based on Sunday’s (Jul 10) satellite images (MLRs). Shots were heard after 6 p.m., and South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the military had increased monitoring and alert levels without indicating any further response. North Korea regularly conducts MLR …

JAPAN: He planned the murder of Shinzo Abe for months, believing the former Japanese leader was linked to a religious sect he blamed for his mother’s financial devastation, authorities said on Saturday (Jul 9). Tatsuya Yamagami, the 41-year-old man who shot and wounded Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was identified by police as the gunman. The crime was caught on tape …

JAPAN: When Shinzo Abe, the former Japanese prime minister, was assassinated while campaigning in a western city, a hearse carrying his remains arrived in Tokyo on Saturday (July 9). Even in a country like Japan, where violent crime is rare and gun rules are rigorous, the killing of a well-known politician has shocked the nation. While top members of Abe’s …

TAIWAN: Exports climbed in June, despite China’s slowdown, as demand for technology items remained strong amid concerns over Ukraine and inflation, and the government predicted a positive picture for the end-of-year holiday season. The Ministry of Finance reported Friday that exports grew 15.2 percent from a year earlier to $42.2 billion, the second-highest monthly sum on record and up for …

SHANGHAI: As reported by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Friday, Tesla, the American electric vehicle manufacturer, sold 78,906 Chinese-made vehicles in June. Passenger car sales in China in June were 1.97 million, an increase of 22% over the same period last year, according to the CPCA. Despite restrictions to stop the spread of Covid in Shanghai, Tesla Inc.’s …

NORTH KOREA: On Thursday, official media stated that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hosted an extraordinary meeting aimed at strengthening the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea’s “monolithic” leadership across society (Jul 7). The first-of-its-kind meeting aimed to “realize the organizational and ideological convergence of the Party ranks in every way” and “enhance the party’s leadership position,” according to state …

HONG KONG: There was “unnecessary bother and discomfort” for Hong Kong residents, the government said on Thursday, suspending an individual flying restriction for COVID-19-infected travelers (Jul 7). Flights have been restricted in the city more than 100 times this year. Businesses and individuals who had become accustomed to the ease and efficiency of transit in the former British colony found …

TAIWAN: It was on Wednesday (Jul. 6) that Taiwan’s air force showed off its new locally built and manufactured jet trainer, showcasing its more advanced, combat-capable qualities. As China, which claims the island as its own, pushes up its military modernization efforts and conducts drills near Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has made the development of an advanced home-grown defense sector …