Featured stories about East Asia
Stories about East Asia
18 August 2019
Cinema and new laws bring greater acceptance and visibility for Vietnamese transgenders
LGBTQ+ identities are gaining legal and social recognition in Vietnam, as a documentary illustrates.
16 August 2019
Refugees in West Java, Indonesia have no access to education so they established their own school
Refugees can spend many years in Indonesia without possibility of permanent settlement.
14 August 2019
Beijing says Hong Kong anti-extradition protests show signs of ‘terrorism’
"The bloody crackdown is extending and you cannot see the border or a definitive sign in Hong Kong’s version of June 4..."
11 August 2019
Cambodia reduces number of public holidays to attract jobs, but activists are concerned it could undermine democracy
"Omitting the Paris Peace Agreement and Human Rights days from the public-holiday list reflects that the government is unwilling to promote democracy any longer."
10 August 2019
How the frontline anti-extradition protesters’ toolkit has evolved over Hong Kong’s long summer
Hong Kong pro-establishment politicians believe that the anti-extradition protests is under foreign influence as protesters hit the streets in “full gear,” donning black clothes, goggles, gas masks, helmets, and etc.
9 August 2019
Netizen Report: Journalists are under fire from Cambodia to Cuba — and beyond
Across the globe, journalists are facin charges of everything from espionage to tax evasion.
Beijing’s loyalists from Fujian province vow to beat up anti-extradition protesters in Hong Kong
Both local media outlets and police authorities have been notified of the Fujianese plan to pick fights with protesters. But only Beijing can stop such violence.
Tokyo Interlopers provides a glimpse of life in Japan from a foreign perspective
The full archive of Tokyo Interlopers profiles provides a fascinating glimpse of life in the Japanese metropolis from a foreign perspective.
Remembering the '88 uprising’ for democracy in Myanmar
"Government newspapers said over 300 died in the crackdown but independent sources estimated that the actual figure was ten times that."
7 August 2019
China’s hunger for minerals stirs resistance in rural Thailand
Chinese efforts to obtain a cheap source of a crop-boosting mineral are raising fears of an environmental crisis among farming communities in Thailand.
6 August 2019
A Hong Kong artist’s ‘surreal’ depiction of the anti-extradition protests
In addition to the Lennon Wall, the artist's work has likened the protesters to superheroes, compared protest power to Dragon Ball Z, and depicted the protesters fighting against Gozilla.
5 August 2019
Hong Kong anti-extradition protests accelerate into a movement against Beijing-backed police authorities
More evidence is starting to emerge that the Hong Kong police force worked in cooperation with the Triad, an organized crime unit, during the Yuen Long mob attack on July...
2 August 2019
‘I am a Hongkonger’: Artist Ai Weiwei on why he supports the city’s protest movement
'Freedom of expression is the most important weapon to combat authoritarianism. Authoritarians simply have no imagination, and without that, they have no future.'
1 August 2019
Election focuses spotlight on disability issues in Japan
Kimura Eiko and Funago Yasuhiko, who both rely on motorized wheelchairs and caregiver support in order to carry out daily tasks, were elected to the upper house of Japan's parliament.
31 July 2019
Pro-China forum's plan to troll Hong Kong protesters foiled after doxxing retaliation
Pro-China forum members quickly halted their plan to troll Hong Kong anti-extradition protesters after their personal information, including identity card number and bank record was exposed online.
30 July 2019
New book presents rarely researched aspects of Myanmar's political and media transition
"But as many of the contributors noted, while the space for expression did open up, the threats against journalists and activists did not reduce."
29 July 2019
A brief history of Taiwan's indigenous Seediq tribe
The Seediq tribe, one of the aboriginal tribes of Taiwan, has a history of fighting for their rights against the Japanese colonial power.
28 July 2019
Thai folk singer and activist Tom Dundee released after five years in prison for insulting monarchy
"Democracy must be created from the people, mustn’t it? Democracy cannot come from only one person."
About our East Asia coverage
Oiwan Lam is the North East Asia editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
Nevin Thompson is the Japan editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
