Featured stories about East Asia
Stories about East Asia
12 December 2019
Battle-scarred: The lasting impact of the PolyU campus siege on Hong Kong’s protesters
"As the siege dragged on, reports emerged of the deteriorating mental conditions of the PolyU holdouts – which included erratic behaviour, paranoia, and even self-harm."
‘Burning books and burying scholars': Book burning causes uproar on Chinese social media
"How come young people just talked about the environmental impact of burning books? Are they not aware of the historical symbolism of “book burning and scholar burying”?"
10 December 2019
Popular ‘Nausicaä’ animated movie from Japan performed as kabuki play
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, one of Japan's most popular animated films, will be performed as a kabuki play in December, 2019 in Tokyo.
6 December 2019
Chinese netizens slam Huawei’s legal bullying of former employee with a series of codes
Li Hongyuan, a former Huawei employee, was arrested by the Shenzhen police after Huawei accused him of extortion. He was detained for 251 days.
3 December 2019
After struggling for 20 years, a Mon-language newspaper in Myanmar is fighting to survive
The Guiding Star newspaper, an important news source for ethnic Mon, is struggling to keep its doors open as news goes digital and as its audience of Mon-language speakers declines.
30 November 2019
Pope Francis visit highlights Nagasaki's long Catholic history
The first papal visit to Japan in nearly four decades highlighted the country's historical Christian heritage, identified major challenges faced by the rest of the world.
29 November 2019
China's new media world order: Interview with Cédric Alviani from Reporters Without Borders East Asia
Beijing trains foreign journalists in “language elements” to get them to “speak the same language” as Chinese outlets.
Melanesian journalists decry growing threats against media freedom
"Melanesian governments cannot pay lip service to international conventions and commitments to democratic freedoms and in the same breath issue orders to clamp down on journalists' right to expression."
Chinese defector's spying allegations rock Australian politics
'What an utterly insane suggestion that Chinese Australians should “publicly show” their stance on anything related to China to prove their “loyalty”. '
28 November 2019
Testing the limits of LGBT acceptance in Taiwan: Interview with filmmaker Ming Lang Chen
"The Teacher is about human communication, it shows a wide range of delicate emotions, I wouldn't say it is just a gay movie."
‘Suspension won’t silence me’: Teen speaks out after embedding message about Xinjiang Uyghurs in TikTok makeup tutorial
Feroza Aziz used a makeup tutorial as a disguise to criticise China's treatment of Uyghurs on Tiktok.
27 November 2019
In Hong Kong, landslide victory for Pro-democracy camp in local elections means Beijing is out of touch
It is true that people want to restore order. However, they also know that the disorder is created by the government and the pro-establishment in the first place.
26 November 2019
An interview with ‘Siamese Intellectual’ Sulak Sivaraksa on the future of Thailand's democracy and monarchy
"The monarchy must introduce some transparency into its workings if it wants to remain. It must be open to criticism."
Will the upcoming Taiwanese presidential election bring an end to the death penalty?
Taiwan has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that calls for the abolition of capital punishment, yet it has applied death penalty in 34 cases since.
25 November 2019
Japanese arms fair generates protest, puzzlement
While arms fairs have been regularly held in Japan in the past, this is the first such event organized in collaboration between government and industry.
24 November 2019
As 3 million people vote in local elections, Hong Kong breaks record for civic participation
The election result is considered an important indicator of citizens’ take on the ongoing political crisis as millions of voters choose between pro-establishment and pro-democracy candidates.
Explainer: How a U.S. Act on human rights and democracy can protect freedom in Hong Kong
The US Senate has unanimously voted for a Hong Kong Act which aims at protecting the city’s autonomous status and its residents’ civic rights.
20 November 2019
Victory for transgender students at Thailand's Chulalongkorn University
Prior to this development, Chulalongkorn University had no official protocol for transgender students wishing to dress according to their gender identity.
19 November 2019
130 civil society groups call on Myanmar military to drop charges against civilians
"The military are the government’s staff. If they are doing wrong, citizens have a right to point it out. Citizens have a right to speak out,”
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.
