Featured stories about East Asia
Stories about East Asia
16 October 2017
Was the Anti-Kleptocracy Rally That Gathered Thousands in Malaysia a Success or Failure?
"...the speakers were too heavy on condemnations of corruption, kleptocracy...instead of saying more about how a Pakatan government, if elected, will deal with issues..."
13 October 2017
‘Are We Still in the Stone Age?’ Cambodians Express Disappointment as Government Bans ‘Kingsman’ Movie Sequel
"This is ludicrous, I can't believe these so-called experts could not distinguish between fiction and reality."
10 October 2017
Hong Kong Anti-Communist Magazines Cease Publication After Four Decades
"I wanted to write something but found myself speechless. In an era like this, what can I say?"
8 October 2017
To Fight Against Smog, China Bans Coal in 28 Cities
Could a ban on coal help improve China's pollution problem? Or could the hastiness of its implementation backfire?
7 October 2017
Achieving Barrier-Free Access Proves a Hurdle in Japan's 2020 Paralympics Preparations
With only three years to go until the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, the Japanese government will have to work quickly to make the games truly barrier-free.
6 October 2017
How People Hang Things Up to Dry In Japan
Some people have fun hanging clothes in Japan, while others appear to be indifferent to the task.
Malaysia Bans Books and Cartoons Deemed ‘Prejudicial to Public Order’
"By banning books that provoke the mind to think critically, this government of ours showed its true color of being an authority of bigotry and anti-intellectualism."
5 October 2017
Is Free Speech an ‘Empty Promise’ in Singapore? Activists Bristle After Police Detain Performance Artist
Under Singapore’s strict Public Order Act, a single person can be held liable for participating in an illegal assembly.
4 October 2017
Aoyagi Bisen's Beautiful Calligraphy Has Earned Her a Social Media Following in Japan
Aoyagi Bisen's video of her writing one of the most complicated Chinese characters went viral in September.
Tens of Thousands in the Philippines Rally Against President Duterte's Deadly ‘Triple Wars’
Despite efforts of the Philippine government to sabotage the event, organizers estimated around 30,000 people braved the rains to join the rally against human rights abuses.
3 October 2017
Russians Get Territorial After Chinese Newspaper Tweets Photos of the Remote Altay Region
China Daily regularly tweets promotional photographs from Chinese regions, but this time it caused a backlash from Russian users who thought China was claiming parts of Russia as its own.
2 October 2017
As China Restricts Home Sales, Netizens Ask If This Serves the People's Needs
China has imposed a ban on property sales in 50 cities to curb the overheating market. But many netizens think it harms the welfare of home buyers.
Japan's Removal from South Korea's Winter Olympics Map Revives Old Disputes Between the Two Neighbors
The organizing committee of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics explained that the omission of Japan on the map was a simple technical mistake.
30 September 2017
Africans in Solidarity Online With Rohingya People Over Their Persecution in Myanmar (Burma)
"Silence is consent. Our silence is troubling. We need to speak out about this, we need to get angry, we need to help them."
29 September 2017
A 20 Billion Dollar Trade Agreement Between China and Guinea Raises Concerns
"Will this be a mutual agreement? At the moment, we are hanging on the government's every word as they negotiate this without providing many details."
28 September 2017
Malaysia Detained Turkish Scholar Mustafa Akyol for ‘Unauthorized Teaching’ of Religion
"By policing religion, authorities are not really protecting it. They are only enfeebling their societies, raising hypocrites and causing many people to lose their faith in or respect for Islam."
26 September 2017
Despite Censorship, a Former Chinese Soldier Brags of His War Crimes Online
On WeChat, Zhang boasted of killing a woman and raping her teenage daughter in the Sino-Vietnamese War.
25 September 2017
Katsura Sunshine Brings the Japanese Art of Comic Storytelling to English-Language Audiences
He's the only officially qualified non-Japanese rakugo professional in the world.
Purple March Unites a Thousand Malaysian Women Against ‘Toxic Politics’
"It was quite a sight to behold. 1,000 people does not sound like a lot, but in Malaysia...protesting is not looked upon kindly..."
About our East Asia coverage
Oiwan Lam is the North East Asia editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
