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July 06, 2026
 

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VIETNAM

One year after lifting its long-standing two-child limit, Vietnam is actively encouraging people to have more babies as the country risks getting old before it gets rich.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 2, 2026
Vietnam unveils ‘baby bonus’ after scrapping two-child policy
A new population law and regulations coming into effect extend maternity leave from six to seven months for mothers having a second child as well as offer financial help.
Palestinian mourners carry the body of Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Wishah, killed in an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on June 21.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2026
When killing the messenger becomes a strategy of war
Record journalist deaths in Gaza raise urgent questions about war, accountability and the targeting of reporters.
Fishing boats are docked along the Mekong River in Chiang Saen, northern Thailand's Chiang Rai province on June 4. Thailand's pollution control department said in April it had found arsenic concentrations of up to 296 milligrams per kilogram in sediment near Chiang Saen — more than nine times the level considered dangerous for aquatic life.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 16, 2026
Poorest on front line as arsenic hits nine times danger level in Mekong River
Doctors have found elevated levels of toxic arsenic in those who work on the river, which passes through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Jan. 5.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 9, 2026
South Korea hit the China reset button. Or did it?
Seoul seeks balance as it hedges against the rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
A rice paddy field on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian Kashmir, this month.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 5, 2026
Hot weather hurts Asian crops as powerful El Nino takes shape
Dry weather is disrupting crop planting across the world’s most populous region, and an expected severe El Nino weather pattern could inflict more damage.
Vietnamese President To Lam gives the keynote address during the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2026
Vietnam is Asia’s rising power to watch
According to the Lowy Institute’s 2025 Asia Power Index, Vietnam recorded the second-largest increase in overall influence in the region.
Vietnamese leader To Lam arrives in the Philippines for a summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 1, 2026
Vietnam and Philippines elevate ties and discuss South China Sea
Vietnamese leader To Lam’s trip to the Philippines comes as both countries grapple with an increasingly assertive Chinese presence in the South China Sea.
"I’ve been doing this for 40 years and it just keeps getting worse,” Bunyut Chaosamut said. "We are sea people; we can’t just quit and start growing rice or planting rubber trees.”
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
May 22, 2026
Southeast Asia’s fishermen are being pushed to the brink by fuel costs
High fuel prices linked to the Iran war are hitting Southeast Asia’s seafood industry hard, forcing boats to stay ashore and raising costs across the supply chai
Chinese leader Xi Jinping greets U.S. President Donald Trump outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during their two-day summit on May 14.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 20, 2026
How will Japan react to Trump’s China pivot?
For Tokyo, the critical issue is whether the U.S. is fundamentally rethinking its approach toward China — and whether that shift could leave Japan dangerously exposed.
The house in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward where a family of four was murdered in December 2000, a high-profile case that remains unsolved a quarter of a century later.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 14, 2026
Two arrested for allegedly entering site of high-profile Setagaya family murder
Police believe the pair broke into the house with the intention of stealing valuables, in the period from around mid-September 2023 to around mid-December 2025.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) and her Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, visit the Canberra Nara Peace Park in Canberra on May 4.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 11, 2026
Takaichi’s Golden Week diplomacy: a cheat sheet
The prime minister’s administration used the lull in domestic politics to advance its “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy across Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi waves as she departs a Royal Australian Air Force base in Canberra on May 5, after a three-day official visit.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 10, 2026
Was Japan’s recent Golden Week diplomatic offensive effective, let alone ‘strategic’?
Prime Ministger Takaichi risks continuing a pattern of compressed, opportunistic diplomacy — busy, but not always effective.
A new crackdown on online piracy and counterfeit goods by Vietnam will also tackle copyright violations by ‌computer programs, movies, music, TV shows and online video games.
BUSINESS
May 6, 2026
Vietnam cracks down on online piracy and counterfeit goods amid U.S. tariff threat
Washington revived the prospect of fresh tariffs last week over Hanoi’s ​“persistent failure” to tackle intellectual property violations.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi lays flowers at a monument for the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Canberra on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 6, 2026
Takaichi aims to boost diplomacy through revamp of her mentor’s policies
The prime minister has vowed to continue former leader Shinzo Abe’s diplomatic approach during her latest tour of Vietnam and Australia.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ASEAN leaders pose during the 21st ASEAN-India Summit at the National Convention Centre, in Vientiane, Laos, in October 2024.
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2026
Asia’s economic diplomacy for tumultuous times
In a volatile multipolar world, countries must drive their own development by balancing global engagement with strong domestic capacity, as shown by Asia’s growth strategies.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the Government Office in Hanoi on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 2, 2026
Takaichi pledges ‘more proactive’ role for Japan in Indo-Pacific strategy update
In a speech in Vietnam, the prime minister said Tokyo will focus on supply chains, the rules-based economic order and security under a revamped Indo-Pacific strategy.
A worker cultivates rice plants at a farm in Bangkok. Rice supply is expected to fall this year due to impacts of the Iran war and an emerging El Nino weather phenomenon that is set to usher in hotter, drier conditions.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2026
From surplus to strain: Iran war and El Nino threaten global rice supply
Rice is central to global food security, and even small supply disruptions can ripple through countries, raising prices and straining household budgets.
A vendor sits next to used air conditioners at a roadside shop in Manila on April 24. A heat wave is sweeping across Southeast Asia as governments put energy-saving measures in place due to the war in Iran.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 28, 2026
Southeast Asia office workers swelter in energy-saving drive amid heat wave
As the prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz drains energy reserves, relief does not look to be coming anytime soon with countries set to bake in abnormally hot weather.
Hanoi announced a ban on petrol-fueled motorbikes from its city center last year in an effort to improve air quality.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2026
Hanoi reviews petrol motorbike ban opposed by Honda ahead of Takaichi visit
The ban, announced last year, was aimed ​at improving air quality in the Vietnamese capital, which at times tops the list of ‌the world’s ‌most polluted cities.
Vietnamese President To Lam (right) and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on Wednesday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 23, 2026
Vietnam and South Korea ink deals on security and nuclear power
The 12 agreements, such as cooperation in developing nuclear power plants, underscore deepening industrial ties as the Iran war disrupts energy markets and global supply chains.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Thailand gets serious about chasing high-spending tourists
Chinese tourists at Wat Arun Ratchawararam Rathawaramahawihan in Bangkok
Murakami says his novels are ‘different’ from AI literature
Haruki Murakami's first book in three years hit shelves in Japan on Friday.
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex’s culture cred
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex.  
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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