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July 12, 2026
 

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ASIA PACIFIC

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Society
Taiwanese film hunters rescue aging reels from bygone era
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Taiwanese film hunters rescue aging reels from bygone era
Ranging from popular operas to romance dramas, the films resonated with many Taiwanese who had been educated during Japan’s colonial rule and had limited Mandarin skills.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Taiwan’s aging seaweed harvesters hope younger women will wade in
There are no more than four women in the Magang fishing village in Taiwan who still regularly collect Gelidium algae, and all of them are in their 70s or older.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / FOCUS
Where are they? Dogs disappear before South Korea meat ban
For activists, the change in law will not only end the consumption of dogs, but also a “long-standing loophole” around their treatment.
Jann Zhang, founder and principal of Paw3, a kindergarten for dogs, interacts with a dog in Shanghai on June 2.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 17, 2026
China’s pet owners splurge on preschools to pamper puppies
As declining birth rates alter ⁠lifestyles, pets are increasingly treated as members of the family.
Children sing the national anthem at a school, under an overpass in Mumbai.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 7, 2026
India school under overpass offers lifeline to street children
Despite laws guaranteeing free schooling for children aged six to 14, poverty and migration continue to keep many out of classrooms.
A stone quarry near Avinashi village in Rajasthan's Neem Ka Thana town on May 19
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 5, 2026
Mining turns India’s heat-shield hills to dust
By Arunabh SAIKIA
A loss of the hills to mining is boosting already dangerously hot temperatures in New Delhi, raising the risk of desertification, and worsening health problems, experts warn.
In China's emerging "companionship ​economy,” paid partners can be found even for eating out at hotpot restaurants.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 2, 2026
Lonely consumers in China fuel a $74 billion companionship economy
By Sophie Yu and Casey Hall
Paid partners can be found for running, sightseeing and even eating out at hotpot restaurants.
"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
By Rosalind Mathieson, Randy Thanthong-Knight and Manolo Serapio Jr.
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
Pedestrians cross a bridge as the Sky Tower and other buildings stand in the background in Auckland, New Zealand, on Feb. 22, 2025.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
May 18, 2026
New Zealand population growth improves as Kiwi exodus slows
By Tracy Withers
The estimated population increased by 0.8%, or 43,500 people, in the 12 months through March, reaching 5.36 million.
A worker arranges packets of condoms at a pharmacy in Dhaka. Bangladesh's family planning system is buckling under severe contraceptive shortages.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
May 14, 2026
Supply shortage fuels Bangladesh contraceptive crisis
By Sheikh Sabiha ALAM
The shortage is raising fears of a rise in unplanned pregnancies in one of the world’s most densely populated countries.

China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

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