ASEAN News

YAMAGATA: Increasing the amount of rice in his cattle feed is a way for Japanese farmer Kiyoharu Hirao to save money as the cost of imported maize used in animal feed continues to rise. Concerns over the quality of his prized wagyu beef and anger at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which once maintained an almost unbreakable grip on …

TOKYO: Asian stocks rose on Monday, after Wall Street’s strong bounce at the close of last week, as oil prices fell, easing concerns about inflation and the Federal Reserve’s fast tightening. With interest rates expected to rise and a possible recession looming, investors kept a close eye on the yields on Treasuries and the dollar, which stayed at its lowest …

SINGAPORE: A statement from Hong Kong’s Jumbo Floating Restaurant’s parent business on Sunday stated that it will not get any insurance compensation for the loss of the vessel (Jun 26). According to Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises, in compliance with maritime rules, the vessel has a ‘Protection and Indemnity Cover for Third Parties Liability’ losses to third parties, not to the business, …

TAIPEI: The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan urged the United States to “urgently” begin negotiations with Taiwan on a free trade agreement with the goal of presenting a final text for passage in 2024, according to its annual policy paper issued on Wednesday (Jun 22). As a significant display of solidarity for the Chinese-claimed island in the face of …

NORTH KOREA: On Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over the second day of the country’s key party conference on its military and defense programs, according to state media reports on Thursday, amid fears of an impending nuclear test. Kim emphasized the necessity of measures to boost frontline unit operational capabilities during their meeting, according to Korea Central …

TOKYO: There is a crowdfunding drive underway in Japan to help preserve a rare patch of woodland: the forest that served as inspiration for the “My Neighbor Totoro” animation. A municipal official told AFP that just a tiny amount of the 2.6 billion yen (US$19 million) price tag for the 3.5-hectare Totoro Forest would be raised via crowdsourcing. As a …

The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) said on Tuesday that Japan and the UAE had confirmed their partnership in the energy sector. “To address efforts to promote stability in the global crude oil market, METI Minister Hagiuda Koichi conducted a video conference with Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. The two ministers also talked …

PHILIPPINES: As the West and China continue to compete for their strategic pillars, the island states of the Pacific, from the massive Papua New Guinea to the smaller island nations, find themselves in a much more powerful position. Since climate change is the greatest threat to the region, their negotiating prowess may provide them greater leverage to entice foreign funding. …

BEIJING: After purchasing face masks and ventilators from China in prior months, North Korea unexpectedly ceased importing COVID-19 prevention and control products in May, according to trade statistics supplied by Beijing. Since the isolated government initially announced it was combating a COVID-19 outbreak in mid-May, daily new cases of fever in North Korea have been falling, according to its state …

TOKYO: On Monday, a Japanese court declared that a prohibition on same-sex marriage is not unconstitutional, striking a blow to LGBTQ rights activists in the only Group of Seven country that does not allow persons of the same gender to marry. After a court in the city of Sapporo ruled in March 2021 that prohibiting same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, activists’ …