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This Week in Asia /

Lifestyle & Culture

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K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop
Asia travel
Fame and celebrity
A customer washes his hair at a public bathhouse in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters
Japan

In hot water: Japan’s bathhouses struggle to stay afloat as oil prices spike

“Sentos” have cut operating hours and welcomed fewer customers, with some deciding to fold amid the energy crisis.

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Singapore

Singapore’s answer to school bullying? The cane … and counselling

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South Korea

Iconic South Korean district on the brink in divisive urban renewal fight

Japan

Burger King in Japan dangles US$250,000 to lure rival franchisees

Meanwhile, Philippine fried chicken chain Jollibee has announced a record operating income and is accelerating its global expansion.

Two customers bite Burger King’s Whopper hamburgers after the chain’s first Tokyo store officially opened in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in 2007. Photo: AP
Two customers bite Burger King’s Whopper hamburgers after the chain’s first Tokyo store officially opened in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in 2007. Photo: AP
The Philippines

This retiree in the Philippines downloaded an app. Then he lost his life savings

Industrial-scale malware is replacing ‘pig-butchering’ as Cambodia’s scam hubs pivot to high-speed digital heists.

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South Korea

South Korean army removes poster depicting controversial hand gesture

The finger pinching gesture, known as the ‘Megalian hand’, is seen as a mockery of male genitalia.

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Japan

Subsidies for dating apps latest tactic to battle low birth rates in rural Japan

Kochi prefecture says residents aged between 20 and 39 can receive a US$125 subsidy to use certified matchmaking apps.

A couple admires the autumn leaves in Japan. Japanese youth are increasingly turning to matchmaking apps to find life partners. Photo: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
A couple admires the autumn leaves in Japan. Japanese youth are increasingly turning to matchmaking apps to find life partners. Photo: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Asean

Work from home may not save as much energy as Southeast Asia hopes

Remote work for civil servants sounds like an easy solution in an energy crisis. Analysts aren’t so sure.

The Philippines

Meet the Filipino spouses turning their migration journeys into viral content

Women make up 90 per cent of Filipino marriage migrants, moving mainly to the US, Canada, Japan and Australia.

The Philippines

BINI made history at Coachella. Can the Philippines build on it?

The Filipino girl group’s desert debut proved P-pop’s pedigree. Now Manila needs to find the budget to back the talent already going global.

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BINI perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, on April 10. Photo: Reuters
Social media

Southeast Asia wants children off social media. Will it work?

Indonesia is leading a regional push to ban children from social media platforms. Enforcement is another matter, however.

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A child uses a mobile phone at a park in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, last month. Photo: EPA
A child uses a mobile phone at a park in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, last month. Photo: EPA
Malaysia

Crowned in Bangkok, constrained at home: Malaysia’s first Mr Bear winner

Gavin Chow’s victory highlights the contrast between Bangkok’s queer visibility and the pressures still facing LGBTQ people in Malaysia.

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Indonesia

Indonesia’s Surabaya cracks down on absentee fathers for dodging child support

The city’s child support laws have drawn overseas interest, including Australia, as single mothers urge more help for their legal redress.

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Indonesia

Bali wants illegal rentals to be legitimate as operators flag red tape

Authorities want to help unregistered accommodation providers secure permits to plug the tax collection gap.

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Tourists walk at a shopping area in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: EPA
Thailand

7 French tourists arrested after viral Songkran clash with van driver in Phuket

Police said the group of revellers blocked traffic, sprayed water at the driver and ignored orders to disperse.

Screenshots from a viral video showing Songkran festival revelers spraying a van driver in Patong. Photo: TikTok / littlepatong
Screenshots from a viral video showing Songkran festival revelers spraying a van driver in Patong. Photo: TikTok / littlepatong
Malaysia

Deepfakes, cloned voices: the new AI threat facing Malaysia’s creators

Experts question whether Malaysia’s laws are keeping pace with the harm spread by AI, and call for stronger legal protections for artists.

Japan

Japan’s Narita Airport expansion revives row over forced land sales

Authorities are considering forcing the sale of land owned by holdout farmers, recalling disputes that sparked violence during the 1960s.

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Japan

Japan’s rural rail crisis hits new low as JR East cuts toilet paper service

JR East’s decision to remove toilet paper at some unmanned stations underscores the financial pressures on rural rail services.

Oshikiri station in Japan’s Niigata prefecture no longer has toilet paper service. Photo: Handout
Oshikiri station in Japan’s Niigata prefecture no longer has toilet paper service. Photo: Handout
Thailand

Songkran is here. So is Thailand’s worst energy crisis in years

Soaring costs for fuel and ice fail to dampen the mood as a wave of ‘revenge travel’ provides a much-needed economic boost.

South Korea

Solo in Seoul? South Korean capital offers helpers for US$4 an hour

The city’s ‘companion service’ aims to help single-person households move house or visit hospital.

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Malaysia

Was Penang ‘robbed’ from Kedah? Malaysian states face off in sovereignty row

A grievance dating back hundreds of years resurfaces as Kedah state lays claim to the country’s richest island.

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George Town on Penang Island, Malaysia. The city won won Unesco World Heritage status in 2008. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

‘Making a racket in Chinese’: Japan’s cherry blossom season stirs cultural rift

A report claims residents of Dazaifu in Fukuoka prefecture complained about groups ‘making a racket in Chinese’ at a popular hanami spot.

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People use boats on Chidorigafuchi, one of the moats around the Imperial Palace, to look at the cherry blossoms in full bloom in Tokyo on April 2. Photo: AFP
People use boats on Chidorigafuchi, one of the moats around the Imperial Palace, to look at the cherry blossoms in full bloom in Tokyo on April 2. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Lute awakening: traditional Malaysian strings have many players but few makers

While young musicians are increasingly drawn to the old instruments, few want to take up the tedious task of crafting them.

Malaysia

Malaysian bookshop hits on novel idea to hook readers addicted to ‘brain rot’

BookXcess’ ‘Brain Un-Rot Library’ turns 100 books into short TikTok clips similar to the type of videos blamed for wrecking attention span.

Asean

Cultural capitals: Southeast Asia seeks soft power to outlast the buzz

The region’s creators are going global, but the structures to sustain them are still catching up.

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Illustration: Mario Rivera
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