Asia

When Japan's farm minister declared that he never had to buy rice because his supporters give him "plenty" of it as gifts, he hoped to draw laughs. Instead Taku Eto drew outrage - and enough of it to force him to resign. Japan is facing its first cost-of-living crisis in decades, which is hitting a beloved staple: rice. The price has more than doubled in the last year, and imported varieties are few and far between. Eto apologised, saying he had gone "too far" with his comments on Sunday at a local fundraiser. He resigned after opposition parties threatened a no-confidence motion against him. His ousting deals a fresh blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's minority government, which was already struggling with falling public support. Rice can be a powerful trigger...

The recent headline-grabbing flare-up between India and Pakistan over Kashmir was punctuated by missile strikes, one of the fiercest aerial dogfights since World War II, retaliatory rhetoric, and a shaky cease-fire. But there’s a quieter, yet equally consequential, shift worth watching closely: one taking place among India and Pakistan’s neighbors. These neighbors are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives, none of which has nuclear weapons. They are not simply bystanders to the crisis. They are strategic actors who may now look to recalibrate their foreign policies in response to the conflict’s regional aftershocks. These are the “swing states,” and they deserve far more attention before the next escalatory episode in the India-Pakistan conflict. India-Pakistan

Western media have historically neglected Central Asia as a region, and it is even hard to find information on female political leaders. Many Central Asian countries still ban women from joining certain professions and have discriminatory laws that prevent women from inheriting money or property. Many of these nations also have extreme economic inequality, which often results in a select few women from wealthy families holding positions of power within the government. When female representation consists only of socioeconomic elites, it can create a false sense of representation, when in reality average women have no representation or access to the government. Strong authoritarian governments, like those in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, also prevent pluralism that could allow women to g...

Relations between India and China seem to be thawing since having reached a border agreement in late 2024. However, economic and security concerns suggest this might not continue without a more sustained dialogue. Since a violent border clash in June 2020 across their disputed border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India and China have sought to stabilise their bilateral relationship. It took them over four years to reach a politically enabled agreement on patrolling arrangements, which has inaugurated a tactical thaw on what has nonetheless continued to be an increasingly militarised LAC, and a reactivation of meaningful diplomatic engagement. However, as the two countries reach 75 years of diplomatic ties, a structural shift in what has nevertheless continued t...

On 4 April 2025, the Supreme Court of Korea unanimously upheld the National Assembly’s impeachment of former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol, ending a dramatic saga that began with Yoon’s botched declaration of martial law in December 2024. Yet the outcome of this impeachment process, combined with South Korea’s status as an economically advanced democratic nation, has obscured the concerning and persistent influence of far-right elements in its political landscape. While a majority of citizens turned out in massive protests against Yoon’s actions, vocal members of the conservative People Power Party and fervent far right groups have organised persistent counter rallies in his defence, even storming a district court in an attempt to delay legal proceedings. A February 2025 sur

The India-Pakistan conflict reshapes South Asia as China gains influence and the U.S. reassesses strategy The Pahalgam tragedy triggered a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan, marking one of the most intense escalations in recent South Asian history. On the night of May 6-7, 2025, India launched an attack on Pakistan and its administered part of the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir. India claimed it had targeted alleged terrorist camps in eight different locations across Pakistan and the disputed region under an operation named “Sindoor.” However, independent reports confirmed that only civilians, including children, were killed in these strikes. In immediate retaliation, Pakistan responded forcefully. Within minutes, a 59-minute dogfight ensued b

The most likely outcome is that the latest deadly flare-up between India and Pakistan will end relatively soon: In the little over 25 years that the two countries have possessed nuclear weapons, both have become very good at engaging in tense and violent confrontations without them escalating to threaten the entire planet. When he announced the cross-border missile strikes that began what India is calling “Operation Sindoor,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri described his country’s actions as “measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible.” Neither side has yet sent ground troops into the other’s territory, which would be the clearest sign yet of a wider war. On Wednesday, India launched missile attacks into Pakistan in response to a brutal massacre of tourists in Ap