Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te warned that countries in the region would be China's next targets should Beijing seize the democratic island, insisting Taiwan must dramatically shore up its defenses. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/12/asia-pacific/politics/taiwan-lai-warns-next-china-attack/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #taiwan #laichingte #china #defense
Bangladesh heads to the polls on Thursday, marking a return to democracy after the 2024 ouster of long-time premier Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z-driven uprising, in an election seen as pivotal for the country’s stability. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/12/asia-pacific/politics/bangladesh-election-gen-z-revolution/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #bangladesh
For Hong Kong journalists, this week's sentencing of pro-democracy newspaper head Jimmy Lai affirms a climate of fear and self-censorship in the years since Beijing imposed a national security law. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/12/asia-pacific/politics/hong-kong-jimmy-lai/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #hongkong #china #journalism #censorship #jimmylai #appledaily
The U.S. is concerned over China's expanding presence in South Asia and is planning to offer Bangladesh's next government defense systems as alternatives to Chinese hardware. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/11/asia-pacific/politics/us-china-bangladesh-defense/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #bangladesh #india #china #us
Cambodia has closed almost 200 scam centers in a crackdown on transnational fraud in recent weeks, a senior government official has said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/11/asia-pacific/crime-legal/cambodia-scam-centers-fraud-crackdown/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #crimelegal #cambodia #fraud #organizedcrime #southeastasia
Thailand's progressive People’s Party came first in the last election and was leading surveys before this weekend’s vote, but took a beating at the ballot box, raising questions over the popularity of its reform agenda. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/11/asia-pacific/politics/thailand-progressive-party-polls/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #thailand #southeastasia
A Hong Kong court found the father of a wanted activist guilty of a national security violation on Wednesday after he tried to end her insurance policy and withdraw the funds. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/11/asia-pacific/hong-kong-activist-father-convicted/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #hongkong #china
Taiwanese officials say a failure to pass the government’s nearly $40 billion defense budget would “seriously weaken” its defense buildup and create a “gap” in collectively deterring Chinese military adventurism. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/11/asia-pacific/politics/taiwan-lai-defense-budget-collective-deterrence/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #taiwan #china #laichingte #pla #us #defense #budgets
The head of one of Myanmar’s influential ethnic armies accused world leaders of ignoring the ruling military junta's surge in deadly airstrikes on civilians. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/11/asia-pacific/myanmar-junta-deadly-airstrikes/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #myanmar #southeastasia
China will offer firm support for "patriotic pro-reunification forces" in Taiwan and strike hard against "separatists," the top Chinese official in charge of policy towards the island has said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/10/asia-pacific/politics/china-reunification-forces-taiwan-separatists/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #china #taiwan #defense
China’s influence in Bangladesh is likely to deepen after this week’s election, although politicians and analysts say India is too large a neighbor to be sidelined completely. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/10/asia-pacific/politics/china-footprint-bangladesh-india-ties/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #china #bangladesh #india
China is signaling greater efforts to protect national security in Hong Kong after the sentencing of former media mogul Jimmy Lai renewed foreign governments’ calls for his release. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/10/asia-pacific/politics/china-hong-kong-jimmy-lai-outcry/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #hongkong #china #democracy #jimmylai #appledaily
Chinese military flights that crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait in January fell to their lowest since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te took office, an indication Beijing is tweaking its training focus. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/10/asia-pacific/politics/china-flights-taiwan-training-shift/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #taiwan #china #defense #laichingte #xijinping
The ruling Bhumjaithai Party routed progressive and populist parties in Thailand's general election, putting leader Anutin Charnvirakul in the running to become the first premier voted back to office in 20 years. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/10/asia-pacific/politics/thailand-election-government/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #thailand #southeastasia #anutincharnvirakul
Criminals in Southeast Asia are using inexpensive artificial intelligence tools to target bigger pools of potential victims at high speed, senior officials at Interpol say. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/10/asia-pacific/crime-legal/ai-scam-centers-asia-victims/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #crimelegal #ai #fraud #southeastasia #myanmar #cambodia #organizedcrime #asia
Voters in Bangladesh elect a new government on Feb. 12, but analysts warn their choice is threatened by a coordinated surge of disinformation, much of which originates from neighboring India. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/09/asia-pacific/politics/disinformation-bangladesh-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #bangladesh #misinformation #socialmedia #india #ai
A Hong Kong court sentenced former media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison, giving the pro-democracy advocate the heaviest penalty ever meted out under a Beijing-imposed national security law. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/09/asia-pacific/crime-legal/hong-kong-jimmy-lai-20-years/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #crimelegal #jimmylai #hongkong #china #appledaily #democracy
The Basant, a festival marking the onset of spring that was banned in 2008 after deaths and injuries resulting from stray kite strings, makes a return this year in the Pakistani city of Lahore. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/09/asia-pacific/society/kite-festival-lahore-after-ban/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #society #pakistan #lahore
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's Bhumjaithai Party won a clear victory in Sunday’s general election, raising the prospect that a more stable coalition may now succeed in bringing an end to political instability. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/09/asia-pacific/politics/thailand-anutin-election-win/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #anutincharnvirakul #thailand #southeastasia
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai is set to be sentenced in the financial hub's most high-profile national security case. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/09/asia-pacific/crime-legal/hong-kong-jimmy-lai-sentencing/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #crimelegal #jimmylai #hongkong #appledaily #china