All Asia Pacific
- Long quiet, Japanese youths find their voice in protesting defense reformsYoung people are defying stereotypes of being either apathetic or nationalistic as they take to the streets to argue against government legislation that would loosen constraints on Japan's military.
- Massive China warehouse explosions: At least 50 killedHundreds of people were injured by huge explosions in the Chinese port of Tianjin shortly before midnight Wednesday, which sent out massive fireballs into the sky and shattered windows several miles away.Â
- Korean man set himself on fire at anti-Japan protest. Why?A South Korean man was in life-threatening condition on Thursday after setting himself on fire during an anti-Japan protest in Seoul. The rally was staged ahead of the 70th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II on Saturday that freed the Korean Peninsula from Japanese colonial rule.
- China's yuan slides to four-year low WednesdayTuesday's devaluation sparked fears of a global 'currency war' and accusations that Beijing was unfairly supporting its exporters.
- What does a cheaper yuan do for the global economy?China's surprise move Tuesday to devalue its currency may fan political tensions with the United States and Europe, whose exports could become comparatively costlier.
- Japan to restart reactors, ending ban on nuclear power following Fukushima meltdownJapan remains committed to nuclear power despite the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant and its messy aftermath, for economic, environmental and political reasons.
- North Korea steps 30 minutes backward: Why nations switch time zonesMost countries use hourly offsets from Greenwich Mean Time, but North Korea is stepping 30 minutes out of the mainstream in what it calls a blow against the legacy of colonialism.
- Is plane debris from Flight MH370?Authorities are offering mixed messages on whether a piece of debris found last week belonged to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, creating frustration among the victims' families.
- Former South Korean first lady's visit to North raises hope to ease tensionsRelations between the Koreas have been testy in recent months over the opening of a UN office in Seoul tasked with monitoring North Korea's human rights situation and the North's refusal to release several South Koreans detained there.
- In Taiwan, protests over history textbooks are about the futureHigh-school student-led protests about a revision to history textbooks that serves China's policies are really about youthful unease over closer ties to the mainland - and the rule of the KMT.
- Why Japan's 1945 surrender speech is almost incomprehensibleOn Saturday, the Imperial Household Agency released a digital version of the original 1945 Hirohito speech announcing Japan's surrender.
- First LookMH370 mystery: What clues could recovered debris hold about missing flight?Investigators say a large chunk of plane debris recovered on an island in the Indian Ocean belongs to a Boeing 777 wing. Flight MH370 is the only Boeing 777 known to be missing.
- China claims US 'militarizing' South China SeaChina has been angered by US Navy and Air Force forays through waters it says are its own.
- First LookAirplane debris spotted on beach. Could it be the missing MH370?Malaysian Airlines Flight 370? An official says we won't know for weeks whether the debris spotted off an Indian Ocean island belongs to the missing flight MH370. But the public has its own ideas.
- China: As water demands grow sharply, supply is shrinkingChina has 20 percent of the world's population, and 7 percent of its fresh water. As pressure mounts, officials are pushing conservation reforms such as reforestation and water taxes – and diverting water from the south to the north.Â
- Dark corner of China's rise: A surge in trafficking of childrenSome 250 million Chinese who work in distant industrial cities often entrust their children to relatives. Child traffickers have exploited their vulnerability, leading to calls for further reform of China's rigid household residency system.Â
- Cover StoryWhy Asia is still fighting over World War IIDebates over the sincerity of Japan's contrition for aggression 70 years ago fray ties with South Korea and China – and ensnare the United States.
- FocusChina in the South China Sea: Has Beijing overstepped the mark?A briefing on what China wants: It speaks of a 'peaceful rise' in Asia and of binding the region with liberal markets. But it's creating military bases and throwing sharp elbows far below its own territory.
- Iran-style nuclear deal for North Korea? Kim signals no.The regime of Kim Jong-un says it is already a nuclear weapons state and so can't be considered alongside Iran for talks. Pyongyang blamed its need for a nuclear program on a 'hostile' US policy.
- Beijing's push on South China Sea rattles Pacific nationsThe Philippines today announced a 25 percent military increase to counter China's reclamation projects in the oceans off its shores. Manila says China's claims are illegal and this month argued the case before an international court at The Hague.Â