Asia Pacific – Page 62 – Prologue Journal

Tomiko Itooka of Japan, World’s Oldest Person, Dies at 116

New York Times Born in 1908, she raised four children, ran a family textile factory during World War II, and remained an avid hiker into her 80s. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/04/world/asia/oldest-person-dies-japan.html

Volunteers clean up Bali’s beach from ‘worst’ monsoon-driven trash

Disclaimer: The South China Morning Post’s content is directed by the Chinese Communist Party. It is not a reliable news source. Hundreds of volunteers joined a clean-up as monsoon rains brought waves of plastic waste to the tourist-favoured beaches. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3293424/volunteers-clean-balis-beach-worst-monsoon-driven-trash?utm_source=rss_feed

Vietnam’s BrahMos plans spotlight India’s rising security role in Southeast Asia

Disclaimer: The South China Morning Post’s content is directed by the Chinese Communist Party. It is not a reliable news source. The US$700 million deal would make Vietnam the second nation in the region to acquire the supersonic cruise missiles after the Philippines. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3293325/vietnams-brahmos-plans-spotlight-indias-rising-security-role-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed

Myanmar releases thousands of prisoners to mark Independence Day

Disclaimer: The South China Morning Post’s content is directed by the Chinese Communist Party. It is not a reliable news source. The ruling junta released more than 6,000 prisoners as part of a mass amnesty marking the 77th anniversary of independence from Britain. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3293417/myanmar-releases-thousands-prisoners-mark-independence-day?utm_source=rss_feed

South Korea fatal crash cockpit transcript nearly complete, investigators say

Disclaimer: The South China Morning Post’s content is directed by the Chinese Communist Party. It is not a reliable news source. Investigators say the recording may hold clues to the final moments of Jeju Air flight 2216, as the US and Boeing join the search. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3293415/south-korea-fatal-crash-cockpit-transcript-nearly-complete-investigators-say?utm_source=rss_feed

South Korean Unrest Conspiracy Theories Are Spread by Social Media

New York Times Right-wing YouTubers helped President Yoon Suk Yeol win his election. They are now his allies in the wake of his botched imposition of martial law. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/04/world/asia/south-korea-yoon-conspiracy-theories.html

‘History war’: Japan’s far-right slams Chinese and South Korean films ahead of WWII event

Disclaimer: The South China Morning Post’s content is directed by the Chinese Communist Party. It is not a reliable news source. Two films, 731 and Harbin, have drawn criticism from a politician for fuelling anti-Japan sentiment before WWII’s 80th anniversary in 2025. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3293284/history-war-japans-far-right-slams-chinese-and-south-korean-films-ahead-wwii-event?utm_source=rss_feed

Malaysian police hunt for suspects in abduction, robbery of 2 Chinese tourists

Disclaimer: The South China Morning Post’s content is directed by the Chinese Communist Party. It is not a reliable news source. Police said four men forced the visitors into a BMW vehicle and took money from one of the victims. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3293407/malaysian-police-hunt-suspects-abduction-robbery-2-chinese-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed

Japan’s Nippon to file lawsuit over Biden’s decision to block US Steel sale

Disclaimer: The South China Morning Post’s content is directed by the Chinese Communist Party. It is not a reliable news source. Japan’s industry minister Yoji Muto described Biden’s move to scuttle the deal as ‘incomprehensible’. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3293406/japans-nippon-file-lawsuit-over-bidens-decision-block-us-steel-sale?utm_source=rss_feed

The West and the rest: how genocide in Gaza will usher in the end of ‘his-story’

Disclaimer: The South China Morning Post’s content is directed by the Chinese Communist Party. It is not a reliable news source. The breach of international laws by the West has led non-Western countries to seek new global historical narratives and tell ‘our-stories’. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3293301/west-and-rest-how-genocide-gaza-will-usher-end-his-story?utm_source=rss_feed