East Asia

| JAPAN

Sightings and attacks on people are on the rise: already 56 incidents this year, with two people killed. To curb the phenomenon, several municipalities are adopting systems based on video cameras "trained" to automatically detect if the moving figure is a bear and raise the alarm.


The Holy See’s logo at the universal exhibition that will open on 13 April was unveiled. At the Vatican’s section, visitors will be able to admire "The Entombment of Christ" by Caravaggio, brought to Japan from the Vatican Museums. Manga artist Kan Takahama will be one of the "ambassadors" of the Vatican presence at the Expo. For the first time, the Holy Year in Rome will also have a manga-styled mascot.

| 28/10/2024
| VATICAN – JAPAN

For the first time in 15 years, the Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority in parliament in Tokyo. The new premier paid the price for the party's slush fund scandals, which had already caused Kishida's popularity to plummet. Excluding an enlargement of the coalition, the opposition led by Yoshihiko Noda is trying to put up a united front with the centrists. For the first time, the Conservative Party, a xenophobic and revisionist force, will also enter the Diet.

| 28/10/2024
| JAPAN

Over the weekend, police were deployed at sensitive sites across the big city, detaining people wearing masks. Despite the absence of any formal ban, anyone caught with a mask or make-up is at risk. Last year the celebration provided an opportunity to criticise and attack the leadership and policies of the Communist Party of China.

| 28/10/2024
| CHINA

Tomorrow Japanese voters will pick members of the House of Representatives in an early election. The ruling majority is at risk after months of corruption scandals and poor showing in public opinion polls. Inside the LDP, a new leadership contest is developing. Opposition parties are not likely to back a coalition government with the LDP.

| 26/10/2024
| JAPAN

According to international observers, this is a pragmatic truce among long-term rivals. Diplomats from the two countries will resume meetings to manage the border dispute in Ladakh. For India’s Modi, talks with everyone is an opportunity to show himself as a credible leader of the global South.

| 24/10/2024
| INDIA – CHINA
by Silvia Torriti

Trump shows a more aggressive and isolationist approach, Harris is more prudent and inclined to stability. Towards Beijing, a desire to protect national interests prevails on the US side. Over the years, China has softened the tone of ‘wolf-warrior diplomacy’. And it is looking ahead to the 5 November vote without officially exposing itself, although it seems to be betting on the Democratic candidate.

| 24/10/2024
| RED LANTERNS
Editor's choices
 
The government is cutting red tape to boost the economy. Many new Thais have been waiting for their papers for years and now will finally have access to several rights. Without this amnesty, children born to parents from ethnic minorities would have ...
| 31/10/2024
| THAILAND
 
The annual document for Pope Francis on initiatives for the prevention of child abuse was presented today. The Commission calls on local Churches to overcome a “culture of silence, a reluctance to report abuse, and a general lack of education and ...
| 29/10/2024
| VATICAN – ASIA
 
by Dario Salvi
AsiaNews met the bishop of Ha Tinh, in the north of the country, among the participants at the Synod that concludes this weekend. Waiting for the signing of full relations between Hanoi and the Holy See. Faith and spirituality are ‘very ...
| 24/10/2024
| VIETNAM
 
by Gianni Criveller
Th, Fr Gianni Criveller, editorial director of AsiaNews, made the comment following the renewal of the Agreement between the Vatican and Beijing on episcopal appointments. Given the lowkey with which the renewal was announced suggests awareness that ...
| 23/10/2024
| VATICAN – CHINA
 
Set for Friday, 25 October, the ordination in the Chinese capital becomes the first appointment (in agreement with Rome) after the renewal of the Agreement on episcopal appointments, expected in the coming days. The new prelate is 54 years old, just ...
| 18/10/2024
| CHINA – VATICAN
 
by Giorgio Bernardelli
Fr Alberto Berra, a PIME missionary in the city of the first atomic bomb in 1945, speaks about the decision to award the prize to the association that gives voice to the victims who still bear the signs of the explosion from almost eighty years ago. ...
| 11/10/2024
| JAPAN
 
Chosen by the Swedish Academy for her ability to deal with "historical traumas” and “the fragility of human life", the 53-year-old author is the first Korean to win the prestigious award. Alongside "The Vegetarian", her most famous novel, ...
| 10/10/2024
| SOUTH KOREA
 
by Nirmala Carvalho
Francis’s decision to choose George Koovakkad, 51, his close aide in organising papal journeys, and not to the new major Archbishop Thattil, means that in a few months this young priest will be the only cardinal elector of this Church of the Eastern ...
| 09/10/2024
| VATICAN – INDIA
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”