Asia explained
21 years after disaster helped bring peace to Aceh – has botched Indonesian response to floods reignited calls for independence?
A decades-long insurgency in the Indonesian province ended after 2004’s devastating tsunami. But pro-independence talk is on the rise again.
How South Korea is tackling its super‑aging problem – and what other aging nations can learn from its experience
South Korea’s unusually rapid transition to a super-aged society means it has had little time to find solutions for pension funding and healthcare for the elderly.
How Imperial Japan turned to the sardine to help build a war machine
Dynamite made from fish oil was one weapon deployed by an assertive Japan in the early 20th century
How the development of solar and wind farms on the Tibetan Plateau is affecting local communities
China’s national government policies on energy and economic development are changing pastoral life on the Tibetan Plateau.
A mass killing in the Philippines sparks rare scrutiny over counterinsurgency violence – but no wider reckoning
The Philippines has been engaged in a battle against Maoist insurgents since the late 1960s.
Chinese American teens experience depression, anxiety at higher rates than peers – here’s why their parents may miss the warning signs
After my niece died by suicide, I began researching how Chinese immigrant families feel about their children’s mental health and why they often avoid care.
China’s new 5‑year plan: A high‑stakes bet on self‑reliance that won’t fix an unbalanced economy
The latest blueprint from Beijing stresses ‘self-reliance’ and ‘high-quality development.’ But is that enough to offset weak domestic growth and poor consumption?
How tourism, a booming wellness culture and social media are transforming the age‑old Japanese tea ceremony
Social media has turned traditional Japanese matcha into a commercial trend, though its roots lie in Zen Buddhism. A scholar of premodern Japanese literature unpacks that history.
What a bear attack in a remote valley in Nepal tells us about the problem of aging rural communities
Lack of opportunities are driving young people away from rural villages, leaving fewer people to scare away the wildlife.
What a Chinese crackdown on corruption meant for Beijing’s high‑end restaurant market
In 2012, the Chinese Communist Party introduced new rules on officials’ spending – and the local restaurant trade suffered.