Japan
Chip markets swing, the yen wobbles, a shrinking workforce reshapes manufacturing from underneath — an economy that keeps rewriting itself while still setting the regional pace.
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Jun- 2026 -10 JuneEarth
Philippines earthquake kills 38, displaces 32,000 as rescuers reach remote areas
A magnitude 7.8 quake off Mindanao on June 8 marked the strongest to hit the Philippines since 1976, with casualty figures expected to rise as rescue teams access inland communities…
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10 JunePower
Japan is quietly becoming Asia’s third power pole
Tokyo committed to doubling defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027, making it the world's third-largest military spender while building a network of security partnerships across Southeast Asia and…
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10 JunePower
New Zealand stops trusting America. China and Japan fill the gap.
A survey of 2,300 residents found 43% now see China as a friend, up from 38%, while US favorability collapsed from 61% to 39% in a single year, driven by…
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8 JuneCapital
Seoul’s AI boom just erased six months of gains in one day
South Korea's KOSPI plunged 8.29% on June 8 after a strong U.S. jobs report and renewed Iran-Israel fighting triggered a rush for the exits from leveraged tech positions across Asia.
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8 JuneCompass
Full hotels are not profitable hotels in Southeast Asia anymore
Minor International and Accor report revenue per room above 2019 levels, yet rising power and wage costs are eroding margins fastest in Thailand, where Bangkok and Phuket added rooms faster…
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5 JunePower
Japan is arming Southeast Asia with ships tailored to each threat
On June 5, Tokyo and Jakarta agreed to begin talks on transferring used Asagiri-class destroyers—3,500-ton air-defense capable hulls—while offering lighter Abukuma-class ships to Manila, signaling Japan's shift from aid donor…
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5 JunePower
China is recruiting Western spies on LinkedIn. Five Eyes has no answer.
On 5 June 2026, the Five Eyes alliance named China's Ministry of State Security in a joint advisory, but stopped short of naming a single recruited individual or announcing prosecutions.
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3 JuneTech & AI
China’s AI center in Beijing is already writing Southeast Asia’s rules
The ASEAN-China Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation Center opened May 24, embedding Beijing's governance model into regional standards before member states agreed on any enforceable safeguards against autonomous disinformation.
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3 JunePower
Asia’s defence ministers reject US call for more ships, more summits
At Singapore's Shangri-La Dialogue on May 30, Pete Hegseth pushed allies toward 3.5% defence spending while regional leaders argued the real risk is a shortage of trust, not arms—a split…
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3 JuneCompass
Taiwan’s tourism pivot: fewer visitors, higher spending
Inbound arrivals remain 80% below 2019 levels, but Taipei is deliberately chasing premium travellers over crowds, targeting NT$60,000 per visitor by 2030.
