Society
The culture coming out of Asia-Pacific isn’t a trend — it’s a redefinition of who gets to set the global conversation. The films, faiths, and generational shifts behind it.
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Jul- 2026 -11 July
Filipino domestic workers recruited as surrogates, left unpaid
The Philippine consulate in Hong Kong is investigating allegations that at least five migrant workers were promised up to 1 million pesos to carry pregnancies for Central Asian couples, but…
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11 July
Asia’s workers are demanding wages that governments won’t pay
From Seoul to Bengaluru to Port Hedland, strikes over unpaid wages and wage caps are disrupting mining, healthcare, and garment production across four countries simultaneously.
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5 July
Thailand’s stock exchange rings the bell for LGBTQ+ equality
The Stock Exchange of Thailand became Asia's first bourse to join a global UN-backed campaign promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion, backed by the country's marriage equality law and WorldPride 2030 bid.
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5 July
Young Chinese-Americans are caught between heritage and loyalty
As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, 78% of Asian Americans aged 18–29 report significant discrimination, even as 52% of Chinese-Americans say their ethnicity is central to their identity.
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4 July
Japan’s clean streets run on invisible unpaid labor
Students scrub classrooms, seniors sweep parks for stipends, and neighborhood groups manage garbage—a system now strained by an aging population with fewer hands available.
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Jun- 2026 -17 June
Half of Korean youth watch anime. Crunchyroll is moving in.
The streamer launches localized services in Taiwan this summer and South Korea later in 2026, betting that fans already fluent in the culture will pay for community over catalogue.
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14 June
East Asia’s dating apps cannot fix what economics broke
South Korea's fertility rate hit 0.72 in 2023, Japan's 1.20, and Singapore's 0.97—all far below replacement. State-backed matchmaking schemes are failing because the barrier to children is not romance, it…
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11 June
Asia sent a record nine teams to the World Cup. The money came first.
FIFA nearly doubled Asia's direct qualification slots to eight in 2017, years before a single qualifier kicked off, betting that 46% of the world's avid football fans now live in…
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10 June
Hong Kong is using dogs to keep diners from Shenzhen
The city will issue 1,000 permits from mid-July allowing dogs indoors at restaurants, betting that pet owners—11.6% of households—will spend locally rather than cross the border for cheaper meals.
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2 June
Filipino pop groups are heading to Western festivals. The industry cannot keep up.
BINI played Coachella in April 2026 and SB19 is set for Lollapalooza later that year, but the Philippine music sector's financial infrastructure lags far behind its global fanbase momentum.
