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Jakarta Post
Asia & Pacific

Japan opens door to global arms market with overhaul of defense export rules

The new rules end Japan's self-imposed curb on sales of lethal arms as Tokyo seeks to enter the international arms market, hoping to bolster national defence as well as boost economic growth.

44 minutes ago
Asia & Pacific

Scarce food, bleak futures spur Rohingya refugees to gamble with death at sea

Hundreds of Rohingya refugees die en route from hunger or accidents at sea, but the numbers keep growing as shrinking food rations caused by dwindling international aid push yet more to make the dangerous crossing. ...

3 hours ago
Asia & Pacific

Philippines says US access to bases limited by land issues

The Philippines and the US have a 12-year-old Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that allows a rotational presence of American military in Philippine bases without establishing a permanent presence. ...

4 hours ago

The Latest

Asia & Pacific

Japan overhauls decades-old weapons export rules

Japan will ease decades-old arms export rules, the government's top spokesman Minoru Kihara said on Tuesday, paving the way for the sale of lethal weapons overseas.

4 hours ago
Asia & Pacific

China warns joint US, Philippines and Japan drills risk regional trust

"What the Asia-Pacific region most needs is peace and tranquility, and what it least needs is the introduction of external forces to create division and confrontation," Guo Jiakun, a ministry spokesperson, said at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

23 hours ago
Asia & Pacific

US warship passes through Malacca Strait, TNI says

The warship passed through the strait, which borders Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, on Saturday, April 18, Indonesian Navy spokesperson First Admiral Tunggul told Reuters.

1 day ago
Asia & Pacific

US begins Philippines war games amidst Middle East conflict

The war games will feature live-fire exercises in the north of the country facing the Taiwan Strait, as well as a province off the disputed South China Sea, where the Philippines and China have engaged in repeated confrontations.

1 day ago
Asia & Pacific

US begins Philippines war games in thick of Middle East conflict

Thousands of American and Philippine troops, joined for the first time by a significant contingent of Japanese forces, began annual military exercises Monday set against the backdrop of the Middle East war.

1 day ago
Asia & Pacific

Hong Kong allows fire victims to visit ravaged homes

Victims of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades began government-supervised visits to their ravaged former homes on Monday for the first time since the November blaze, looking to retrieve personal items that might have survived.

1 day ago
Asia & Pacific

North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles towards sea off its east coast

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea and Japan said on Sunday, marking the latest in a flurry of launches by Pyongyang to accelerate efforts to boost its military capabilities.

2 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Australia, Japan ink multibillion dollar warship deal

Japan is deepening cooperation with United States allies in the Asia-Pacific region that, like Tokyo, are involved in territorial disputes with China.

2 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Record number of Rohingya refugees died at sea last year: UNHCR

More than one in seven of the estimated 6,500 Rohingya refugees who attempted the sea crossing last year were reported missing or dead.

3 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Myanmar cuts ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi's sentence, frees former president

The sentence has been cut by one-sixth, but it remains unclear whether the Nobel Peace Prize winner will be allowed to serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest, the lawyer said.

3 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Indonesia to send fertiliser to Australia amid shortfall

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the deal, which fills 20 percent of the fertiliser needed for the planting season, was a "significant outcome for our farmers".

4 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Australia to boost defense spending citing growing threats

The new commitment follows pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration for Canberra to boost military expenditure as a share of total annual economic output.

4 days ago
Asia & Pacific

'Transnational repression' worsened last year: report

The rights group recommends countries with democracies should slap sanctions on foreign leaders who favor transnational repression through forced returns of dissidents back to their home countries.

5 days ago
Asia & Pacific premium

Hundreds of Rohingya missing after boat capsizes in Andaman Sea

The trawler, carrying men, women and children, is believed to have sunk in severe weather after leaving Teknaf in southern Bangladesh for Malaysia, amid rough seas and strong winds.

5 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Russia ready to help China with energy ahead of Putin's visit, Lavrov says

The agencies quoted Lavrov as saying that the visit would take place in the first half of the year, while the Vedomosti newspaper cited sources as saying it would be during the week beginning May 18.

6 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Indonesia and US elevate to major defense cooperation partnership

"We are elevating our relationship to a Major Defense Cooperation Partnership, in recognition of the strength and potential of our bilateral defense ties," Hegseth said in a statement on X.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

ASEAN foreign ministers urge US and Iran to push for permanent resolution

Beyond immediate security concerns, ASEAN highlighted the broader implications of the conflict on regional stability, especially on energy and food supplies.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

Australia PM to travel to Malaysia, Brunei for fuel talks

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Brunei and Malaysia to discuss energy and food security, his office said on Sunday, continuing regional efforts to shore up fuel supplies for a nation reliant on imports.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

China offers incentives to Taiwan following opposition leader's visit

China on Sunday unveiled 10 new incentive measures for Taiwan, including easing tourist curbs, allowing in "healthy" television dramas and facilitating food sales, following a visit by the island's opposition leader.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

Mideast war takes a bite out of Filipino street food vendors

Filipinos like their pares (traditional beef stew) served hot -- but the soaring cost of liquefied petroleum gas has made that prospect increasingly difficult since war erupted in the Middle East.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

US, Iran talks extend into second day as strait showdown deepens

In a break with precedent, Iranian and US officials were meeting directly, alongside Pakistan, and not speaking through mediators who shuttled between rooms.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

Prabowo to meet Putin for geopolitics, energy talks

Around 20 percent to 25 percent of Indonesia's crude oil imports are sourced from the Middle East and the government has said it is boosting imports from other places such as Angola and Nigeria to ensure enough supply at home.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

Myanmar president says many challenges ahead, seeks to normalise ASEAN ties

In his inauguration address to parliament, the former junta chief said peace and democracy was his priority, and his government would spur foreign investment, develop agriculture and form effective, long-term strategic plans.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

Philippines unveils new coast guard command in disputed South China Sea

The Philippine Coast Guard unveiled on Thursday its first dedicated command center in the Spratly island chain, a flashpoint in the disputed South China Sea that has been the site of repeated confrontations with Chinese vessels.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

Escaped wolf forces school closure in South Korea

A wolf that escaped from a zoo in South Korea remained at large Thursday, authorities said, prompting a local school to close over safety concerns as the search continued.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific premium

Activists pin hopes on Indonesia to hold Myanmar's new president accountable for genocide

Rohingya activists and legal advocacy groups are pinning their hopes on Indonesia’s new penal code to push forward a genocide case against Myanmar's newly-elected President Min Aung Hlaing, in what they say could be a long-awaited breakthrough for accountability.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific premium

ASEAN leans toward China as Trump worries mount, ISEAS survey finds

Indonesian respondents overwhelmingly indicated a preference for China over the US at 80 percent amid a corresponding regional shift, with the majority of all respondents citing Trump's leadership and Washington's use of sanctions as top concerns.

1 week ago

Today's ePost

Tue, April 21, 2026

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