As Taiwan Gears Up For Elections, China, As Always, Looms Large
A summit between leaders of China and Taiwan this Saturday will be the first in more than 60 years. It complicates Taiwan's already high-stakes presidential race.
View ArticleHistoric Handshake: China, Taiwan Leaders Meet For First Time In 66 Years
A meaningful moment in Asia, as the leaders of China and Taiwan sit down for their first direct meeting since the end of the Chinese Civil War.
View ArticleFor Taiwanese Dogs, Being Square Is Stylish
These days, owners are asking for their four-legged friends to be styled as spheres and squares. We visit the Taiwanese grooming shop where the geometric grooming trend took root.
View ArticleEven The Planes Stop Flying For South Korea's National Exam Day
Aircraft were grounded, the stock market opened an hour late and police officers gave free rides to students rushing to Korea's all-important college entrance exam.
View ArticleMalaysian Leader Faces Corruption Scandal As He Prepares To Meet Obama
Malaysia's leader is at the center of a swirling scandal involving millions — if not billions — in missing money. It's complicating a crucial U.S. relationship in Southeast Asia.
View ArticleThere's An Asian Refugee Crisis, Too, And Obama Plans To Spotlight It
As Europe grapples with its refugee crisis, another one is playing out in Southeast Asia. It involves ethnic Rohingya, the largest group of stateless people on the planet.
View ArticleTaiwan's 'Strawberry Generation' Reaches Out To The Young And Trendy
The term is used disparagingly, as in a fruit that's soft and tends to bruise easily. But millennials say they are building a new economy for their own generation.
View ArticleMalaysia Gives Buskers A Stage Of Their Own
Street performers are a common sight in Kuala Lumpur, but they weren't always welcome. An effort to bring buskers together, along with support from the Tourism Ministry, helped change their image.
View ArticleReporter's Notebook: Settling In In Seoul
NPR opened a South Korea bureau in March. Correspondent Elise Hu offers her take on the wonder and the wackiness of life and journalism in East Asia.
View ArticleCivil Rights At Issue In Korea, But Not The Korea You'd Expect
"Every issue that we are facing violates the core principles of democracy," says a South Korean labor leader. The government says it's cracking down to protect national security.
View ArticleWill More Day Care Help Boost Japan's Sluggish Economy?
Greater access to child care is central to Japan's "womenomics" policy. The hope is that more day care will mean more women remain in the workforce after they become mothers.
View ArticleFor Young South Koreans, The North's Nuclear Test Is Barely A Blip
As the world refocuses its attention on North Korea after the rogue nation's fourth nuclear test, in neighboring South Korea, day-to-day life has barely been affected.
View ArticleResponding To Nuclear Test, S. Korea Cranks Up The K-Pop
South Korea is again blaring news, music and propaganda from banks of loudspeakers along the border. At a minimum, it seems to annoy North Korea.
View ArticleNorth Korea Claims It Has U.S. Student In Custody
State media reported that the isolated nation has detained a student from the University of Virginia for "committing anti-republic activities."
View ArticleSouth Korea's Newest TV Stars Are North Korean Defectors
North Korean defectors star on talk shows, dating shows and compete in campy challenges. They're giving South Koreans an unprecedented glimpse of the North's experience. But it's not the full picture.
View ArticleIn The Heart Of Seoul, A Trove Of North Korean Propaganda
Many South Koreans have never heard of it, but a library in Seoul holds a vast collection of North Korean curiosities — textbooks, videos, fiction, even ginseng soap. Much of it can't be checked out.
View Article6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southern Taiwan
Rescue operations are underway in the city of Tainan, on the southern end of Taiwan, after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake shook the area.
View ArticleIn Earthquake-Rattled Taiwan, A Somber Start To Lunar New Year
Taiwanese officials canceled traditional New Year celebrations and instead went to temples to pray for earthquake victims.
View ArticleAs A Japanese Mountain Village Shrinks, So Do Its Prospects For Kabuki
For more than 300 years, children have performed kabuki, Japan's classical theater, in the village of Damine. But as residents age or leave for cities, Damine is running out of young performers.
View ArticleWelcome To Korea: 4,000 U.S. Troops Arrive At A Tense Time
In the weeks between North Korea's nuclear test and rocket launch, 4,000 new American troops have arrived in South Korea. They're still adjusting to challenges, both big and small.
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