As Cambodia’s microfinance sector comes under pressure from post-pandemic strain, global fragmentation and a rising number of non-performing loans, transitioning microfinance institutions into banks ...

Malaysia’s affirmative action framework remains organised around ethnic categories that no longer reflect the reality of inequality on the ground. Malaysia’s affirmative action policy, now in its ...

Japan’s deep-sea rare earth breakthrough in February 2026 marks a technical milestone and advances Japan’s broader science and technology agenda, but its contribution to supply chain security remains ...

Indonesia’s One Data Draft Bill promises efficiency by creating a ‘single source of truth’ across government. But centralisation also amplifies privacy, security and democratic risks. While the ...

Kuomintang Chairperson Cheng Li-wun’s April 2026 visit to Beijing has exposed a deepening divide within the party between those who favour closer cross-strait engagement and those who worry the move ...

In Thailand's 2023 elections, the reformist Move Forward Party unexpectedly won the most seats, but a coalition led by the second-placed Pheu Thai Party formed a majority government. Despite the ...

ASEAN’s involvement in the South China Sea dispute began informally and incrementally. As Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, China and Taiwan firmed up their territorial claims, the dispute ...

Since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, India’s commitment to secularism has faced mounting threats — from state-sponsored construction and consecration of temples on disputed ...

Indonesia’s state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina is embroiled in a major corruption scandal that cost the state over US$12.06 billion between 2013–18. Involving top executives, the scandal eroded ...

In the past two decades, crime rates in Japan have steadily reduced, largely due to increased residential time during the COVID-19 pandemic. But recent high-profile cases, including the murder of ...

To survive in the global technological race, Japan must integrate defence and civilian innovation ecosystems that are made up of various stakeholders. The concept of a ‘dual-use startup ecosystem’ was ...

After weeks of violent demonstrations, Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to abdicate in August 2024, ending 15 years of dominant-party rule. The rollback of democratic institutions, ...