All Asia Pacific
- Think you know Japan? Take our quiz to find out.
Japan is an ancient island nation with a rich and varied history. Home to paleolithic peoples, samurai, and robots, Japan has seen competing kingdoms, feudalism, isolation, empire, and a sprint to become one of the foremost economies in the modern world. How much do you know about The Land of the Rising Sun? Put your knowledge to the test in our quiz:
Japan takes cautious tone in dispute with increasingly assertive ChinaJapan's government has been noticeably restrained in its statements about a bitter dispute with China over islets in the East China Sea. Anti-Japanese protests in China have spread to dozens of cities.
Japanese firms brace for violence in China over disputed islandsPanasonic and Canon announced shutdowns in China on Monday, and firms urged expatriates to stay indoors after protests over Japan's purchase of disputed Islands got out of hand Saturday.
As global economy slows, Chinese factory shifts sights from Europe to homeChina's economy has slowed dramatically, as factories produce less – and buy less from the world. At the Kaiyee factory, workers who churned out toys for overseas kids now stitch scarves for Chinese.
Why China, Japan, and S. Korea aren't backing down on island disputesFired up by increasingly nationalist politics at home, China, Japan, and S. Korea are reluctant to be seen as backing down on the issue of sovereignty.
Where is China's Vice President Xi Jinping?The strange disappearance from public view of China's heir apparent Vice President Xi Jinping has puzzled observers.
Could Myanmar's economic reform bring business to war-torn ethnic regions?Myanmar has passed a new foreign direct investment law. Now a cease-fire in the country's war-torn Karen state has some entrepreneurs hoping to attract foreign investment.
Putin on the birds: 'Only the weak ones didn't follow' meSpeaking at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin talked of leading a flock of birds and got in a veiled dig at voters who spurned him.
What happens when you graduate in Hong Kong - and can't speak Chinese?When Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, the government decreed that students be taught in Chinese, not English. But thousands of minorities were suddenly left in the lurch, say activists.
China’s Bo Xilai scandal takes new turn with indictment of ex-police chiefThe former provincial police chief, Wang Lijun, triggered China’s biggest political scandal in two decades.
Clinton in China: The US and China 'are still talking'US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Wednesday with Chinese officials to discuss differences over the conflict in Syria and how best to defuse tensions in the South China Sea.
Korean 'messiah' leaves behind religious and business empireThe Rev. Moon Sun-myung founded the Unification Church, The Washington Times, and a motor vehicle line in North Korea.
In Japan, better with ageA Japanese metal molding company values and cultivates an older workforce.
Clinton to Cook Islands: US cares (more than China)Secretary of State Clinton is visiting the Cook Islands as the South Pacific, long a strategic backwater, attracts new attention amid Washington-Beijing competition for regional influence.
Cook Islands: 5 facts The Cook Islands rarely make the news, but, ahead of the 2012 Pacific Islands Forum this week the Cook Islands announced that it had declared the world’s largest marine reserve. Here’s a quick 101:
The ExplainerWhat's behind the China - Japan island dispute?Elements of the dispute include a Ming Dynasty map, a US treaty, and a fish factory. The following is a basic breakdown.
North Korea makes Paralympics debut. Does it signal a shift?North Korea is participating for the first time in the Paralympic Games, a possible shift for a county were disabled people have faced enforced isolation and abuse.
- A model for conservation in China? The Tibetan antelope
Since the antelope's population plunged to around 70,000 in the early 1900s, its numbers have stabilized at more than 100,000, according to 2009 field estimates by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
- Myanmar removes names from blacklist. What does it mean for reform?
Myanmar’s government has trimmed 2,082 names from its notorious blacklist, but ambiguity over the list and fighting in remote ethnic minority borderlands make some worried about the direction of reform.
FocusUsing Chinese star power to fight ivory poaching in AfricaThe biggest demand for ivory is in China, so conservationists are trying to give Chinese consumers a greater understanding of poaching – with the help of Chinese celebrities like Yao Ming.
