Blog
Asia Life
Sports, culture and the arts are a passion for billions in the Asia-Pacific, and offer unique insights into what makes countries here tick. From the latest cricket match to prize-winning novels and the latest art exhibitions, The Diplomat's bloggers cover it all, giving you a fresh perspective on the region.
June 10, 2020
Murder Case Sparks a Reckoning With Nepal’s Caste Discrimination
By Aashiyana Adhikari
Caste-based discrimination remains a national tragedy, but one that is rarely discussed.
June 08, 2020
Why Did Pakistan’s Prime Minister Promote a Turkish TV Show?
By Krzysztof Iwanek
Market values and Islamic values: Ertuğrul is a hero that exclaims "Ya Allah" before vanquishing his enemies.
June 05, 2020
Cyberbullying and the Tragedy of Hana Kimura
By Hayden Marks
Governments around the world have struggled to figure out how to best confront and stop online harassment. Japan is no exception.
June 05, 2020
Taiwan to Loosen COVID Social Distancing Restrictions, Announces Global Assistance Measures
By Nick Aspinwall
The country, which has confirmed just 443 cases of COVID-19, is set to ease social distancing seating restrictions in public places.
May 28, 2020
Tokyo Olympics Just Beginning the Race to Reset Themselves
By Associated Press
"If you ask, are we just around the first corner of the 400-meter race, I cannot answer that question," said organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto.
May 19, 2020
Sports Behind Closed Doors: Lessons from the Koreas
By Layne Vandenberg
Post-COVID sports may resemble the October 2019 FIFA World Cup Qualifier between the men’s national teams from North and South Korea.
May 15, 2020
Yoshifumi Kondo, Studio Ghibli’s Forgotten Master
By Kiran Mohandas Menon
25 years after its release, Kondo’s solitary contribution to the revered Studio Ghibli canon remains much beloved.
May 14, 2020
Calgary Zoo Returning Pandas to China Due to Bamboo Acquisition Barriers
By Associated Press
Fresh bamboo is difficult to get in Calgary amid the pandemic, so the loaned pandas will be returned to China.
May 11, 2020
Tibet’s ‘Orphan Super-Mother’ Lost to COVID-19
By Morris Tennyson
Tendol Gyalzur cared for 300 children over a period of 25 years.
May 07, 2020
Thai Elephants, Out of Work Due to Coronavirus, Trudge Home
By Associated Press
An estimated 2,000 tame elephants are at risk of starvation because their owners are unable to feed them.
May 04, 2020
A Goodbye to Bollywood’s Irrfan Khan: A Master Actor That Was Not a Showman
By Krzysztof Iwanek
Irrfan Khan was extraordinary precisely because he managed to stay ordinary.
May 01, 2020
Taiwan’s Language Politics and Tigertail’s Trilingualism
By Layne Vandenberg
Tigertail combines Taiwanese, Mandarin, and English languages to portray the reality of Asian American immigrants and modern-day Taiwan.