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Steven TRASK
Marine biologist Teina Rongo on his boat passing the research vessel MV Anuanua Moana in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, on June 12. Mining exploration has left many Cook Islanders such as Rongo fearing deep-sea mining could taint their precious ocean forever.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 23, 2025
The Pacific island nation that wants to mine the ocean floor
Research vessels roam the seas around the Cook Islands in search of deposits of battery metals, rare earths and critical minerals.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Pacific island leaders have agreed to establish up to four regional police training centers and a multinational crisis reaction force.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 28, 2024
Pacific island leaders 'endorse' joint policing plan
The policing plan is seen as an attempt to limit China's security role in the region amid Beijing's efforts to build Pacific influence.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 15, 2024
Opposition figurehead decries China's 'alarming' sway in Solomon Islands
The archipelago is the unlikely focal point of a diplomatic scramble pitting a rising China against Western rivals.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during an event in Pyongyang. Smuggling efforts could be directly linked to the North's military ambitions, analysts have said.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 8, 2023
North Korean smugglers disguised under Pacific island flags
With strict sanctions limiting Pyongyang's ability to import fuel, smugglers have adopted increasingly creative methods.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 19, 2023
Sexual assault claims cast light on Australia's macho politics
The macho nature of Australian politics was highlighted in late 2021 when a scathing review found Parliament House rife with heavy drinking, bullying and sexual harassment.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 20, 2023
Graves sink, fisheries shrink as climate change hits Fiji
Togoru is one of dozens of coastal villages in the Pacific archipelago now confronting the reality of climate change.
Reader Mail
Dec 30, 2007
Korean workers not used as slaves
Regarding Joergen Jensen's Dec. 25 letter, "Japanese aren't the only victims": Koreans were not forced to work as slaves during World War II. Koreans had Japanese nationalities in those days, since Korea had been annexed to Japan in 1910. So they had the same duties as the Japanese had.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan