Top Asian News 3:23 a.m. GMT

A crucial party election Friday will determine Japan’s new prime minister

TOKYO (AP) — A crucial party election in Japan on Friday will determine the nation’s new prime minister. The vote by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will technically choose a new party leader, but since the party has a decades-long stranglehold on power, the winner will become prime minister when the current leadership resigns on Tuesday. The current p rime minister, Fumio Kishida, has been dogged by corruption scandals, and his party is looking for a fresh leader to try to regain public trust. A record nine lawmakers, including two women, are vying for the job. The vote is limited to LDP members of parliament and about 1 million dues-paying party members.

Hong Kong court sentences editor to 21 months in jail in a case seen as a barometer of press freedom

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court sentenced a former editor of a shuttered news publication to 21 months in prison on Thursday in a sedition case widely seen as an indicator of media freedom in the city, once hailed as a beacon of press freedom in Asia. A second editor was freed after his sentence was reduced because of ill health and time already served in custody. Former Stand News editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam are the first journalists convicted under a colonial-era sedition law since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

South Korea sets a compensation plan for dog meat farmers before the 2027 ban

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea announced plans Thursday to compensate farmers and others in the country’s dwindling dog meat industry before a formal ban goes into effect in 2027, a move that is drawing opposition from both farmers and some animal rights activists. South Korea’s parliament passed a landmark bill in January that will ban slaughtering, breeding or selling dog meat for human consumption after a three-year grace period. It will be punishable by 2-3 years in prison. The Agriculture Ministry said that farmers would receive compensation starting from 225,000 won ($170), and rising up to 600,000 won ($450) per dog if they agree to shut down their businesses early.

New Chinese nuclear attack submarine sank during construction, US defense official says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Satellite imagery showed that China’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine sank alongside a pier while under construction, a senior U.S. defense official said Thursday. China’s first Zhou-class submarine sank likely between May and June, when satellite images showed cranes that would be necessary to lift it off the bottom of the river, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details about the submarine loss. China has been building up its naval fleet at a breakneck pace, and the U.S. considers China’s rise one of its main future security concerns. The Chinese Embassy in Washington on Thursday said it was “not familiar with the situation” and it did not have information to provide.

Australian treasurer welcomes Chinese efforts to stimulate economy during Beijing visit

BEIJING (AP) — Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Friday welcomed Chinese efforts to stimulate its slowing economy, noting that its recent weakness has hurt Australia. Chalmers was wrapping up a two-day visit to Beijing, the first to China by an Australian treasurer in seven years, as strained bilateral relations mend. He told reporters that Australia’s economy was slowing because of global economic uncertainty, high interest rates and China’s slowdown. “Those three things are combining to slow our own economy considerably and when steps are taken here to boost economic activity and to boost growth in the Chinese economy, subject to the details that will be released in good time, we see that as a very, very good development for Australia,” Chalmers said.

Japanese court acquits the longest-serving death row inmate of a 1966 quadruple murder

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court found an 88-year-old former boxer not guilty on Thursday after a retrial for a 1966 quadruple murder, reversing a decision that made him the world’s longest-serving death row inmate. Iwao Hakamada’s acquittal by the Shizuoka District Court makes him the fifth death row inmate to be found not guilty in a retrial in postwar Japan, where prosecutors have a more than 99% conviction rate. The case could rekindle a debate around abolishing the death penalty in Japan. The court found that evidence was fabricated and planted by investigators and that Hakamada was not the culprit, his lawyer Hideyo Ogawa said.

Pakistani police are responsible for killing a doctor held in a blasphemy claim, the government says

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s government said Thursday that police had orchestrated the killing of a doctor who was in custody after he was accused of blasphemy. Officers then lied about the circumstances of his death, claiming he was killed in a shootout between police and armed men, a provincial minister said. The statement marks the first time the government has accused security forces of what the doctor’s family and rights groups have said amounted to extrajudicial killing carried out by police. The doctor, Shah Nawaz, from the southern Sindh province, had given himself up to police last week in the district of Mirpur Khas, following assurances that he would be given a chance to prove his innocence.

A new pair of giant pandas gifted by Beijing arrives in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong welcomed a new pair of giant pandas gifted by Beijing on Thursday with a lavish ceremony, raising hopes for a boost to the city’s tourism. An An and Ke Ke are the third pair of giant pandas to be sent to the city from mainland China since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Their arrival came after their new neighbor, Ying Ying, gave birth to twins last month and became the world’s oldest first-time panda mother on record. The newcomers bring the Ocean Park panda population to six, including the father of the twins, Le Le.

What to know from the UN: Before Netanyahu speech, 2 leaders denounce Israeli actions to their peers

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The topics of Israel’s war with Hamas and fighting in Lebanon have dominated speeches at the U.N. General Assembly’s meeting this week. On Thursday, one side finally got the podium — including a moment of drama amid the ocean of words from the world’s leaders. The first words from MAHMOUD ABBAS, head of the Palestinian Authority, were a single sentence repeated three times: “We will not leave. We will not leave. We will not leave.” Abbas used the rostrum of the U.N. General Assembly as he typically does — to criticize Israel. But this was the first time he did so since the Oct.

The UN’s nuclear chief says the world needs to pursue dialogue with North Korea over nuclear weapons

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The world must recognize that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons and pursue dialogue despite its violations of U.N. sanctions and international law, the United Nations’ nuclear chief said Thursday. In an interview with The Associated Press. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, wondered whether slamming the door on Kim Jong Un’s government has solved anything — “or are we, on the contrary, exacerbating the conditions for a situation that may go out of hand?” He said North Korea’s nuclear program should be condemned for violating Security Council sanctions and international law. But there has been no international engagement since 2006 when the country became “a de facto nuclear weapon possessor state” and since then its nuclear program has expanded significantly.