Top Asian News 3:01 a.m. GMT

Threatened by Trump tariffs, Japan walks a delicate tightrope between US and China

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just as Japan’s top trade negotiator traveled to Washington for another round of tariff talks last week, a bipartisan delegation bearing the name of “Japan-China Friendship” wrapped up a visit to Beijing. A week earlier, the head of the junior party in Japan’s ruling coalition was in Beijing delivering a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addressed to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Details of the letter are unknown, but the two sides discussed U.S. tariffs in addition to bilateral issues. Among all U.S. allies being wooed by Beijing in its tariff stare-down with Washington, Japan stands out.

India’s leader Modi touted all was well in Kashmir. A massacre of tourists shattered that claim

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Hundreds of Indian tourists, families and honeymooners, drawn by the breathtaking Himalayan beauty, were enjoying a picture-perfect meadow in Kashmir. They didn’t know gunmen in army fatigues were lurking in the woods. When the attackers got their chance, they shot mostly Indian Hindu men, many of them at close-range, leaving behind bodies strewn across the Baisaran meadow and survivors screaming for help. The gunmen quickly vanished into thick forests. By the time Indian authorities arrived, 26 people were dead and 17 others were wounded. India has described the April 22 massacre as a terror attack and blamed Pakistan for backing it, an accusation denied by Islamabad.

Iran’s top diplomat in Pakistan to mediate in the escalation with India over the Kashmir attack

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister held talks with top Pakistani officials on Monday to try and mediate in the escalation between Islamabad and New Delhi after last month’s deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, as the United Nations urged both sides to exercise restraint. Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Islamabad was the first by a foreign dignitary since tensions flared in the wake of the April 22 massacre of 26 people, most of them Indian Hindu tourists, in the town of Pahalgam, which India blames on Pakistan. Islamabad denies the accusation. Tehran has offered to help ease tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

India and Pakistan face off over Kashmir attack. Here’s where the rivals stand

NEW DELHI (AP) — India and Pakistan are scrambling resources both military and diplomatic to respond to a crisis triggered by a massacre in Indian-controlled Kashmir that has heightened fears of a conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals. India blames Pakistan for backing the gunmen behind the April 22 killing of 26 people, most of them Indian Hindu tourists, and has described it as a terror attack. Islamabad denies the charge. Both countries have expelled each other’s diplomats and nationals, as well as closed their borders and shuttered airspace. India has also suspended a critical water-sharing treaty with Pakistan. A Pakistani minister last week said his country had “credible intelligence” that an Indian strike was imminent.

US and Philippine forces cancel ship-sinking drill after World War II-era target prematurely sinks

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A World War II-era Philippine navy ship to be used as a target in a combat exercise by American and the Philippine forces accidentally sank Monday hours before the mock assault, prompting the drill to be cancelled, U.S. and Philippine military officials said. The BRP Miguel Malvar, which was decommissioned by the Philippine navy in 2021, took on water while being towed in rough waters facing the disputed South China Sea and sank about 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) off the western Philippine province of Zambales. Nobody was onboard when the ship listed then sank, the Philippine military said.

Cambodian court convicts prominent politician of incitement in latest legal move to stifle opponents

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A Cambodian court on Monday convicted a prominent opposition politician of incitement and sentenced him to four years in prison, in the latest legal move to stifle criticism of the government of Prime Minister Hun Manet. Rong Chhun, a top advisor to the newly formed Nation Power Party, was found guilty of inciting social unrest related to his political activity for meeting with villagers displaced by government construction projects, including the new Phnom Penh International Airport. In addition to the prison term, he was barred from running for office and from voting. The 56-year-old had denied the incitement charge, saying all he did was post photos of himself with the villagers and comments on Facebook.

A giant sculpture of Gandalf riding an eagle departs Wellington airport for good

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — For more than a decade, passengers at New Zealand ’s Wellington Airport have boarded flights below the figures of two giant, hovering eagles from the Hobbit films, one bearing a bellowing wizard Gandalf. With 50-foot (15-meter) wingspans and weighing 2,600 pounds (1.1 ton) each, the sculptures that hover in the terminal have delighted tourists and scared children since 2013. Their tenure was eventful — one became unmoored from its fixings during a severe earthquake in 2016, and plummeted onto the terminal floor below. No one was hurt. But this month the majestic creatures, which underscore the capital city’s connection to Peter Jackson ’s “Lord of the Rings” and Hobbit films, will depart the terminal for good, Wellington Airport announced Monday.

Japan’s retired former emperor is to be hospitalized for heart tests, Japanese media say

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Emeritus Akihito will undergo heart tests at a hospital after an unspecified problem was detected during a routine checkup, Japanese media reports said Monday. The Imperial Household Agency did not answer calls to its office on Monday, a national holiday, to confirm reports by the Kyodo News Service and several other Japanese media. Akihito, 91, who is retired, is the father of Emperor Naruhito. He abdicated from the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019. Kyodo said Akihito will be hospitalized, starting Tuesday, at the University of Tokyo Hospital. Other details were not immediately available. Akihito had heart bypass surgery in 2012.

Trump’s trade demands go beyond tariffs to target perceived unfair practices

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The Trump administration says the sweeping tariffs it unveiled April 2, then postponed for 90 days, have a simple goal: Force other countries to drop their trade barriers to U.S. goods. Yet President Donald Trump’s definition of trade barriers includes a slew of issues well beyond the tariffs other countries impose on the U.S., including some areas not normally associated with trade disputes. Those include agricultural safety requirements, tax systems, currency exchange rates, product standards, legal requirements, and red tape at the border. He’s given countries three months to come up with concessions before tariffs ranging from 10% to more than 50% go into effect.

Crowds flock to celebrate the century-old Bun Festival in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (AP) — Crowds flocked to the outlying Cheung Chau Island in Hong Kong to celebrate the Bun Festival, held each year in a century-old tradition to ward off evil and pray for peace and blessings. The festivities began with a parade of children in costumes, called “Piu Sik,” which translates as “floating color.” Children dressed as legendary deities or historic characters are carried on stands above the gathered crowds, meandering through the island’s narrow lanes. The highlight of the festival comes at midnight with a “bun-scrambling” competition, where climbers race up a tower covered with plastic buns. Whoever gets the most buns of greatest value wins the race.