Asia

World News

Obama: U.S. To Defend Japan In Territorial Disputes With China

7:30am April 24, 2014

by Anthony Kuhn

President Obama is in Japan for the start of his four-nation Asia visit. The trip aims to assure U.S. allies that they're not forgotten, even as China gets more bullish with its neighbors.

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President Obama shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before a private dinner at Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo on Wednesday. At Sukiyabashi Jiro, people pay a minimum of $300 for 20 pieces of sushi chosen by the patron, Jiro Ono.

World News

Obama Gets A Taste Of Jiro's 'Dream' Sushi In Name Of Diplomacy

11:06pm April 23, 2014

by NPR Staff

On the first leg of his Asian tour, the president stopped by the iconic sushi restaurant. David Gelb, who directed a documentary about the restaurant, says eating there is amazing and nerve-wracking.

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Abhina Aher was born a boy biologically and is now a hijra, a member of an ancient transgender community in India. Of her painful physical and psychological transformation, Aher remembers now: "I just wanted to become a beautiful butterfly."

World News

A Journey Of Pain And Beauty: On Becoming Transgender In India

9:25am April 21, 2014

by Julie McCarthy

Abhina Aher is a member of the country's storied, yet marginalized, transgender community. Last week, the India's highest court legally recognized the group as a new gender — neither male nor female.

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World News

In South Korea, Ferry Rescue Efforts Yield Only Grisly Results

6:43pm April 20, 2014

by Arun Rath

It's been a grim Easter Sunday in South Korea as the death toll continues to rise from the ferry disaster that left nearly 300 passengers, many of them high school students, dead or missing.

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World News

The Players In The Battle For India's Soul

6:28pm April 19, 2014

The numbers from India's election are staggering: 814 million potential voters, nine stages of voting over six weeks. They are the biggest in the world. Correspondent Julie McCarthy talks with NPR's Arun Rath about the candidates vying for power.

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World News

Many Sunken Ferry Victims Believed To Be Trapped Below Deck

11:10am April 18, 2014

by Anthony Kuhn

The rescue and recovery mission is continuing off the southern coast of South Korea after a ferry capsized earlier this week. More than 200 people are missing. Bad weather is hampering the efforts.

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World News

South Korea Ferry Disaster Sets Rescuers, And Fears, In Motion

8:20pm April 16, 2014

by NPR Staff

Hundreds are missing after a ferry sank Wednesday off South Korea's southern coast. Reporter Jason Strother in Seoul offers details on the latest developments.

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Sad Panda In China Gets Her Own Play Area

4:33pm April 16, 2014

Si Jia got depressed after her only companion moved to another zoo. The staff at the Yunnan Safari Park in southwest China built her a swing and parallel bars. She may get a real friend soon.

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World News

2 Pakistani Musicians Gain Fame Singing Political Satire

7:54am April 10, 2014

by Philip Reeves

In Pakistan, it's too dangerous to print your opinion. So it may be surprising that 2 Pakistani musicians are Internet celebrities after releasing songs lambasting the nation's mullahs and military.

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World News

In China, Hagel Outlines U.S. Approach To Cybersecurity

8:09am April 08, 2014

by Tom Bowman

The U.S. is trying to learn more about China's cyber capabilities. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is revealing more about what America's cyber forces can do, so that China might reveal something too.

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