Spiritual Asia (23): Beginning of a spirituality that connects heaven and humanity This is the twenty-third installment of AJP's Spiritual Asia series, which explores the religious traditions, philosophical ideas and moral foundations that have shaped Asia's civilizations. In this concluding chapter of our three-part journey through Japanese Shinto, we examine how a faith rooted in reverence for nature was transformed into an instrument of the modern state, and how it later returned to everyday life. If Japanese Shinto explains Japanese spirituali June 29, 2026

Spiritual Asia (22): Beyond Shinto - rediscovering nature and human spirit This is the twenty-second installment of AJP's Spiritual Asia series, which explores the religious traditions, philosophical ideas and moral foundations that have shaped Asia's civilizations. In this concluding chapter of our three-part journey through Japanese Shinto, we examine how a faith rooted in reverence for nature was transformed into an instrument of the modern state, and how it later returned to everyday life. We have reached the final chapter of our journey th June 29, 2026

Editorial: Look beyond age, judge the crime The South Korean government is considering lowering the age threshold for juvenile offenders exempt from criminal prosecution from 14 to 13, but only for serious violent crimes. The proposal represents a compromise in a debate that has long divided public opinion between those seeking tougher punishment and those defending the existing juvenile justice system. The real issue, however, is not whether the legal threshold should be lowered by a single year. It is whether the justice system shou June 29, 2026

Spiritual Asia (21): Shrines and Matsuri sustain Japanese communities SEOUL, June 27 (AJP) - The second gateway to understanding Japanese Shinto is the shrine, or jinja. Shinto began with a sense of the sacredness of nature. At its roots was the belief that a divine presence dwelled in mountains and seas, forests and rivers, rocks and waterfalls, the sun and the wind. But for the sacredness of nature to enter people’s daily lives, there had to be a place where it could be remembered, enshrined and encountered repeatedly. That place was the sh June 27, 2026

Spiritual Asia (20): The story of Japanese Shinto This is the twentieth installment of AJP's Spiritual Asia series exploring the religious traditions, philosophical ideas and moral foundations that have shaped Asia's civilizations. This chapter turns to Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest living faiths, and examines how its teachings on truth, free will and moral responsibility continue to resonate in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. To understand Japan deeply, you must first underst June 26, 2026

Should South Korea become another Taiwan? South Korea is behaving, more by momentum than by design, as if becoming Taiwan is the goal. Chips already make up 40 percent of the country's exports. Two companies sit behind eight of every ten core memory chips feeding the world's AI accelerators. KOSPI has been the best-performing major index for two straight years running on the back of that concentration. And the government is encouraging Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to expand their footprint beyond the capi June 25, 2026

Spiritual Asia (19): How Confucianism became spirit of East Asia This is the nineteenth installment of AJP's Spiritual Asia series exploring the religious traditions, philosophical ideas and moral foundations that have shaped Asia's civilizations. This chapter turns to Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest living faiths, and examines how its teachings on truth, free will and moral responsibility continue to resonate in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. From the teachings of Confucius to the cultur June 25, 2026

OPINION: Bürgenstock proves Pakistan's new place in world This opinion piece was contributed by Dr. Imran Khalid, a Karachi-based geostrategic analyst and senior fellow at Foreign Policy In Focus - USA. His work centres on international affairs and global security. KARACHI, June 24 (AJP) - Early Monday morning, as Lake Lucerne reflected the first light over the Bürgenstock resort, something unusual happened in the history of American foreign policy. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran declared publicly that "tireless Pak June 24, 2026

Spiritual Asia (18): Mencius and Xunzi, are humans good or evil? This is the eighteenth installment of AJP's Spiritual Asia series exploring the religious traditions, philosophical ideas and moral foundations that have shaped Asia's civilizations. This chapter turns to Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest living faiths, and examines how its teachings on truth, free will and moral responsibility continue to resonate in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. East Asian Political Philosophy Created by Theorie June 24, 2026

Spiritual Asia (17): Establishing Tao of humanity in broken world This is the seventeenth installment of AJP's Spiritual Asia series exploring the religious traditions, philosophical ideas and moral foundations that have shaped Asia's civilizations. This chapter turns to Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest living faiths, and examines how its teachings on truth, free will and moral responsibility continue to resonate in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Analects, Doctrine of the Mean, and Management an June 24, 2026