Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

WASHINGTON (AP) - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sought to reaffirm her alliance with President Donald Trump on Thursday after the president this week seemed to complain that Japan was among the nations that did not join his call to help protect the Strait of Hormuz. Takaichi, who met with Trump at the White House, told the Republican president that Japan has opposed Iran's development of its nuclear program and appealed to his desire to be seen as a peacemaker, despite launching a war of choice with Iran, by telling him through an interpreter: "Even against that backdrop, I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world."

NEW DELHI (AP) - Countries in Asia are scrambling to conserve energy and protect consumers as the war on Iran and attacks on gas fields and oil refineries disrupt critical supplies, rattling markets and driving up prices. The crisis is hitting Asia hardest because of its heavy reliance on imported energy, much of which is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, a key choke point now under strain. Only about 90 vessels - mostly Indian, Pakistani and Chinese-flagged - have made it through the strait since the beginning of Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran, and Iran's strikes against Israel and Gulf Arab neighbors, on Feb.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - BTS will stage its long-awaited comeback concert on Saturday night at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square, one of South Korea's most famous landmarks that represents its royal heritage and political and cultural life. In a free concert expected to draw tens of thousands of fans, the K-pop juggernaut's seven members, all South Koreans, will perform songs from their first album in nearly four years, "ARIRANG," whose title is taken from the most beloved traditional folk tune on the Korean Peninsula. "'ARIRANG' is an album that embodies the origin and identity of BTS and carries the message that they want to convey now," Hybe Corp., the parent company of BTS' management agency, said in response to questions by The Associated Press.

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - Heavy rains and strong winds lashed Pakistan's largest city overnight, killing at least 15 people and injuring several others as walls and roofs collapsed at multiple locations, emergency services and hospital officials said Thursday. The storm that began Wednesday continued into the night in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province. Authorities advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel. At least 15 bodies were brought to the city's main hospital. More than two dozen people were injured and treated at hospitals after weather-related incidents, police surgeon Summaiya Tariq and emergency officials said. The storm also uprooted roadside trees and disrupted traffic, according to rescue officials and police.

ISLAMABAD (AP) - A key outlawed Pakistani militant group behind numerous gun and bomb attacks announced a three-day ceasefire early Thursday ahead of a key Muslim holiday, hours after Pakistan and Afghanistan also declared a temporary pause to escalating fighting. No exchanges of fire were reported, marking the first lull since late February, when clashes erupted. Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, said the ceasefire was intended to allow people to observe Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The TTP, which is separate from but allied to the Afghan Taliban, has stepped up attacks inside Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.

HONG KONG (AP) - An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades heard accounts Thursday about how a series of failures contributed to the 2025 blaze that engulfed seven buildings and killed 168 people as hearings in the case got underway. Former residents and relatives of the dead have been waiting for answers since November 2025, when the fire shattered the close-knit community of Wang Fuk Court, which housed thousands of people in the suburban district of Tai Po. In his opening remarks, committee lead lawyer Victor Dawes said the most likely cause of the fire was cigarettes that lit other materials on fire on a platform in an air shaft between two low-level units in Wang Cheong House.

HONG KONG (AP) - Lawmakers in China's casino city of Macao unanimously passed a law Thursday that would allow closed-door trials in cases where authorities decide that public proceedings would harm national security. The legislation adds new authority to a national security committee in Macao, which is a special administrative region of China along with neighboring Hong Kong. Critics say authorities in both cities have been strengthening their powers over political expression in recent years. Under the new Macao legislation, if judges and the city's national security committee both decide that hearing a case publicly could harm national security, judges can hold proceedings behind closed doors.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia's richest man, Michael Bambang Hartono, who helped turn the Djarum cigarette company into one of the country's largest business empires, died Thursday. He was 86. Hartono died at a hospital in Singapore on Thursday afternoon, the Djarum Group said in a statement. "With deep sorrow, the extended family of PT Djarum announces the passing of one of our company's leaders, Michael Bambang Hartono," the statement said. "We extend our gratitude for his dedication and service." The family has not revealed the cause of his death. He had previously acknowledged suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a heart attack.

BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese province has launched a crackdown on the fentanyl trade - a contentious issue in U.S.-China relations - arresting seven people and shutting down more than 200 websites in recent months, state media reported Thursday. The announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would postpone a highly anticipated trip to China because of the Iran War. Trump has used tariffs to try to pressure China to do more to stem the export of fentanyl precursors - the chemical ingredients that go into the synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually in the U.S.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - Bangladesh's capital Dhaka hums with work and noise. Now, it is beginning to empty. Millions of internal migrants are preparing to return home for Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan. A child dressed in celebratory bright pink rides atop a sea of people trying to board a ferry. The overnight boats glow with bright signs bearing the names of destination cities that travelers call home. At Dhaka's railway stations, the rush is equally chaotic. Travelers squeeze through narrow windows while others climb onto train roofs. Families carry bags over their heads that are packed with gifts for parents, siblings and neighbors.