Asia News Wrap: Corruption scandal hits Japanese government, and more

Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week.

Four cabinet ministers resigned from the Japanese cabinet on Thursday over a fundraising scandal involving the ruling party. More than 500 million yen ($3.4 million) is alleged to be missing from party accounts. Prosecutors have launched a criminal probe into the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s powerful Abe faction, named after late premier Shinzo Abe, and begun questioning dozens of lawmakers over alleged slush funds. 

It is the latest blow to Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's increasingly unpopular government, whose approval ratings have plunged. Public support for the LDP, which has been in power almost continuously since 1955, has fallen below 30 percent for the first time since 2012, an NHK survey showed on Tuesday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno was the most prominent of the four ministers who resigned. Economy and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, Internal Affairs Minister Junji Suzuki and Agriculture Minister Ichiro Miyashita also quit.

A major security breach occurred at the Indian parliament while it was in session on Wednesday when a man jumped into the lawmakers' area from the visitors' gallery and set off a smoke canister. Parliament TV showed a young man wearing a black jacket and dark trousers jump from the visitors' gallery into the lawmakers' seating area in the lower house while a member was speaking, climbing over tables and entering the aisles. He was surrounded by security staff and lawmakers and caught in an aisle as he set off a smoke canister in his shoes, releasing dense white and yellow smoke, lawmakers said. 

Four people, including the man, have been arrested, authorities said. They have been charged under the under anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other sections of Indian Penal Code. The breach happened on the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, that resulted in the death of nine and caused injuries to 18 people.

Smog in Lahore smothered the city's residents this week posing severe health risks. Lahore, historically known as a city of gardens, is now choking with toxic smog. Two areas in the city with good tree cover recorded an AQI of over 500, according to a report in the Dawn newspaper. The report says, "Experts have said that instead of making the environment cleaner, trees in these areas are stopping the dispersal of pollutants and trapping particulates for a longer time. The average air quality in the Polo Ground and FAST University areas was at a hazardous level of 545 and 518, respectively, around 7 p.m. (on Monday), as per IQAir." 

The city's hospitals have been seeing a rush of patients, especially children, complaining of difficulty in breathing. Students have been asked to wear masks. The Lahore Waste Management Company started a citywide cleanup initiative. The drive was announced by caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday.

Social media app TikTok has reopened in Indonesia after it temporarily shut down in October to comply with new rules governing e-commerce businesses. 

The company has now struck a joint venture deal with Indonesian tech giant GoTo to restart its online shopping business in the country. On Monday, GoTo and TikTok announced a "mutually beneficial strategic partnership" in Indonesia to serve micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

Malaysians may have to mask up again as COVID-19 has been spreading rampantly again. Although it is no longer mandatory, medical experts are asking people to take precautionary measures enforced when the pandemic was at its peak. 

According to Director-General of Health Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, the number of COVID-19 cases jumped from 6,796 two weeks ago to 12,757 last week. There have also been nearly a dozen deaths this month.

(Cover: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's office after several ministers were implicated in a political fundraising scandal, Tokyo, Japan, 13 December 2023. /Reuters)