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Japan’s DJ Rinoka bobs to the beat as a child prodigy techno artist

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Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain

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Japan’s Eiko Kadono, author of Kiki’s Delivery Service, still believes in the magic of books at 91

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From The Asian Reporter, V36, #7 (July 6, 2026), pages 2, 4 & 20.

Malaysia extends search for MH370 for another year

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia has extended for another year its contract with marine robotics company Ocean Infinity for a deep-sea search in the southern Indian Ocean for the wreckage of a Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared 12 years ago. The cabinet approved the extension of a "no-find, no-fee" agreement with Ocean Infinity until June 30 next year, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said. "This decision is a manifestation of the government’s continuous and unwavering commitment to provide a closure for the next of kin of the passengers aboard flight MH370," he said in a statement. The extension enables Ocean Infinity to complete the remaining 2,868-square-mile search area, after temporarily redeploying its primary search assets to fulfill other commercial contracts, he said. The Boeing 777 plane vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on a flight from Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing. Satellite data showed the plane turned from its flight path and headed south to the far-southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed. An expensive multinational search failed to turn up any clues to its location, although debris washed ashore on the East African coast and Indian Ocean islands. A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing. Malaysia gave the nod last year to Ocean Infinity to renew the search for Flight 370 at a new 5,800-square-mile site in the southern Indian Ocean. Ocean Infinity, which has headquarters both in the U.S. and Britain, will be paid $70 million only if wreckage is discovered. Loke said Ocean Infinity vessels are expected to be redeployed to the MH370 mission between November and April next year, when calmer sea offers the safest and most effective window for the underwater operations.

Hong Kong police arrest booksellers

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police arrested two people on suspicion of selling seditious publications and receiving funds from foreign political organizations, acting under a recent national security law. The government’s statement did not identify those arrested, but local media outlets, including the Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao, quoted unidentified sources saying one was Hunter Bookstore’s owner Leticia Wong. Wong, a pro-democracy former district councillor, who has remained outspoken after many leading activists were jailed under a crackdown following massive anti-government protests in 2019. If confirmed, her arrest would be widely seen as the latest step to stifle dissent in the Asian financial hub. The Associated Press could not independently verify the identities of those arrested. Police did not immediately respond to e-mailed questions. Wong could not be reached by phone. The arrests occurred a week before the 29th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule. Critics say Beijing’s promise to allow the city to maintain its western-style civil liberties after the 1997 handover is increasingly threadbare. According to the statement, the two arrested are in charge of a shop in Sham Shui Po district, where Wong’s bookstore is located. They were detained on suspicion of sedition under the 2024 national security law and of dealing with assets known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offense under a separate law.

7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes off northern Japan

TOKYO (AP) — A powerful earthquake struck off the northern coast of Japan during the morning rush hour last month, but the country’s meteorological agency said there was no danger of a tsunami and no serious injuries were reported. The temblor shook dozens of towns across northeastern Japan and was even mildly felt in the capital of Tokyo. It hit in an area where strong earthquakes have repeatedly been reported in recent months, including one that triggered a weeklong mega-quake caution advisory in December. In the town of Hashikami, a school principal recounted how her car shook sideways when the quake struck as she was driving to work. Children already gathered at the school were safe, she said, though some were crying in fear. The quake — off the eastern coast of the Iwate prefecture — had a magnitude of 7.2, upgraded from an initial reading of 6.9, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Its depth was about 30 miles, the agency said. The U.S. Geological Survey also reported the quake, giving its magnitude as 6.9. Eight people were injured in the northern prefectures of Aomori and Iwate, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Japanese media had no report of life-threatening injuries and the injuries that were reported were mainly from falling or being hit by falling objects. In Tokyo, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that her government’s emergency team is "putting people’s lives first," while assessing information and preparing for relief operations, if needed. She urged residents in the affected regions to use caution against possible aftershocks. Tomoko Nagane, the primary school principal in Hashikami, in Aomori prefecture, told NHK that classes were cancelled for the day and that all children returned home safely. Footage on Japan’s NHK public television showed several towns, including Sendai and Morioka, with the broadcaster’s reporters saying they felt the shaking for a couple of minutes but have not seen any damage. Videos showed people commuting as usual. The East Japan Railway Co., which operates trains in northeastern regions, said some bullet trains and local lines were temporarily suspended for safety checks. Nuclear power plants and facilities, including the Fukushima Daiichi plant which was damaged by the 2011 massive quake and tsunami, and a spent fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, have not reported any abnormalities from the earthquake, government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said. Japan, which sits on what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone areas.

Chinese dissident who fled to South Korea by dinghy is now in Canada

HONG KONG — A Chinese political dissident who fled to South Korea last month in a dinghy has arrived in Canada, his friend said on social media. Dong Guangping was aboard a 10.8-foot inflatable boat in the waters off a western South Korean island in May when he was detained by South Korea’s coast guard for allegedly violating the country’s immigration law. It was his fourth known attempt to flee China. At a court hearing in South Korea, he told reporters that he hopes to go to Canada to reunite with his wife and daughter, who have already been resettled there, according to South Korean media. In a post on X, his friend Sheng Xue, a Chinese Canadian activist, said Dong had landed in Toronto following an Air Canada flight. "He just had a big bowl of noodles with eggs, tomatoes, and shrimps," she wrote in the post, adding that she has spent more than 10 years trying to get him out of China. She attached a photo of Dong in a car with her and another photo of Dong holding a bowl.

Dong, a former police officer in China, has been detained several times for his activism. He lost his job as a police officer in 1999 after he co-signed a letter commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, according to Amnesty International. He was imprisoned for three years in 2001 for "inciting subversion of state power" and spent more than eight months behind bars after being arrested in 2014 for participating in a memorial for victims of the Tiananmen crackdown, according to past statements from Amnesty International. He previously escaped to Thailand and Vietnam, but authorities there deported him back to China. Dong also tried unsuccessfully to swim to a Taiwanese island. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada has not immediately commented.

India seeks to recover Everest climber known as "Green Boots"

NEW DELHI — Indian authorities are seeking to recover the body of a climber known as "Green Boots" from the upper slopes of Mount Everest, nearly three decades after the mountaineer died on the world’s highest peak. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police, an Indian paramilitary force, has begun the process of hiring high-altitude recovery specialists to retrieve what it believes is the body of Dorje Morup from Everest’s northern route in Tibet. Morup was part of a six-member Indo-Tibetan Border Police expedition on Everest in May 1996. As weather conditions deteriorated near the summit, three climbers turned back, while Morup and two colleagues continued their ascent. All three died in the storm that claimed eight lives across multiple expeditions in what was one of Everest’s deadliest disasters at the time. Morup’s remains, widely known as "Green Boots" because of the bright-green mountaineering boots he wore, lie in Everest’s so-called death zone above 26,247 feet. His body has long served as a landmark for climbers on the mountain’s northeast route. The remains are on Everest’s Tibetan side, where access is controlled by Chinese authorities and climbing permits are tightly regulated. China closed the mountain to foreign climbers during the 2026 spring climbing season without publicly explaining the decision. The hiring of the specialists is the first step toward recovering the body, though the operation would still depend on Chinese approval and favorable weather. It was not immediately clear whether the recovery would be carried out by an Indian, Nepali, or Chinese team. Chinese authorities have not publicly commented on the plan. "It is not impossible to retrieve the body from Everest, but the first challenge is getting permission from the Chinese officials and then only can they proceed to bring the body down," said Pemba Sherpa, founder of the Kathmandu-based Xtreme Climbers Treks and Expedition. Nearly 350 people have died while climbing Mount Everest since it was first conquered in 1953. Many bodies are left on its icy slopes because recovery attempts are risky and expensive. Retrieving bodies from the "death zone" is particularly dangerous. Helicopters cannot land at that altitude, forcing teams of experienced Sherpa guides and high-altitude climbers to move bodies down steep slopes on foot while facing avalanche risks, severe weather, and the effects of extreme altitude and low oxygen.

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