K-pop star Jin is the first of the BTS group to enlist for mandatory military service. His boot camp is located near the North Korean border.

The Japanese government is planning to offer couples extra money for having children, but with costs rising steeply and wages static, that is unlikely to be an adequate incentive, say experts.

Asking someone you just met how old they are might be impolite in many cultures, but in South Korea, it's one of the first questions people ask each other. Why is knowing someone's age so important for South Koreans?

For the first time in five years, several North Korean drones violated the South's airspace, according to Seoul. The incident comes after a record pace of North Korean weapons demonstrations this year.

South Korean officials declared the import of "full-body" sex dolls was allowed, but child-like dolls would still be banned. Importers said the decision was "reasonable."

On Monday, North Korean drones flew above various South Korean cities prompting Seoul to scramble fighter jets and attack helicopters. Seoul apologized for not shooting down the North's drones.

Heavy snowfalls batter north, northeast of Japan

Weeks after Tokyo announced a doubling of military spending, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida traveled to Washington to boost security ties. The rising threats of China, North Korea and Russia topped the agenda.

A weekly news show produced with photos, videos and personal accounts from France 24 Observers around the world - all checked by our staff here in Paris.

Public anger is growing after a Tokyo court ruled that despite seismologists' warnings, TEPCO officials could not have anticipated the powerful earthquake and tsunami of March 2011.

Although Japan is the only G7 country where same-sex marriages are illegal, there have recently been some positive changes for the LGBT community. Last November, Tokyo's metropolitan government introduced partnership certificates that entitle gay couples to certain public services that were once reserved for straight couples.

Japan faces an existential threat with its birth rate at an all-time low, yet the island nation has still to fully embrace immigration as a solution to the population decline. To tackle the problem, the government has slowly turned to bringing in foreign workers. We take a closer look.