2027 Facts & Figures: ASIA & OCEANIA

In 2025, Sanae Takaichi (above) shattered a political barrier, becoming the first woman to lead JAPAN as prime minister. At 65, Takaichi appealed to younger voters by quoting manga, praising her favorite Japanese rock band, B’z, and speaking candidly about everyday pressures, from rising prices to the stress of being in the public eye.

^{SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES}

SINGAPORE has approved 16 species of insects for human consumption, including several types of crickets (above), mealworms, moths, and honeybees. While insect consumption is widespread across much of Southeast Asia, Singapore previously had no formal framework for permitting the sale of insects for food. The move is part of a broader effort to reduce Singapore’s reliance on imports, which now account for more than 90 percent of its food.

^{SOURCE: SMITHSONIAN}

NEPAL is scrapping its failed plan to clean up Mount Everest. The 11-year-old program aimed to tackle an estimated 55 tons of trash on the world’s highest peak. Climbers had to pay a $4,000 deposit, refunded only if they brought down 18 pounds of waste on their descent. However, climbers typically brought back garbage from lower camps—not from the higher elevations, where the problem is worse. With climbers each producing up to 26 pounds of waste during their expeditions and trash still piling up, officials say the program “failed to show tangible results.”

^{SOURCE: BBC}

Archaeologists in INDONESIA recently discovered the world’s oldest-known cave art—handprints stenciled on limestone about 68,000 years ago. Artists made the prints by pressing hands on cave walls and blowing pigment over them. Researchers found the prints hidden beneath more recent cave wall paintings on Indonesia’s Muna Island.

^{SOURCE: AL JAZEERA}