Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has focused his second term in office to implementing an audacious set of economic policies designed to spur the country out of its decades-long deflation and sluggish growth, explains this Backgrounder.

Several high-profile sexual assault cases in India have sparked a national debate over women's rights and the need for social reform in a rapidly modernizing country, explains this Backgrounder.

As the United States pivots to Asia, disputes over territories in the South China Sea have escalated tensions and threatened regional stability.

Reviving Japan's economy from its two-decade-long slump is key to stabilizing the country's political environment, says expert Gerald Curtis.

China's ruling party is in the midst of a major transition, raising new questions about the future of the rising superpower. This Backgrounder examines the party and its governing challenge.

China remains Pyongyang's biggest trade partner and arguably has most leverage on Kim Jong-Il's regime. But the relationship is a difficult one, experts say.