AJA Newsbites is a curated roundup of major news and developments from across Asia, brought to you by members of Asia Journalist Association (AJA)
Lee Sang-ki, THE AsiaN, Korea
U.S. President Donald Trump met with the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea during his visit to Tokyo’s Akasaka Palace on October 28, accompanied by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Shaking hands with each family member, Trump said, “I remember these beautiful faces. America will stand with you to the end.”
The U.S. State Department reaffirmed its support for Japan’s efforts to resolve the abduction issue and condemned North Korea’s human rights abuses. Trump also hinted that he may raise the abduction issue in a possible future meeting with Kim Jong-un.
Analysts highlighted the symbolic significance of the meeting, noting that no South Korean president has ever publicly demanded the return of abductees.
Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News Online, Cambodia
Cambodia and South Korea have pledged to continue strengthening their joint cooperation to more effectively prevent, suppress, and combat crimes involving Koreans in Cambodia, with the aim of maintaining and protecting security, public order, and social safety.
During their meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung committed to establishing a Cambodia–Korea Joint Working Group in November to enhance cooperation between the relevant authorities in tackling crimes involving Koreans in Cambodia, including cybercrime.
“We also agreed to jointly and widely disseminate information about the positive outcomes of cooperation between our two sides,” Hun Manet wrote on his Facebook page. He added that both nations agreed to highly value the relationship between Cambodia and the Republic of Korea, which was re-established in 1997 and elevated to a strategic partnership in 2024, noting that the partnership has grown stronger and deeper, with significant progress in almost all areas of cooperation.
Bhanu Ranjan, Asia Journalist Association, Bangladesh
A delegation from Japan’s National Business Support Combined Cooperatives (NBCC) met with the Chief Advisor to the Interim Government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, to brief him on the progress made in recruiting 100,000 skilled workers from Bangladesh.
According to a press release from the Chief Advisor’s Press Wing, a 23-member NBCC delegation met the Chief Advisor at the State Guest House Jamuna on Sunday evening. Expatriate Welfare and Employment Advisor Dr. Asif Nazrul and Principal Coordinator for SDGs to the Chief Advisor, Lamia Morshed, were also present at the meeting.
The National Business Support Combined Cooperatives is a Japanese business federation comprising more than 65 companies. It recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh to facilitate the recruitment of skilled Bangladeshi workers.
Under the agreement, a framework will be established for the training, certification, and employment of Bangladeshi workers in Japan. Over the next five years, more than 100,000 workers are expected to be recruited through programs such as the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) and the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) scheme.
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