Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on January 10 met with his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim during his visit to the Southeast Asian country, pledging to enhance cooperation in addressing urgent regional and international challenges, including tensions in the East Sea, the Middle East, and the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.

The Malaysian economic forum (FEM) 2025 was held in Kuala Lumpur on January 9 to discuss cooperation orientations and key initiatives for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Malaysia in the coming year.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has instructed ministries and departments to accelerate efforts to tackle PM2.5 air pollution, particularly through halting the purchase of burnt sugarcane, cracking down on vehicles that emit smoke, and strictly controlling construction sites.

Indonesian Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin on January 7 confirmed the detection of cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in the country, but assured the public that the disease is not dangerous.

Malaysia on January 6 launched the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), which focuses on two core pillars – high yield and sustainable tourism.

The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG) reported on January 3 that 2024 is recorded as the hottest year in the Southeast Asian country's history.

The Indonesian government is preparing to implement the mandatory 50% biodiesel (B50) programme in 2026 to stop diesel imports, according to Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia.

The National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) of Indonesia is planning to set up the National Preparedness Centre in West Jakarta this year, according to head of the agency's general affairs bureau Fanfan Infansyah.

The Bank of Thailand (BoT) is planning to improve mobile banking security measures by limiting certain groups of people, such as teenagers and the elderly, from transferring more than 50,000 THB (1,500 USD) per day.

The Indonesian middle class has been shrinking over the past five years, the Jakarta Post reported on December 31.

From Sydney to Mumbai to Nairobi, communities around the world are welcoming 2025. In New York, packed crowds counted down as the ball dropped. This year’s celebration includes musical performances by TLC, Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

The Cambodian government on December 28 decided to reduce e-visa fees for tourists and businesses or ordinary people from January 2025.

Thai auto manufacturers produced 117,251 vehicles in November, down 28.23% from a year earlier, with domestic sales down 40% to 37,229 units and exports down 20.6% to 80,022 units.

The Republic of Korea (RoK)'s Minister of of Trade, Industry and Energy Cheong In-kyo on December 26 said that the RoK-Philippines free trade agreement (FTA), set to take effect next week, will help the country further bolster its trade portfolio and contribute to maintaining a stable supply chain.

Four ride-hailing platforms in Singapore are set to increase fees by 0.5 SGD (0.37 USD) starting January 1, 2025, a move they say is meant to cover costs arising from the upcoming Platform Workers Act.

The Philippines’ outstanding external debt stood at 139.64 billion USD as of the end of September, up 17.5% against the same period last year, its central bank Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has said.

Psoriasis has become a significant health concern in Thailand, with more than 20,000 outpatient cases recorded in 2024. It is now the third most common dermatological condition in the country.

Malaysia-China economic ties have continued to strengthen, with bilateral trade reaching nearly 98 billion USD between January and November, matching the 2023 total trade volume.

The Indonesian government has unveiled a series of economic stimulus packages totaling 827 trillion Rp (51.65 billion USD) for 2025, designed to mitigate economic shocks and address the weakening purchasing power of low- and middle-income groups.

Thailand is expected to apply a minimum corporate tax rate of 15% on big international companies from 2025 in an effort to attract more foreign investment.