Newspapers of Asia, from Tokyo to Karachi

The Asian press online ranges from Japanese giants such as the Yomiuri Shimbun to English-language dailies in India and Pakistan like The Times of India and Dawn, with state media in China and many English editions, free or by subscription.

From imperial gazettes to mass-circulation dailies

China had official court bulletins long before modern printing. In Japan, the Meiji era saw the birth of the great dailies: the Yomiuri in 1874 and the Asahi in 1879. In India, The Times of India first appeared in Bombay as early as 1838.

Which titles carry the most weight in Asia?

The Yomiuri Shimbun and the Asahi Shimbun claim some of the highest circulations in the world, the first more conservative, the second more liberal. The Hindu in Chennai, Dawn in Karachi and The Straits Times in Singapore also serve as national reference titles.

National languages and English editions

Each country publishes in its own language: Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Thai, Vietnamese. English remains widespread in India, Pakistan, Singapore, the Philippines and Hong Kong, which makes reading from abroad much easier for international audiences.

Regional press in India and Japan

In India, regional-language newspapers such as Dainik Bhaskar in Hindi or Malayala Manorama in Kerala reach huge audiences. In Japan, prefectural dailies like the Hokkaido Shimbun dominate locally; see the page on the Japanese press and its dailies.

Apps, portals and super-apps

In Asia, news travels largely through portals and apps: Yahoo! News in Japan, Naver in South Korea, WeChat and Toutiao in China, LINE in Thailand. Independent digital-native outlets, such as Rappler in the Philippines, investigate political life and public affairs.

Xinhua, Kyodo, Yonhap, PTI: the region's agencies

Xinhua is the Chinese state agency, with many bureaus abroad. Kyodo in Tokyo, Yonhap in Seoul and Press Trust of India in New Delhi supply most national wire stories. The Associated Press of Pakistan covers Islamabad and the provinces.

NHK, CCTV, Doordarshan: public broadcasting

Japan's NHK is funded by a licence fee and broadcasts NHK World in English. CCTV and its international arm CGTN belong to the Chinese state. In India, Doordarshan and All India Radio, renamed Akashvani, make up the public broadcasting service.

Chinese, Indian and Filipino diasporas

Asian communities abroad have their own newspapers: a Chinese-language press in Malaysia and North America, and Indian media in the Gulf and the United Kingdom, as described on the page about the Indian press and its editions. Filipino expatriates follow their home channels.

Nikkei, Economic Times and the sports press

The Nikkei, Tokyo's business daily, has owned the Financial Times since 2015. The Economic Times and Mint follow the Bombay Stock Exchange, while Caixin covers Chinese markets. Cricket dominates Indian and Pakistani sports sites, and baseball leads in Japan.

A mixed picture for press freedom

Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have a pluralist press. In China, Vietnam and North Korea, the ruling party controls the media. In Hong Kong, the closure of Apple Daily in 2021 marked a turning point for the city's independent journalism.

Paywalls and free versions

The Nikkei, the South China Morning Post and The Hindu offer digital subscriptions, often with a few free articles. For comparison, the Chinese press online shows the difference between state media and titles from Hong Kong or Taiwan.

Verifying a story from Asia

On tensions between India and Pakistan, read both The Hindu and Dawn. On the South China Sea, compare Xinhua with a Philippine or Vietnamese outlet. Fact-checkers such as Alt News in India and AFP Factuel flag false stories.

Following Asian news from Europe

1. Choose one English-language daily per key country, for example The Japan Times, The Hindu, Dawn and The Straits Times.
2. Add an agency such as Kyodo, Yonhap or Press Trust of India for fast wire stories in English.
3. Watch NHK World or listen to public radio live for a daily bulletin designed for international audiences.
4. Set topic alerts on elections, natural disasters or Asian markets, given the time difference with Europe.
5. Always compare a state outlet with an independent one when a story concerns China or its neighbours.
6. Check the local publication date, since Japanese or Indian articles often appear during the European night.

Access to Asian newspapers online

Key reference points on the press in Asia

• Languages: English for South Asia and Singapore, national languages elsewhere
• Agencies: Xinhua, Kyodo, Yonhap, Press Trust of India
• Public broadcasters: NHK, CCTV, Doordarshan
• Business titles: Nikkei, The Economic Times, Caixin
• Time zones: UTC+5 in Karachi, UTC+5:30 in India, UTC+9 in Tokyo and Seoul
• Subscription currencies: yen, rupee, Singapore dollar or US dollar

Frequent mistakes with the Asian press

• Reading Rodong Sinmun or a Chinese state outlet as an independent source, when they relay the official party position.
• Confusing The Times of India with sites that imitate its name and layout to spread political rumours.
• Sharing old videos of floods or earthquakes presented as recent, a frequent trap in South Asia.
• Relying only on the English edition, often shorter or more moderate than the same paper's national-language edition.
• Forgetting that many foreign sites are blocked in mainland China, which limits local readers' access to outside sources.

Questions about Asian newspapers and media