Asian witchcraft
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This article on Asian witchcraft does not deal with witchcraft in the Middle East. For this, see Middle Eastern witchcraft.
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[edit] India
Belief in the supernatural is still strong in certain parts of India, and lynchings for witchcraft are reported in the press from time to time[1]. The state of Orissa has a Witch Prohibition Act that allows for harsh punishment of suspected witches.
[edit] Japan
In Japan, the shamanistic religion Shinto has been widely accepted along with Buddhism, so the Japanese never attached negative connotations to witchcraft.
"Witch" may actually be used with positive connotation in Japanese language as a female with high skills or fame not limited to works of fiction such as manga or anime. Japan women's national volleyball team, which won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, is known in Japan as "Toyo no Majo" (東洋の魔女) or "Oriental Witches". This is actually a slander made by the American commentator who was making live commentary during the final for what he perceived as tricks that enabled them to win.
[edit] In popular culture
Magical girl genre maybe the most commonly known to feature witchcraft, but it appears liberally in any works of fiction where such supernatural power can exist. Evil witch protagonists, borne out of the European concept of witch, are popular; however, their powers rarely stem from worshipping devils.
[edit] Central Asia
Witchcraft has been practised in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan since the 1500s. It is believed that once a human dies their soul is owned by the witch that murdered them.
