at 18:30 (JST), September 14

Asian View

"Asian View" is a five-minute news segment broadcast by NHK WORLD-JAPAN. It features the latest news and deep analysis from Japan and the rest of Asia. Listen to "Asian View" and get the latest information from a region that's playing an increasingly important role in the world.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20210914183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : NHK approval
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210913_28/

NHK's latest poll shows the approval rate for Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide's Cabinet at 30 percent, up 1 percentage point from last month. The disapproval rate dropped by 2 points to 50 percent.

NHK conducted the telephone survey over the weekend. More than 1,200 people provided answers.

Asked about the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, a total of 44 percent expressed a positive view, while 53 percent gave a negative assessment.

The government has decided to ease coronavirus restrictions on certain conditions, based on the progress of the country's vaccination program.

As for the timing of the decision, 18 percent said it was appropriate, 37 percent said it was too early, and 36 percent said it was too late.

Prime Minister Suga says the government plans to finish inoculating all citizens who want to receive shots by October or early November.

Asked about the current status of the vaccination campaign, 29 percent said the rollout is proceeding smoothly, while 63 percent said it is slow.

Key words : international legal myanmar
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210914_06/

An international team of legal experts is warning that serious crimes and violations of international law continue to be committed in Myanmar.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, or IIMM, reported to a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.

The IIMM was set up by the human rights council in 2018. Its members have been investigating human rights abuses in Myanmar, including oppression imposed on citizens by security forces.

IIMM head Nicholas Koumjian said the team has collected "over 219,000" information items since the military coup in February.

Koumjian said that "the evidence shows security forces acting in a coordinated manner across different regions, systematically targeting specific categories of persons, such as journalists and medical professionals." He said many thousands have been detained without due process of law.

Koumjian also said the team has used open-source information as well as pictures and movies collected from the public. He added that the IIMM will continue to do all it can to collect evidence of the most serious international crimes.

The IIMM chief told NHK that "there are people inside Myanmar who provided information and I'm sure they have more information that they can give us, but they are not safe now inside Myanmar." He said that the IIMM needs to try to find ways to keep those people safe.

Key words : pro-democracy macao
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210913_27/

Pro-democracy members of Macao's Legislative Assembly have lost their seats after an election in which they were not allowed to run for being "disloyal" to the government.

Voter turnout in the ballot held on Sunday was 42 percent, the lowest since Macao was returned to China from Portugal in 1999.

Electoral officials said in July that 21 would-be candidates, including pro-democracy members of the assembly, had failed to uphold the Basic Law, which is effectively Macao's constitution. This barred them from running in Sunday's election.

Democracy advocates previously had limited influence, holding a maximum of about four seats. Their absence from the roster of candidates in the poll highlights the hardline stance of the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping with regard to dissidents.

The Legislative Assembly consists of 33 seats. Fourteen members are directly elected by the public, and the remaining 19 are chosen by indirect vote by various professional blocs and appointed by Macao's chief executive.

In Hong Kong, which is under the same "one country, two systems" framework as Macao, the electoral system has been revised in line with orders from Beijing. A committee now determines whether potential candidates will be allowed to run for seats in the Legislative Council there based on the territory's national security law.

The next Legislative Council election in Hong Kong is scheduled for December.

Key words : qatar afghanistan reconciliation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210913_20/

Qatar sent a delegation to Kabul at the weekend. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani is thought to be the first foreign diplomat to visit Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power.

Qatar has longstanding ties with the Taliban. The group has a political office in the capital, Doha.

Sheikh Mohammed held talks on Sunday with the Taliban's acting prime minister, Mullah Hasan Akhund.

The Taliban say the two sides discussed humanitarian aid and economic reconstruction.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry says Sheikh Mohammed urged the interim authority to work with all Afghan parties for national reconciliation.

The Taliban are believed to be aiming to win support from Qatar for their provisional government. But the international community is concerned that the administration consists exclusively of members of the Taliban.

Key words : international community pledge
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210914_04/

The United Nations has held a conference on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Participating countries have collectively pledged a total of more than 1 billion dollars.

Representatives from governments around the world took part in the ministerial-level conference in Geneva on Monday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Afghans are facing "perhaps their most perilous hour" after decades of war and suffering.

He said, "this conference is not simply about what we will give to the people of Afghanistan. It is about what we owe."

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, spoke to participants online from Kabul to warn of a "much greater displacement" of Afghans. He said, "this may happen very soon."

During the meeting, the United States pledged nearly 64 million dollars in new humanitarian aid. But the country expressed its misgivings about the Taliban's control of Afghanistan, with its representative saying there were reports of the group blocking the delivery of aid.

A Chinese delegate insisted that the international community can play a role in the peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan by respecting the country's sovereignty. Beijing pledged to send food, vaccines and other supplies.

Japan announced that it is ready to provide 65 million dollars in new assistance.

Key words : hitachi
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210914_13/

Japanese electronics giant Hitachi says it wants its entire supply chain to be carbon neutral by fiscal 2050.

Hitachi says it released about 72 million tons of carbon dioxide in fiscal 2020, through sourcing raw materials and manufacturing its products.

The company says over 90 percent of those emissions came from suppliers and other business partners.

Hitachi had already announced it was targeting carbon neutrality in its own factories and offices by the end of fiscal 2030.

Group-wide, Hitachi has one of the biggest supply chains in Japan. It does business with about 30,000 companies.

Hitachi says it will first compile a strategy with roughly 800 firms that make up 70 percent of its transactions in value terms.

The group also plans to use advanced energy management systems to hit its targets.

Hitachi is following the lead of financial groups Sumitomo Mitsui and Mitsubishi UFJ, both of which are aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050 in the firms they invest in or lend to.

Key words : south partially
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210913_26/

South Korea's Supreme Court has partially rejected an appeal put forward by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries against the seizure of its assets in a wartime labor lawsuit.

A ruling by the Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Mitsubishi Heavy to compensate South Korean women who say they or their relatives were forced to work for the company under harsh conditions during World War Two.

Following the order, the plaintiffs filed requests that the patents and trademarks Mitsubishi has in South Korea be seized. A district court accepted the requests.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries filed appeals against the decisions given to each of the plaintiffs.

The Supreme Court sent papers to the company on Monday to notify its decision to partially turn down its appeal. Legal proceedings to sell the assets are continuing.

The Japanese government says any right to claims was settled completely and finally in 1965, when Japan and South Korea normalized ties.

The government argues that the compensation orders to Japanese firms and the legal proceedings are in breach of international law, and is urging South Korea to rectify the situation.

Key words : oldest respect
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210914_02/

A 118-year-old Japanese woman was celebrated ahead of Respect for the Aged Day in Japan. She is recognized as the world's oldest living person by Guinness World Records.

Tanaka Kane was born in 1903. She lives in an elderly care facility in the city of Fukuoka in southwestern Japan.

Tanaka received flowers and a message card from the governor of Fukuoka Prefecture, Hattori Seitaro, on Monday, ahead of Respect for the Aged Day on September 20th.

Staff at the facility say Tanaka hasn't been able to meet with her family because of the pandemic. They also say Tanaka hopes to stay healthy until the age of 120.