at 18:30 (JST), December 13

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/20211213183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : boycott careful
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211211_07/

The Japanese government is leaning toward not sending cabinet ministers to the upcoming Beijing Olympics. It says it will make a final decision by the end of this year.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Games, citing alleged human rights violations in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, among other abuses. Australia, Britain, and Canada have followed suit.

The policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party Takaichi Sanae earlier spoke against sending an official mission or diplomatic mission, citing China's human rights violations. A number of LDP lawmakers, mainly conservatives, have demanded the government join the diplomatic boycott.

The government has said it will make a decision at the right time after giving careful consideration to a range of factors.

It is believed to be weighing the recent moves by Washington and other countries, and the fact that China sent the head of the General Administration of Sport to the 2020 Tokyo Games as the head of its team.

Key words : foreign ministers north korea abducted
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211213_04/

The foreign affairs chiefs from the Group of Seven nations have expressed their "concern" about what they call China's "coercive economic policies."

This is an apparent bid to counter China's increasing influence through trade policies and large loans to developing nations.

The UK government, which hosted the G7 foreign ministerial meeting in Liverpool, issued the chair's statement after the two-day gathering ended on Sunday.

On China, the statement also says the participants "discussed a range of issues and challenges, such as the situations in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, in the East and South China Seas and the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

For the first time, the G7 ministers invited their counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to join them and ministers from Australia and South Korea for discussions on the Indo-Pacific region.

The statement says the participants "discussed the importance of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and based on the rule of law." It says they also reaffirmed their "strong engagement and co-operation in the region."

The statement says the G7 ministers renewed their call for North Korea "to refrain from provocative actions."

The statement calls on Pyongyang to engage diplomatically with "the explicit goal of complete, verifiable and irreversible abandonment" of all its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
The statement also urges North Korea to "immediately" resolve the issue of citizens abducted by its agents.

Apart from the chair's statement, the G7 foreign ministers released a joint statement on heightened military tensions along the border between Russia and Ukraine, where Moscow has amassed a large number of troops.

The statement says the ministers are "united" in their "condemnation of Russia's military build-up and aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine."

It says the ministers "call on Russia to de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities." The statement adds that "Russia should be in no doubt that further military aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences and severe cost in response."

Key words : tankan unchanged 10,000 companies
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211213_12/

The Bank of Japan's latest Tankan survey shows business sentiment at large manufacturers was unchanged from the previous quarter.

The reading for sentiment at large manufacturers was at plus 18 in the central bank's quarterly report released on Monday. The survey canvasses about 10,000 companies.

Meanwhile, business sentiment at major non-manufacturers improved 7 points from the previous quarter to plus 9.

Key words : south korea omicron 90
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211213_10/

Health authorities in South Korea say the number of domestic Omicron coronavirus cases has been rising.

They say 90 Omicron variant cases had been discovered by Saturday and that 67 of them, or more than 70 percent, were local infections.

Community infections have been reported in the city of Incheon, which is located near Seoul. They have also been reported in North Jeolla Province in the country's southwest.

The variant is spreading as South Korea continues to grapple with the worst surge in coronavirus infections since the pandemic began.

The daily number of new cases topped 7,000 on some days last week. The tally was 6,689 on Saturday.

The authorities also said that 894 patients were in serious condition. That marked a record high.

Local media outlets say hospital beds reserved for serious cases could be fully occupied by the end of this week.

Key words : people in taiwan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211213_08/

Taiwan plans to hold four referendums on Saturday. Attention is focused on whether people in Taiwan will say yes or no to an import ban effectively targeting US pork.

In January, President Tsai Ing-wen's administration eased the restrictions on imports of pork from pigs fed on feed mixed with a leanness-enhancing additive. The step was effectively applied to the United States.

The administration said import restrictions that do not meet international standards should be scrapped in order to conclude a free trade agreement with Washington.

Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang, proposed holding a referendum on the issue. It is urging the government to reinstate the import ban, citing food safety as a major reason.

On Sunday, the party's leader, Eric Chu, and supporters paraded in Taipei to call for support for the ban.

Tsai told a rally on Saturday that the issue also involves whether Taiwan will be able to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP.

Tsai stressed the need to approve imports if they meet global standards. She said this will lead the world to trust Taiwan and support its participation in international organizations. She called on people to vote against the import ban.

Polls show supporters of the ban outnumber opponents.

Key words : ioto
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211212_01/

Groups of people from Japan and the United States have held a memorial ceremony on the Pacific island of Ioto for soldiers who died in a fierce battle there during World War Two.

Around 21,900 Japanese soldiers and about 6,800 US servicemen lost their lives on the island, also known as Iwojima, towards the end of the war in 1945.

The joint Japan-US ceremony is usually held every March. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year's ceremony was held on Saturday by sharply limiting the number of participants to about 40.

During the ceremony, Teramoto Tetsuro, the head of an organization of families of Japanese soldiers who had perished in the battle, spoke to the participants.

He said it should be remembered that peace and prosperity in both countries have been built on the honorable sacrifice made by brave soldiers who loved their countries, communities and families as well as on the persistent efforts of citizens of the two nations.

Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Karin Lang at the US Embassy in Japan said that since the battle, Japan and the US have put aside the enmity and embraced reconciliation, which fostered friendship and partnership, setting an example for the entire world.

She said that through this mutual commitment, the service and sacrifice of men of both nations shall be remembered forever.

The participants offered flowers and silent prayers to the victims.

Key words : nobel peace collected journalist
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211211_03/

The joint winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize have collected their awards in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. Journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Russian Dmitry Muratov stressed the need to uphold the truth and protect free speech.

Both delivered lectures at Friday's ceremony. Ressa, who co-founded Philippine digital media company Rappler, said independent journalists must stand up to the states that target them. She added that she risks spending the rest of her life in jail, but it's "worth the risk."

Ressa also pointed out that social media allows lies laced with anger and hate to spread faster and further. She said, "Without facts, you can't have truth. Without truth, you can't have trust. Without trust, we have no shared reality, no democracy, and it becomes impossible to deal with our world's existential problems: climate, coronavirus, the battle for truth."

Muratov, the editor-in-chief of independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, said journalism in his country is "going through a dark valley."

He pointed out that journalists, media outlets and human rights defenders are branded "enemies of the people," and that many of his colleagues have lost their jobs, while some have even left the country.

Muratov said it is the mission of journalists "to distinguish between facts and fiction." He asked for a minute's silence in honor of those who have sacrificed their lives to uncover abuses of power.

Key words : castle
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211212_12/

Western Japan's Matsue Castle got a year-end cleaning to prepare for the coming New Year festivities.

About 100 people usually take part in the annual event at the designated national treasure in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture. But the number was reduced to around 40 this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Members of local volunteer groups and other participants cleaned off dust on the castle walls and under the eaves, using leaves on the end of long bamboo poles.

Some also wiped down the pillars, windows and floors inside the building.

A woman in her 70s said she takes part in the cleanup every year, and it makes her feel refreshed.