at 18:30 (JST), August 09

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/20220809183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : people in japan miyata
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220809_16/

People in Japan are remembering the victims of one of history's most catastrophic wartime attacks. Tuesday marks 77 years since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki during World War Two.

Survivors of the bombing, along with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and representatives from dozens of countries, gathered at a ceremony on Tuesday to pray for a world without war and nuclear weapons.

Nagasaki fell silent at 11:02 a.m. -- the same minute the bomb exploded on August 9,1945. The heat rays, radiation and blast wave destroyed the city, killing more than 70,000 people by the end of that year.

Many who survived suffer from cancer and other diseases related to their exposure to radiation.

About 1,600 people attended the ceremony. That's more than three times as many as the previous year, when the event was scaled down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They watched as the names of the victims were symbolically placed on the memorial. The register now numbers 192,310. It includes the names of 3,160 people that have been added in the past year.

Miyata Takashi shared his experience as a survivor.
He was 5 years old when he was hit by the blast at home, 2.4 kilometers from ground zero. He lost his uncle and aunt, and his father died of leukemia five years later. Miyata, who is now suffering from cancer himself, called on the Japanese government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. He said that the treaty that entered into force last year is a "treasure of the atomic bomb survivors and mankind."

Nagasaki Mayor Taue Tomihisa referred in his peace declaration to the review conference of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, or the NPT, scheduled later this month. He stressed that the nuclear states hold a particular responsibility due to the NPT, and a concrete process for nuclear arms reductions must be shown.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio stressed that his country is committed to pursuing a world without nuclear weapons. He said that even in the face of a severe security environment, humanity must continue the trend of not using nuclear weapons, and keep Nagasaki the last place to suffer an atomic bombing. The prime minister added that ensuring transparency, continuing to reduce nuclear arms, and upholding nuclear non-proliferation remain essential initiatives.

The average age of the atomic bomb survivors is now over 84. As they get older, it is becoming a challenge to pass on their experiences to future generations and to the world.

Key words : military drill part of china four days
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220809_11/

China has continued military drills around Taiwan beyond their scheduled end date. Concern is rising that China's military pressure may become a regular fixture in the area.

The Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command said the drills continued in the seas and skies off Taiwan on Monday.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the same day that "Taiwan is part of China's territory." He added, "China has conducted normal military drills in waters off its own territory."

China launched the exercises in response to a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The drills in six air and maritime zones were initially due to last four days through Sunday. China has yet to clarify when they will end.

On a daily basis during the drills, Chinese aircraft have crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line -- an unofficial buffer to prevent accident clashes between the two sides. Taiwan's defense officials say 14 fighter jets did so on Monday.

Observers say Beijing could be hoping to use Pelosi's visit as an excuse to effectively invalidate the median line and keep up its military pressure on Taiwan.

China has used similar tactics with Japan. Beijing has sent government ships near the Senkaku Islands on a regular basis, ever since Japan's government purchased some of the islands from a private Japanese owner in 2012.

Japan controls the islands. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. China and Taiwan claim them.

Key words : chinese aircraft excuse
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220809_11/

China has continued military drills around Taiwan beyond their scheduled end date. Concern is rising that China's military pressure may become a regular fixture in the area.

The Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command said the drills continued in the seas and skies off Taiwan on Monday.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the same day that "Taiwan is part of China's territory." He added, "China has conducted normal military drills in waters off its own territory."

China launched the exercises in response to a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The drills in six air and maritime zones were initially due to last four days through Sunday. China has yet to clarify when they will end.

On a daily basis during the drills, Chinese aircraft have crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line -- an unofficial buffer to prevent accident clashes between the two sides. Taiwan's defense officials say 14 fighter jets did so on Monday.

Observers say Beijing could be hoping to use Pelosi's visit as an excuse to effectively invalidate the median line and keep up its military pressure on Taiwan.

China has used similar tactics with Japan. Beijing has sent government ships near the Senkaku Islands on a regular basis, ever since Japan's government purchased some of the islands from a private Japanese owner in 2012.

Japan controls the islands. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. China and Taiwan claim them.

Key words : chinese troop 114
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220809_14/

Taiwan's military held a live-fire drill on its southern coast early Tuesday on the assumption that Chinese troops were attempting to come ashore.

A total of 114 artillery shells were fired for over an hour in the county of Pingtung, near the southern tip of the main island.

Thirty-eight cannons were deployed on the shore. After launching illumination flares, the forces fired mid-air artillery shells that strew fragments over a wide area as well as shells directly targeting vessels.

The routine exercise had been announced in July. But it drew attention as it was conducted near waters where the Chinese military had staged drills in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

An official of Taiwan's Eighth Army Corps told reporters that it is the military's duty to protect the homeland. He said they will continue the exercises whatever the situation is to build up their capability.

Taiwan's military plans to conduct the same drill on Thursday.

Key words : hong kong hotel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220809_02/

The Hong Kong government will reduce the COVID-19 hotel quarantine for overseas arrivals from a week to three days.

Chief Executive John Lee told reporters on Monday that the shortened duration goes into effect on Friday.

Lee stressed the new measure aims to strike a balance between minimizing the risk of coronavirus transmission and keeping Hong Kong's economy going.

The move is seen as an attempt by the government to assuage public discontent over the territory's strict restrictions, which include a ban on gatherings of five people or more. Hong Kong has aligned itself with Beijing's zero-tolerance approach to the coronavirus.

Key words : hong kong sake
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220808_12/

Drinkers in Hong Kong have tasted Japanese sake brewed from rice with several kinds of yeast that traveled to outer space and the ocean depths.

A promotional event was held on Sunday, organized by a restaurant in Hong Kong and a sake brewery association in Kochi Prefecture, western Japan.

Beverages featured in the event were made with yeasts that went into space on board the Russian spacecraft Soyuz in 2005. The yeasts were later sent to a depth of 6,200 meters under the sea.

Representatives from five breweries in Kochi joined the event online to give briefings on the characteristics of the sake they produced with the special yeasts.

Participants said the sake tasted different from the ones they usually drink, and that they learned a lot about the Japanese liquor. Some said they want to visit Kochi someday.

Japanese sake's popularity is growing in Hong Kong, which imported sake worth about 70 million dollars last year, up about 50 percent from the previous year.

The restaurant owner who organized the event said the local market is open to new items, expressing hope to introduce a wide variety of sake.

Key words : survey nhk security
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220809_01/

More than 80 percent of respondents to an NHK survey think China's increased military activities following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan will affect the Japanese security environment.

NHK conducted the telephone survey on 2,577 randomly chosen citizens aged 18 or older from Friday through Sunday. Of them, 1,223 people responded.

China has responded to Pelosi's Taiwan visit by conducting military exercises encircling Taiwan. Chinese ballistic missiles are believed to have landed within Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone.

Forty percent of the respondents said they think the developments will significantly affect Japan's security environment, while 42 percent said they will have some effects.

Eight percent said they don't expect much effects from the moves, and 1 percent said they don't anticipate any effects at all.

Asked about a plan to release treated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean, 27 percent said the measure is appropriate, while 22 percent said it isn't. Forty-three percent said they cannot say which.

The survey also asked respondents whether they think the world is facing a growing nuclear threat. Thirty-four percent said the threat is growing extreme, while 46 percent said it is somewhat rising. Ten percent said the threat is not rising so much, and 2 percent said it is not rising at all.