at 18:30 (JST), September 12

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/20220912183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : okinawa second term central
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220912_07/

Okinawa Governor Tamaki Denny has won a second term in Sunday's election.

The 62-year-old Tamaki ran as an independent. He was supported by opposition parties. His main rival was former Ginowan mayor Sakima Atsushi, who was backed by the ruling coalition.

Tamaki stressed that he will continue to take action to resolve the relocation issue of the US Futenma Air Station.

He said that he will stick to his beliefs "without wavering even a millimeter" and call on the central government to address the issue.

Tamaki was first elected governor four years ago.

During the campaign, he reiterated his opposition to the central government's plan to relocate the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station within the prefecture.

He also emphasized his first-term achievements, such as addressing child poverty.

Key words : okinawa second term less
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220912_17/

Reelected Okinawa Governor Tamaki Denny says the results of Sunday's gubernatorial election demonstrate the will of the people of Okinawa to oppose the relocation of a US base within the prefecture.

Tamaki was speaking to reporters on Monday a day after securing a second term as Okinawa governor.

During the campaign, he voiced his opposition to the government's plan to move the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station from Ginowan City to the less populated Henoko district of Nago City.

Tamaki said the people of Okinawa reelected him as a way to express their opposition to the plan. He indicated that he will visit Tokyo to again urge the government to give up the plan.

Tamaki also said Okinawa should continue seeking a dialogue with the government to settle the issue. But he also stressed the importance of making other moves, such as possible talks with the international community.

Key words : okinawa return 50 years ago
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Key words : purchase senkaku personnel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220912_02/

Sunday marks 10 years since the Japanese government purchased some of the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture from a private Japanese owner. Chinese government ships have repeatedly entered Japanese territorial waters around the islands.

Data analysis by NHK has revealed certain fishing vessels near the islands, and a US think tank believes Chinese maritime militia personnel may have been on board. Japan controls the islands. China and Taiwan claim them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory, in terms of history and international law. It says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them.

Photos taken in March last year show many large Chinese ships in the South China Sea. More than 200 ships were kept at anchor in waters claimed by the Philippines, inside that country's exclusive economic zone.

The US State Department has suggested that Chinese maritime militia personnel were on board the vessels. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the ships were legally fishing. The spokesperson called it incomprehensible that Chinese fishermen had been labelled as maritime militias.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies says the maritime militias are lightly armed. It says the Chinese government provides them with subsidies for expenses such as fuel.

These vessels reportedly apply pressure just by their presence, fishing in disputed waters. They are also believed to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance operations.

The CSIS published a list of 122 ships operating in the South China Sea that it has identified as militia vessels. It used open-source Chinese materials.

NHK analyzed the movements of these ships in 2021 using tracking data obtained from an Automatic Identification System. Many of the ships spent the first half of the year in the South China Sea. China has overlapping claims there with other parties including the Philippines and Vietnam.

The data also showed more than 10 ships in the East China Sea after the end of July, within 200 kilometers of the Senkaku Islands. They came close to Japan's exclusive economic zone and stayed in the area for a while. At least one vessel moved from southwest to northeast. It passed through Japanese territorial waters and the contiguous zone around the islands. It then went near the islands again before returning to the South China Sea.

Researcher Gregory Poling at the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative says the ships spotted in the East China Sea may have taken part in joint exercises with the Chinese military and other maritime militias. Through the use of pressure and coercion, short of military force, he says China's military is steadily eating away at Southeast Asian control in the South China Sea, and also slowly but steadily at Japanese capabilities in the Senkakus.

Poling also says further analysis is needed to understand the purpose and activity of the vessels.

Key words : imperial household naruhito oxford
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220910_10/

Japan's Emperor Naruhito is expected to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth ll.

Sources close to the matter say the government and the Imperial Household Agency are making arrangements for the Emperor's condolence visit. They say the attendance of Empress Masako will also be considered depending on her health condition.

If the Emperor attends, it will be his first overseas trip since ascending the throne.

Britain was previously set to be the Emperor's first foreign destination, but this plan was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Japanese Imperial family has long had close relations with the British Royal family.

Emperor Emeritus Akihito attended the Queen's coronation ceremony in 1953, on behalf of Emperor Showa.

In the 1980s, Emperor Naruhito studied at Britain's Oxford University and had opportunities to meet with the Queen.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Emperor expressed his deep gratitude for the Queen's kindness toward him on various occasions during his days at Oxford and visits to the country.

The Imperial Household Agency says the Emperor, the Empress, the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Emerita entered a mourning period of three days on Friday.

Key words : india attend shanghai
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220912_10/

India announced on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The two-day meeting of the security and economic cooperation framework will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, starting on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping also reportedly will attend the talks.

The Indian government says Modi is likely to hold a few bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit.

Amid China's increasing maritime activities, India is taking part in a four-nation framework called the Quad. The other three member countries are Japan, the United States and Australia.

Meanwhile, India has been shying away from directly criticizing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Instead, it has sharply increased crude oil imports from Russia.

Many eyes are on what stance India will take toward Russia and China at the upcoming talks.

Key words : un secretary pakistan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220911_01/

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has made a global appeal for assistance to Pakistan, which is reeling from devastating floods.

Since mid-June, various regions of Pakistan have seen rainfall much heavier than average years. The downpours have caused floods in many regions.

The Pakistani government says about one-third of land has been inundated, killing 1,396 people and affecting nearly 33 million others.

Government estimates of the damage inflicted on the country's economy and agriculture have reached more than 30 billion dollars.

On Saturday, the second day of his visit to Pakistan, Guterres visited the badly ravaged southern province of Sindh with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other officials.

After listening to local authorities explain the impact of the disaster, Guterres said, "It's difficult not to feel deeply moved when we hear such detailed descriptions of tragedy."

The UN chief attributed the disaster to climate change. He called for more efforts to mitigate global warming, and called for assistance to Pakistan.

Key words : hong kong court sentenced
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220910_16/

A Hong Kong court on Saturday sentenced five members of a speech therapists' union to 19 months in jail for conspiracy to incite hatred toward the government by publishing three cartoon books about sheep teaming up to protect their village from wolves.

A judge said the books clearly referred to the city's pro-democracy protests in 2019, and that children will be led to believe that the Chinese government is coming to Hong Kong with the wicked intention of taking away their home and ruining their happy life with no right to do so.

The court had ruled on Wednesday that what the defendants have done to children is a brainwashing exercise. The five pleaded not guilty.

The Hong Kong government has increasingly suppressed free speech since the 2020 introduction of a national security law aimed at cracking down on anti-government moves.

Amnesty International issued a statement on Wednesday saying, "In today's Hong Kong, you can go to jail for publishing children's books with drawings of wolves and sheep."

It added, "These 'sedition' convictions are an absurd example of the disintegration of human rights in the city."

Key words : subway
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220911_09/

Officials of Japan and Indonesia have attended a ceremony to mark the construction of an extension of the subway in Jakarta.

The first subway in Indonesia began its operation in 2019 with Japanese technological cooperation and a yen loan. The line extends about 16 kilometers and connects the center of the capital and the south.

Construction is underway to extend the system to the north for about 5.8 kilometers.

The entire line is scheduled to begin operating in six years.

Competition over infrastructure projects in Indonesia has grown fierce in recent years.

China is building a high-speed railway connecting Jakarta and Bandung after winning an intense bidding competition with Japan in 2015.

South Korea also decided this year to start research on a metro railway construction.

Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Kanasugi Kenji attended Saturday's ceremony. He said investment from Japan creates local jobs and promotes technical transfers, in the marked contrast to investment from other countries.

He expressed hopes for Japan to work with Indonesia to boost its infrastructure exports.