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/20230131183000_english_1.mp3
Key words : champion skier reportedly
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230131_17/
US media outlets are reporting that former world champion skier Kyle Smaine was killed in an avalanche in central Japan on Sunday.
Many messages have been posted on social media. The US Freeski Team wrote, "Today we lost an incredible person, friend, skier and teammate to the mountains." It added, "Smaine loved exploring the mountains, was a fierce competitor but an even better person and friend."
Smaine's wife wrote, "I'm so incredibly thankful that I got to marry you and have you in my life."
Police in Japan say on Sunday foreign nationals were caught in an avalanche outside the boundaries of a resort in Nagano Prefecture. Two men were reportedly found on Monday with no vital signs.
The International Ski Federation says Smaine won the halfpipe at the World Championships in 2015 and the World Cup in 2018.
Key words : skier myoko
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230131_37/
Several skiers have been caught in avalanches or lost in snowy mountains across Japan in just the past few days. Police have confirmed that one of two people killed in an avalanche last weekend was a world-champion skier from the US.
Kyle Smaine, aged 31, was backcountry skiing in Japan's central prefecture of Nagano. He was killed along with an Austrian national identified as Christoph Schoefegger, who was part of another group.
NHK has learned Smaine was being paid by Nagano's tourism organization to photograph ski resorts. Officials with the organization say they were unaware of Smaine's itinerary and his plans to backcountry ski.
Smaine won the world championship in ski halfpipe in 2015. The US Free Ski Team posted about his death on social media, calling him "an incredible person, friend, skier and teammate."
Meanwhile, police in Niigata Prefecture say four people from Finland were able to return to safety after being reported lost in the mountains.
The group had been skiing and snowboarding on one of the peaks of the Myoko mountain range on Monday. They told police a snowstorm caused them to lose track of their companions. They were able to find their way back Tuesday morning.
In Tottori Prefecture, police say two backcountry skiers were injured in an avalanche in Daisen Town on Tuesday. They were airlifted to a hospital by a fire department helicopter.
Key words : philippines positively
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230131_06/
The justice secretary in the Philippines has responded positively about Tokyo's request to extradite four people in relation to a series of robberies across Japan.
The Japanese embassy in the Philippines says it formally asked the country's Department of Justice to extradite the four Japanese nationals on Monday.
Philippine law officials say Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla promised to cooperate and expressed his intention to deport them as soon as possible.
They are being held at an immigration facility in the Philippines.
Japanese police have obtained arrest warrants for them over their alleged involvement in a scam in 2019 and other crimes. At least one of them is also thought to be linked to a series of recent robberies across Japan.
But the extradition of Watanabe Yuki, one of the four, may be difficult for the moment, as he is facing criminal charges over a violent incident in the Philippines.
Remulla said on Monday that some of the accused people try to escape deportation by having cases filed against them. He suggested his department will rush to dismiss such cases if it finds them dismissible.
Key words : philippines marcos
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230130_20/
The Philippines' justice secretary says officials from his country and Japan will hold talks on Tuesday on the handover of Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in a series of crimes in Japan.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told a news conference on Monday that the meeting will be attended by officials of the Japanese Embassy in Manila.
Remulla said he hopes to settle the matter before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visits Japan. The president is scheduled to make the trip in the first half of February.
Japanese police have asked the Philippine authorities to hand over four or five people who are being held at an immigration facility in the country. They include Watanabe Yuki and Imamura Kiyoto.
Police had obtained arrest warrants for the Japanese nationals for their alleged involvement in separate cases.
Police suspect one or more of these people used the alias "Luffy" to give instructions to perpetrators of robberies in Japan.
Remulla said Watanabe can be handed over to Japan in about 10 to 14 days if legal procedures in a case pending against him are suspended.
Key words : pakistan suicide bomb
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230131_11/
Local authorities say a deadly blast inside a crowded mosque in Pakistan has killed at least 47 people and wounded more than 150 others.
The massive explosion took place in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar on Monday.
Authorities say the mosque is in a highly fortified compound that houses police and counterterrorism offices. They added that many police officials are among the dead.
They say a large crowd gathered in the mosque for prayers when the blast occurred.
The police suspect it was caused by a suicide bomber and have launched an investigation.
Pakistan has seen a string of terror attacks targeting military and police facilities by an Islamist militant group known as the Pakistani Taliban.
Key words : researcher dangerous
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230130_30/
Japanese researchers say they have detected potentially dangerous organic fluorine compounds from blood samples of people living near a US base in Tokyo. They say the levels of the substances were much higher than the figures in an earlier nation-wide survey.
Harada Koji, the Associate Professor at Kyoto University, along with a civic group have conducted the blood testing of 280 people living near the US Yokota Air Base.
They said on Monday that the preliminary results show the levels of PFOS and PFOA detected in 87 people were more than three times the concentration reported in a 2021 government survey at three locations across the country.
Harada said such levels of the compounds will not immediately affect people's health. But he urged the central and municipal governments to identify the sources of the chemicals and look into their impact.
The blood tests were conducted in response to the detection of the substances in rivers and groundwater near US bases in Okinawa and Kanagawa Prefectures.
Their concentrations were above the provisional safety standards set by the Japanese government.
Similar levels of the substances were also found in wells and groundwater in several places in central Tokyo.
The civic group says it plans to test a total of 600 residents through March and analyze the results.
Organic fluorine compounds were once used in fire-fighting foam and stain repellents.
The United States has strict guidelines for the compounds including no amount allowed in drinking water.
The Japanese government has set up an expert panel to come up with a package of measures as it has yet to establish safety standards for the chemicals.
At the first panel meeting on Monday, environment ministry officials explained a WHO-proposed method to measure those substances in drinking water.
The panel aims to come up with science-based measures and to set an effective PR policy about the chemicals.
Key words : taiwan president
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230131_04/
Czech President-elect Petr Pavel and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen have spoken over the phone and agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation. It's quite rare for the leader of a nation that has diplomatic ties with China to have a phone call with the Taiwanese leader.
Taiwan's presidential office said the call took place on Monday.
Tsai congratulated Pavel on his victory in the presidential election, which was held this month, as incumbent president Milos Zeman's term is due to expire soon.
Tsai told Pavel that Taiwan is ready to work more closely with the Czech Republic in a range of fields, such as designing semiconductor chips, training engineers and restructuring supply chains.
Pavel later tweeted, "I assured her that Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights. We agreed on strengthening our partnership." He added, "I also expressed hope to have the opportunity to meet President Tsai in person in the future."
The Czech Republic does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. But it is among the European nations seeking better ties with Taiwan, which has an edge in semiconductors and other advanced technologies.
Experts say these moves reflect concerns over Chinese human rights issues, as well as disappointment about lower-than-expected benefits from their investment ties with Beijing.
Key words : toyota top-selling
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230130_26/
Japan's Toyota Motor held on as the world's top-selling automaker in 2022. It's the third straight year it has claimed the title.
Toyota says its global group sales, including for Daihatsu and Hino, came to 10.48 million new units. That's down one-tenth of a percent from the previous year.
Toyota says it managed to minimize the impact that the coronavirus pandemic and a global chip shortage had on its production.
Germany's Volkswagen Group came second with 8.26 million vehicles.
South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group took the third spot with 6.84 million.
It was followed by the alliance of Nissan Motor, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors with 6.15 million.
The third and fourth place finishers switched places from the year before.
