at 18:30 (JST), February 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/20230214183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : new figure gdp
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230214_16/

New figures from Japan's government show the country's GDP expanded in the final quarter of last year. The easing of COVID restrictions helped the economy grow for the first time in two quarters.

The Cabinet Office says GDP grew by an annualized 0.6 percent in real terms during the October to December period.

Consumer spending was up 0.5 percent. It accounts for more than half of Japan's GDP.

Government travel subsidies drove up spending in the service sector, particularly on dining out. But a series of price hikes led to increased household expenses and forced families to reduce their spending in other areas.

Exports were up, expanding 1.4 percent. The loosened COVID-related restrictions led to an increase in foreign tourists.

But corporate investment was down 0.5 percent. Companies spent more on software, but investment on machinery, such as semiconductor manufacturing equipment, declined.

Japan's GDP expanded 1.1 percent overall in 2022. It was the second straight year of growth.

Key words : top diplomat nine-day tour
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230214_02/

China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, will attend a security conference in Germany during a nine-day tour that will also take him to France, Italy, Hungary and Russia.

The foreign ministry on Monday said Wang, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will kick off the tour on Tuesday.

Officials say Wang will make clear Beijing's stance on critical international issues during the Munich Security Conference, which is set to open on Friday.

Organizers say German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and French President Emmanuel Macron will be among the attendees at the three-day conference.

It remains to be seen whether Wang will meet Harris there. The recent US shooting down of a Chinese balloon drew a backlash from Beijing.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the aim of Wang's trip to Russia is to enhance strategic mutual trust between the countries and discuss major global issues.

Wang is also expected to make arrangements with Russian officials to prepare for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia.

During December's online talks, Xi got an invitation from President Vladimir Putin to visit Moscow this spring.

Key words : japanese relief team turkey
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230214_04/

A Japanese relief team operating in earthquake-hit Turkey is set to shift its focus away from search and rescue efforts and toward medical assistance.

The 74-member team has been engaged in search and rescue efforts in the southern city of Kahramanmaras since last week.

Now that a week has passed since the quake, health concerns are growing among the injured and a number of evacuees.

Doctors and nurses from the Japanese relief team are preparing to launch a medical relief operation on Tuesday in the city of Gaziantep, where hospitals were damaged.

Minato Yusuke, a member of the team who will remain in Turkey for a while as part of the medical relief efforts, said he will continue providing support to those in need.

Yamamoto Hideaki, who led the Japanese rescue operation and is now set to leave the country, says that though his team's contribution may have been small, he is happy that it could provide support to people in Turkey.

Key words : philippine laser
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230214_08/

The Philippines says a Chinese Coast Guard vessel sailing in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea targeted one of its patrol boats with a military-grade laser light.

The Philippine Coast Guard issued a statement on Monday. It said one of its ships was hit by a laser light shined by a Chinese vessel near a shoal of the Spratly Islands on February 6.

It noted that the Chinese vessel pointed the military-grade laser at its ship twice. It added that crew members on the ship's bridge were temporarily blinded by the action.

A video released by the coast guard shows the Chinese vessel crossing in front of the Philippine ship and shining a green laser light at it.

The coast guard condemned Beijing. It described China's action as a "blatant disregard for, and a clear violation of, Philippine sovereign rights."

The Philippine boat was heading toward a military base on the shoal to deliver supplies to personnel there.

China has blocked Philippine resupply ships before, and that has caused tension between the two countries. Both nations claim sovereignty over the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a news conference on Monday that the Chinese vessel responded "professionally and with restraint at the site in accordance with China's law and international law."

Key words : cambodian prime
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230213_36/

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered one of his country's last independent media outlets shut down.

Hun Sen wrote on his Facebook page Sunday night that the license of Voice of Democracy, or VOD, radio was revoked, effective Monday morning. He accused VOD of damaging Cambodia's dignity in a story it ran on the country's earthquake assistance to Turkey.

The report said Hun Sen's elder son, Lieutenant General Hun Manet, approved the aid package, quoting a government official as saying he had the authority to do so. Both father and son deny the report.

On Monday, the country's information ministry announced it had canceled VOD's license, saying the news organization had harmed the government's honor and prestige.

VOD is the latest independent media outfit to be closed down in Cambodia. Ahead of the country's last general election in 2018, The Cambodia Daily was forced to halt its presses after being handed a multimillion dollar tax bill. The country's next election is set for July.

The US Embassy in Phnom Penh said in a statement Monday it was "deeply troubled" by what it called "the abrupt decision" to revoke VOD's license. It added, "A free and independent press plays a critical role in a functioning democracy" and urged the Cambodian government to rethink the move.

Key words : japan coast guard vietnam
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230213_24/

A Japan Coast Guard patrol ship is making a port call in Vietnam as part of efforts to boost maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Settsu arrived at the central city of Da Nang on Monday. It's the first port call by a JCG vessel in the Southeast Asian country in four years.

Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations are involved in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

The Japan Coast Guard has dispatched patrol vessels to Southeast Asian waters and conducted joint exercises with countries in the region.

The Settsu is scheduled to hold a joint drill with Vietnamese maritime police on Saturday.

The ship's captain, Niwa Satoshi, expressed hope that Japan-Vietnam friendship will deepen and cooperation between the two countries will expand.

Key words : nissan new car india
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230214_17/

Nissan Motor and Renault say they are going to make a 600-million-dollar joint investment in India to produce new car models.

The Japanese and French partners will use the money on research and development and production.

They say the project will be the first to come out of their new, more equal partnership agreed last week. The arrangement calls for enhanced collaboration in India, Latin America and Europe.

Nissan and Renault say their Indian investment will take place in Chennai at a factory run by a joint venture and an R&D firm.

The six new models will be sold in India and exported to neighboring countries. Two will be the first EVs in the Indian market for the companies.

The South Asian country surpassed Japan last year to become the world's third-largest automobile market. The Indian government aims to have electric vehicles account for 30 percent of all new auto sales in the country by 2030.

Nissan and Renault hope to increase their presence with the EV models, as competition intensifies in the fast-growing market.

Key words : tourism ministry
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230213_17/

Japan's government is planning to make it easier for property owners to rent out their rooms to tourists and other short-term guests.

The move is in preparation of an expected influx of foreign tourists, now that COVID-related border measures have been eased.

The type of lodging is called "minpaku" in Japanese. Currently, owners are legally allowed to rent out their homes to tourists. But they are required to employ property-management firms if they are absent from the sites to handle complaints and for cleaning.

Only people with a certain type of real-estate license or at least two years' experience in property transactions are eligible to run a minpaku business.

The tourism ministry plans to scrap that requirement by the end of March 2024.

It will replace it with less demanding measures now under consideration. One proposal is to require that the owners take a 20-hour long course, seven hours of seminar participation and finally an exam.

About 2,500 firms and individuals are already registered as minpaku operators. Most of them are in big cities.

One aim of the reformed regulation is to encourage more people to set up lodging in rural regions, boosting local economies.