at 18:30 (JST), March 20

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/20230320183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : prime minister chancellor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230318_14/

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have agreed to work with allies to continue strict sanctions on Russia and assistance for Ukraine.

The two leaders held talks in Tokyo on Saturday. They first met only with their interpreters, and then allowed more people to join. The discussions lasted about 50 minutes overall.

Kishida expressed his hope to have candid exchanges with Scholz on topics including bilateral relations. Kishida also said that, as last year's and this year's Group of Seven host countries, they will discuss global issues such as the situations in Ukraine and Indo-Pacific.

Scholz responded that he wanted to continue cooperation between the two countries.

The two leaders confirmed the necessity to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine as soon as possible, and that Russia's nuclear weapons threat is absolutely intolerable.

Kishida and Scholz also agreed to enhance cooperation, including in security and to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific, apparently with China's increasing assertiveness in mind.

They promised to work together toward the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May. The agenda is expected to cover global issues such as strengthening the United Nations, including the Security Council reform, as well as nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

Later in the day, Japanese and German cabinet members joined their leaders to hold the first cabinet-level meeting between the two countries.

The ministers agreed to promote cooperation in the area of economic security. They discussed how to build strong supply chains for mineral resources and semiconductors, protection of key infrastructures, measures against cyberattacks, as well as protection and education of emerging technologies.

After the talks, Kishida told reporters that Japan and Germany will further step up cooperation to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

Kishida has now completed one-on-one talks with all of the other G7 leaders ahead of the summit in Hiroshima.

Key words : foreign minister solomon
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230320_02/

The foreign ministers of Japan and the Solomon Islands have agreed to enhance cooperation to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific, apparently with China's increased presence in the Pacific region in mind.

Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa met his counterpart of the Solomon Islands, Jeremiah Manele, in the Pacific island country's capital, Honiara, on Sunday.

Hayashi is the first Japanese foreign minister to visit the island country.

Hayashi explained to Manele that Japan has hosted the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting for more than 20 years to address a variety of problems island nations are facing.

He indicated that Japan is ready to continue its support of the country in such fields as maritime security and assistance to remove unexploded munitions.

Key words : six major central bank financial system
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230320_18/

Six major central banks have announced a coordinated move to inject more dollars into the global financial system.

The decision follows the collapse of two US banks and comes amid a deal for an emergency takeover of Credit Suisse.

The institutions say they will increase the frequency of their dollar injections from weekly to daily. The daily operations start Monday and will continue at least until the end of April.

The deal involves the central banks of the US, Japan, the eurozone, Britain, Switzerland and Canada.

The aim is to boost the effectiveness of the dollar liquidity swap lines and curb market confusion. Demand for the US dollar among investors is expected to rise.

A dollar-swap line is an arrangement where the US Federal Reserve provides dollars to other central banks in exchange for the currencies of those institutions.

The institutions call the swap lines "an important liquidity backstop to ease strains in global funding markets" and help "mitigate the effects of such strains on the supply of credit to households and businesses."

The first joint dollar injection by the central banks came amid the 2008 global financial crisis. They made a similar move when the spread of the coronavirus put the financial markets on edge in March 2020.

Key words : taiwan vice president
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230318_01/

Taiwan's Vice President Lai Ching-te has secured his place on the 2024 presidential election ticket as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's candidate.

Lai was the only person to register by the Friday deadline to run in the DPP's primary. The presidential election is due to take place in January next year.

Incumbent Tsai Ing-wen is also in the DPP but cannot run again, as Taiwan's Constitution limits the president's tenure to two terms.

Lai served as premier before he was appointed vice president in May 2020. He was elected DPP chairperson in January.

Lai said on Wednesday when he registered for the primary that he wants to be given a chance to unite the people of Taiwan, improve the economy, safeguard democracy, bolster defense and preserve peace.

While serving as premier, Lai described himself as a "pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence." But after assuming the post of DPP leader, he said there is no need for Taiwan to declare independence because it "is already." Lai stressed that he will continue Tsai's policy on cross-strait issues.

The DPP's main rival, Kuomintang, is aiming to win back power in the 2024 election after being the opposition for eight years. The party has yet to choose its presidential candidate.

Key words : researcher alzheimer
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230319_02/

A group of researchers says an experiment it conducted on mice has demonstrated that Alzheimer's medications can be efficiently delivered to the brain when encapsulated in tiny particles.

Recently developed Alzheimer's drugs use antibodies to remove a protein that accumulates in the brain. It is believed that the protein triggers the disease. But sufficient supplies of whole antibodies cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier because whole antibodies are too large.

Tokyo Medical and Dental University's Professor Yokota Takanori and others created fragmented antibodies and sealed them in what is called a nanomachine.

The researchers then injected the encapsulated antibody fragments into mice that have Alzheimer's.

The group says results show the use of the nanomachine enabled about 80 times more antibody fragments to be delivered to the brain than the direct administration of fragments did.

It also says the amounts of the abnormal protein decreased by more than three-quarters, and the mice were able to retain their memory better.

Yokota says using the method could make the medications more effective and lower the prices of the drugs. He says his team will continue to do research, so the method can be used to help humans as soon as possible.

The findings have been published in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology.

Key words : architect ban shigeru
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230319_06/

Japanese architect Ban Shigeru is contributing his expertise to help people who lost their homes in the devastating earthquakes in Turkey last month.

Ban is working with students at Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo to make prototypes of temporary housing with materials such as cardboard tubes and wood panels. Those parts are available in Turkey and are designed to be easily assembled on site.

Ban wants to start installing the structures as early as May with the help of Turkish people he worked with back in 1999, when a major quake hit western Turkey.

He says he designed the shelters with improved insulation and durability so that they can be used on a long-term basis.
Ban says many people lost their homes and are still too anxious to sleep as aftershocks continue. He says those people will be able to feel safe in the shelters made with light materials because they will not hurt people inside if they collapse.

Around 230,000 buildings were heavily damaged by the tremors in Turkey.

Ban is known as "the cardboard tube architect of action" for the unique building materials he uses and his relief efforts in disaster-hit areas around the world. He won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2014.

Key words : shogi fujii
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230320_01/

Twenty-year-old shogi sensation Fujii Sota has become only the second player in the history of the Japanese board game to hold six major titles.

Fujii clinched the Kio title on Sunday by winning his third victory in the best-of-five series against defending champion Watanabe Akira.

Fujii is now the youngest-ever player to hold six of the eight prestigious titles at the age of 20 years and eight months.

Fujii said after the match that he has many shortcomings when it comes to his shogi style. He added that he has to work harder to play the kind of shogi worthy of a six-title holder.

Fujii is scheduled to face Watanabe again next month in the best-of-seven matches for the Meijin title. If Fujii takes it, he will become the second and youngest-ever player to hold seven major titles.