at 18:30 (JST), March 27

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/20230327183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : and honduras ties with taiwan republic of china
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230326_17/

China and Honduras established diplomatic ties on Sunday after the Central American country announced a severing of diplomatic ties with Taiwan. This brings the number of sovereign states that recognize Taiwan to 13 -- the fewest ever.

China says Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina met in Beijing on Sunday and signed a joint communique to establish diplomatic ties.

The communique says the two governments agree to develop friendly relations on the basis of the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

Honduras cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, stating that it recognized the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate government that represents all of China and that Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is due to depart on Wednesday for a visit to Guatemala and Belize, which maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

She is expected to meet US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on her way back. Beijing strongly opposes the planned meeting.

Taiwan is to hold a presidential election in January 2024. China is stepping up pressure ahead of the election.
Taiwan's Vice President Lai Ching-te is expected to run from Tsai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

Key words : japanese man alleged
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230325_17/

A Japanese man in his 50s has been detained in Beijing.

Japanese governmental sources say the man was detained earlier this month by China's security authorities for allegedly violating Chinese law.

Details remain scarce, but he is believed to have been arrested on suspicion of spying.

The man is an executive of a Japanese company.

The Japanese embassy in Beijing has requested permission to talk with the man, and is also collecting information about the reasons for his arrest.

At least 17 Japanese nationals, including the man, have been detained in China on suspicion of spying and other activities since 2015, one year after an anti-espionage law went into effect.

Key words : 78 years okinawa
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230326_20/

Sunday marked 78 years since US forces made their first landing in a village in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Okinawa in the closing days of World War Two.

People in Zamami Village on the Kerama Islands, about 40 kilometers west of Okinawa's main island, gathered to mourn the soldiers and civilians who died there.

The Battle of Okinawa in 1945 left more than 200,000 people dead. One in four of the residents were killed.

About 1,200 people died in the village in fierce battles between Japanese and US troops. The casualties included those who died in a mass suicide.

The village held a memorial service on Sunday. Bereaved families and others prayed for peace at a memorial cenotaph, called the Tower of Peace, inscribed with the names of the victims.

A 38-year-old man whose great-grandmother died in a mass suicide said that he came with his children to mourn the victims. He said that he wants to pass on the history as the number of war survivors is decreasing.

A 36-year-old woman said she heard war stories from her husband's grandmother, who is 91 years old. She said she prayed for a world without war, and that she wants to share her in-law's experiences with younger generations.

The village faces the challenge of conveying the history to future generations as war survivors are aging. Village officials say few people remain who can talk about their experiences.

Key words : ioto
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230326_03/

Groups of people from Japan and the United States have held a memorial ceremony on the Japanese island of Ioto, which is located in the Pacific, for soldiers who died there during World War Two. The island is also known as Iwo Jima.

It was the site of fierce battles during the closing days of the war. About 21,900 Japanese troops and approximately 6,800 US servicemen lost their lives in the fighting.

About 200 bereaved families and government officials from Japan and the United States attended this year's ceremony on Saturday. American families had been unable to attend for the past three years, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Teramoto Tetsuro heads a group of families of soldiers who died on the island. He made a speech during the ceremony.

Teramoto said people should remember that the peace and prosperity they enjoy today is founded on the honorable sacrifices made by brave soldiers who loved their homelands and families, and the unflagging efforts of the two countries.

In a speech, Norman Smith, who represented the Iwo Jima Association of America, said, "The reconciliation we witness today is the enduring foundation of historic friendship between the United States and Japan."

The participants then laid flowers and observed a moment of silence for the dead.

They also visited the underground dugout, where the Japanese army had set up its command center, and the hill known as Suribachiyama, where a fierce battle was fought.

Key words : sanction north expire
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230326_16/

The Japanese government is planning to extend its own sanctions against North Korea for two years, as Pyongyang pursues its nuclear and missile programs.

Japan's own sanctions have been in place since 2006. Two of the measures, a ban on port calls by North Korean-registered ships and a total trade embargo, are set to expire on April 13.

Officials plan to extend the measures, saying the North has been launching ballistic missiles with unprecedented frequency and methods.

They also cite the lack of progress on the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 80s.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu says Japan will work closely with other nations for a comprehensive solution to various pending issues, including the abductions and Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

Officials want the extension to be approved by the Cabinet early next month.

The Japanese government says North Korean agents abducted at least 17 citizens. Twelve of them remain unaccounted for.

Key words : research group mask
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230327_01/

A survey by a Japanese research group shows that about 50 percent of respondents said they decide whether to wear face masks depending on infection situations in their neighborhood. It also shows 30 percent said their decision is based on whether many people around them are wearing masks.

A group led by Associate Professor Nakata Taisuke at the University of Tokyo and Associate Professor Takaku Reo of Hitotsubashi University has conducted a weekly online survey since last August.

They published data that had been obtained as of the first week of this month.

The Japanese government eased its coronavirus mask-wearing guidelines on March 13, leaving it up to individuals to decide whether to put on face coverings.

The survey results show that 66.5 percent of respondents said they always or usually wear masks when walking along low-traffic streets, and 82.6 percent said they always or usually do so when shopping quietly at department stores and other places. The figures have remained almost unchanged since last year.

The results also show that 67.3 percent of respondents agreed strongly or slightly with the idea that it is okay to remove masks when walking on unfrequented streets, and 30.8 percent said they can stop wearing masks when shopping quietly at department stores and other places. The group says the figures have been trending upwards since the beginning of this year.

On the other hand, 44.6 percent of respondents said they think it is okay to remove masks but actually wear them when walking along quiet streets.
And 26.4 percent think the same but actually wear masks when shopping quietly at department stores and other places.

When the survey asked people to give multiple answers about the reason for their wearing masks, 50.8 percent of respondents cited the infection situations in their neighborhood.

The results show that 35.2 percent said they check whether or not many people around them are wearing masks, 26.7 percent cited how seriously medical institutions are overwhelmed in their regions, 26 percent said they wear masks for health reasons that are not related to the coronavirus, and 25.4 percent said they just habitually wear masks.

Key words : document french novelist
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230325_15/

Documents sent by the late French novelist Maurice Leblanc to a Japanese translator pertaining to his story about the fictional thief and detective Arsene Lupin have been uncovered in Japan.

At least 17 letters and documents were recently found. They had been mailed to the late translator Hoshino Tatsuo sometime around the 1930s.

The documents, which were kept by Hoshino's family, were examined by Nishogakusha University Professor Yamaguchi Tadayoshi and others.

One of them is the original copy of what appears to be a message written by Leblanc to Japanese readers.

Posing as a friend of the fictional character, Leblanc said it was "his greatest pleasure to be understood and loved by cultured Japanese people".

Another of the documents, a draft of his novel "The Outrageous Life of Balthazar" is typed and has some handwritten revisions in the margins likely by Leblanc himself.

There are also letters exchanged between Leblanc and Hoshino about the translation of his works.

Professor Yamaguchi says not many handwritten documents by Leblanc are said to exist in his home country France. He says the newly-discovered documents will shed light on how the Lupin story gained popularity around the world.

Yamaguchi says Leblanc's strong handwriting appears to indicate his sincere character, and that he assumes Leblanc was happy that his works were being read by people in Japan.

Key words : imperial palace viewing
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230325_11/

A street within the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo has been opened to the public for cherry blossom viewing for the first time in four years.

About 100 cherry trees of numerous varieties line Inui Street, which stretches for about 600 meters. The trees are currently in full bloom.

Many people waited in the rain for a palace gate to open at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The annual spring event had not been held during the past three years because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The umbrella-carrying visitors strolled along the street, some taking pictures of the blossoms with their smartphones.

A married couple in their 30s said they were there for the first time, and that they enjoyed getting a glimpse of the rarely seen buildings, the cherry blossoms and various other flowering plants inside the palace.

The area will be open to the public between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. until April 2.