at 18:30 (JST), April 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/20230427183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : yoon agreed news conference
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230427_08/

US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol have agreed to strengthen Washington's extended deterrence against North Korea.

Biden and Yoon spoke at a joint news conference after talks in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

The US president warned North Korea that a nuclear attack on the US or its allies would mean "the end of whatever regime."

The two leaders have reached a new deal called the "Washington Declaration," setting out how they will respond to unpredictable events.

Yoon said that in the event of a nuclear attack by North Korea, Seoul and Washington would "respond swiftly, overwhelmingly and decisively using the full force of the alliance, including the United States' nuclear weapons."

The deal includes a new commitment by Washington to have the US nuclear submarine fleet make port calls in South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.

The statement is aimed at making America's deterrence capabilities more visible so as to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Yoon is making the first state visit to the United States by a South Korean president in 12 years.

Key words : xi zelenskyy first time
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230427_N01/

Chinese President Xi Jinping has spent the past few months expressing his enthusiasm to initiate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Now, he has spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time since the invasion.

Zelenskyy says the hour-long phone call on Wednesday was "meaningful." He says there is an opportunity to use China's political influence "to restore strength to the principles and rules on which peace should be based." However, he said any deal will not come at the expense of "territorial compromises."

A Chinese foreign ministry official said Xi told Zelenskyy he will send a special representative on Eurasian affairs to Ukraine and other countries and hold talks with all parties on resolving the crisis.

Xi has been promoting a 12-point peace plan that he announced on February 24, the anniversary of the invasion. However, Western leaders have been skeptical. They say his proposal does not mention the withdrawal of Russian troops.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled his support. His top diplomats said the phone call shows China's willingness to "establish a negotiation process."

However, a White House spokesperson said it is too soon to tell whether it will lead to any "meaningful peace movement."

Key words : honda motor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230426_35/

Honda Motor has announced plans to launch an electric vehicle model in North America in 2025, a year earlier than initially scheduled as it accelerates its shift to EVs.

Honda Motor's President and CEO Mibe Toshihiro says, "Our revenue from internal combustion engines, including hybrids, is being actively reinvested in fields such as electric vehicles and software so that we can speed up the change to these new technologies."

Mibe also says a strategic cooperative agreement has been reached with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, as Honda expects it will need more chips for its EV models.

Honda says it is focusing on its goal of all new models being electric or fuel cell powered by 2040. It also aims to produce more than two million EVs per year globally by 2030.

Honda last week unveiled the goal of making all new models for China electric by 2035, which is five years sooner than an earlier plan.

Key words : taliban reportedly killed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230426_34/

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban have reportedly killed the mastermind of a 2021 suicide bomb attack that claimed over 100 lives, including 13 US service members.

The attack occurred near Kabul airport as US forces were pulling out.

The Associated Press says the plotter was an Islamic State militant killed in battle in the south of the country early this month. US officials say the Taliban have been fighting the Islamic State's local affiliate. The US was reportedly not involved in the operation.

The Taliban have not issued any comment. But they have been stepping up their crackdown on the Islamic State group, which has carried out attacks across the country since the US withdrew.

Key words : investigating taiwan-base
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230426_27/

China has revealed it is investigating a Taiwan-based book publisher on suspicion of engaging in activities that endanger national security.

Li Yanhe is the editor in chief at a Taiwanese publishing firm. Local media say Li was born in China and now lives in Taiwan.

He reportedly went missing after traveling to China last month, and was feared to have been detained in Shanghai.

A spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhu Fenglian, told reporters on Wednesday that Li is being investigated by anti-espionage authorities.

Li's company has published books critical of Beijing, including those on China's overseas propaganda and alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The head of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, Chiu Tai-san, told Taiwan's legislature that there is obviously a hint of intimidation in the matter.

Key words : venture lunar failed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230426_21/

A Japanese space company's attempt to make lunar history appears to have failed. Its lander made what it calls a "hard landing," and communication with it has been lost.

The vehicle, developed by ispace, lifted off in December on a rocket from the US firm SpaceX.

The craft had entered orbit about 100 kilometers above the moon's surface on April 13. It was supposed to land near a crater in the moon's northern hemisphere at around 1:40 a.m. Wednesday, Japan time.

The company says it has not been able to establish communication with the craft since its scheduled time of landing.

The engineers say the craft seems to have failed to correctly calculate its altitude from the surface of the moon. They estimate that its remaining fuel ran out and it likely crashed on the moon's surface.

They say the landing had gone as planned until the craft approached the landing spot while adjusting its altitude and decelerating using retro-rockets.

The Tokyo-based venture firm held a news conference Wednesday morning. Hakamada Takeshi, a founder and CEO of ispace said, "We maintained communication with the lander until just before it landed on the moon's surface. I think that's a very big achievement."

The former Soviet Union and the United States carried out successful unmanned lunar landings in 1966 as national projects. China did so in 2013.

Key words : japan birth rate
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230426_23/

Researchers estimate Japan's population will plunge slightly more than 30 percent to about 87 million by 2070.

The forecast was released Wednesday by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research based on the 2020 census.

As of 2020, about 126.15 million people were living in the country, including non-Japanese. The figure is expected to fall below 100 million in 2056.

The average Japanese life expectancy in 2020 was 81.58 years for men and 87.72 years for women. By 2070, this is expected to rise to 85.89 years and 91.94 years, respectively.

People aged 65 and older would account for 38.7 percent of Japan's population in 2070, compared with 28.6 percent in 2020.

The number of annual births is expected to fall below 700,000 in 2043, which is three years earlier than the estimate six years ago.

The average number of children per woman has been lowered in making the new estimate.

On the other hand, the population of non-Japanese is expected to grow to 10.8 percent of the total by 2070. This is projected to slightly slow the decline in the number of people.

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare plans to study pension financing and consider measures to boost the birth rate based on the latest estimates.