Key words : voter thailand heading
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230514_10/
Voters in Thailand are heading to the polls for the country's first general election in four years. Observers are waiting to see whether the military-linked government will be able to hold onto power. It took control in a coup nine years ago.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha led the coup. He is seeking re-election with the backing of the United Thai Nation Party.
But the largest opposition Pheu Thai Party has topped the latest opinion polls with a support rate of nearly 40 percent. The PTP is affiliated with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He was ousted in a prior coup in 2006.
The PTP's prime ministerial candidate is Thaksin's daughter, Paetongtarn.
Another opposition contender is the Move Forward Party. It ranked second in the opinion polls. The party managed to rapidly expand its support among young voters during the final days of campaigning.
The 500-member lower house of parliament and the military-appointed senate will vote jointly to select the next prime minister. That will happen after voters cast their ballots. An opposition party will have to win an overwhelming majority in the election to bring about a change of government.
Voting stations will close at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Ballot counting will begin afterwards. Preliminary results are expected by the end of the day.
Key words : voting turkey
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230514_12/
Voting is underway in Turkey's presidential election. Attention is focused on whether Recep Tayyip Erdogan can continue his long run of power.
The race is seen as a head-on clash between Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the largest opposition party. Kilicdaroglu is the joint candidate of six opposition parties.
Erdogan has served as prime minister or president for a total of 20 years. Last year, he helped broker a deal that allowed Ukrainian farm products to be exported through the Black Sea. The exports had stopped due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Kilicdaroglu has been highlighting the plunge of the lira, Turkey's currency, and an increase in prices under the current administration.
He has criticized the government for delays in its initial response to the major quakes in February. He has also accused the government of allowing the construction of buildings that did not meet quake-resistance standards. The opposition leader has vowed to improve Turkey's relations with Western nations, which soured under Erdogan.
Ballots will be counted on the same day. If none of the candidates secures a majority, a run-off election will be held between the top two contenders on May 28.
Key words : nhk obtained
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230514_05/
NHK has obtained the Group of Seven draft statement on Ukraine, a final version of which will be released during the upcoming leaders' summit in Hiroshima.
It condemns Russia's invasion, and vows to make every effort to restore peace in the country.
Japan, the chair of the summit that opens on Friday, has been coordinating with its G7 peers to release a statement on Ukraine, separate from the leaders' declaration.
The draft calls Russia's aggression an unjustifiable and unprovoked war of invasion that disregards the Charter of the United Nations.
It also points out that the war is impacting countries with vulnerable food and energy security positions. It says the G7 denounces Russia in the strongest possible terms.
The document calls on Russia to pull all its troops out of Ukraine immediately and without conditions. It stresses that enduring peace cannot be achieved without Russia's withdrawal.
The draft warns that there will be serious consequences should Russia use nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.
It cites a declaration adopted at last year's G20 summit in Indonesia, which Russia took part in, that said, "The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible."
The document vows to ensure Ukraine will be provided the economic assistance it needs.
It also pledges to extend assistance for the countries and people adversely affected by the situation in Ukraine, with the emerging and developing nations collectively called "Global South" in mind.
In the conclusion, it says the G7 leaders vow from Hiroshima, a city symbolizing peace, to make every effort to bring enduring peace to Ukraine as soon as possible by mobilizing all policy measures.
The Japanese government plans to consider adding more specific descriptions regarding sanctions against Russia and some other issues. It also aims to incorporate the outcome of discussions by the G7 leaders at the summit.
Key words : health minister wrapped up
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230514_11/
The Group of Seven health ministers have wrapped up their two-day meeting in Japan, with a pledge to increase access to vaccines, treatment drugs and test kits for future public health emergencies.
The ministers issued a joint statement on Sunday as they closed the meeting in the southwestern city of Nagasaki.
The statement calls for fair and swift distribution of medical supplies in the event of a future pandemic, as many developing countries had difficulty getting access to COVID-19 vaccines.
It also stresses the importance of sustainable fund procurement to strengthen responses to infectious diseases. It calls on all nations to enhance their financial and political support for a pandemic fund established at the World Bank last year.
The statement also says that the G7 countries will draw up and implement a new action plan to realize universal health coverage around the world by 2030. It is defined as a state in which all people have access to appropriate preventive, therapeutic and other health care services at a cost they can afford.
Japanese health minister Kato Katsunobu chaired the meeting. He told reporters he wants to use the discussion as the basis for the upcoming G7 summit in Hiroshima and other international forums, as well as the basis for international cooperation.
The health ministers visited Nagasaki Peace Park to pay their respects to the victims of the US atomic bombing in 1945.
This was the first time for G7 ministers to jointly offer flowers at the park.
Key words : unesco temple
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230514_02/
People in Shirakawa Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site in central Japan, have joined together to repair the thatched roofs of a 200-year-old temple.
Houses in the village's Shirakawa district are famous for their steeply pitched roofs, which are re-thatched every 20 to 30 years. The work has traditionally been done by members of the community. Their efforts are part of a project aimed at helping one another. They call the project "yui."
On Saturday, more than 130 villagers, including local elementary and junior high school students, took part.
The participants put around 9,000 bundles of grass-like sedge onto the roofs without using machinery. They tied the bundles to the roof frames with straw ropes. Then they pounded the surfaces with wooden tools.
More and more people nowadays are entrusting re-thatching work to professionals. This is because members of the community are getting older, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to get large numbers of people to help.
Prior to Saturday, the community members had not been able to come together to re-thatch a roof for five years. The work had to be repeatedly postponed, due in part to the coronavirus pandemic.
A 24-year-old resident said she was participating for the first time. She said she was impressed to learn that everything was made manually. She added that she feels the tradition needs to be handed down.
Key words : new york japan day
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230514_09/
New York's Japanese community has held a parade in central Manhattan to showcase Japan's traditional culture.
The parade along Central Park is part of the annual Japan Day festival.
New York Mayor Eric Adams told the crowd that the city's various cultural and ethnic groups are all part of the melting pot and the energy of the city.
He asked the participants to march and show their vibrancy, their inclusiveness and their community.
About 100 groups of Japanese or people of Japanese descent living in New York took part. They played drums, performed dances and carried a portable shrine.
Figure skaters Alex Shibutani and Maia Shibutani were among the participants. The siblings took bronze medals in ice dance at the PyeongChang Olympics in 2018.
They recommended NHK's English news programs on its international broadcasting service, NHK World-Japan. Live news broadcasts from the New York studio started in 2021.
Spectators lined the street. Some were wearing simple Japanese kimono, while others were dressed as anime characters.
Japanese Consul-General in New York Mori Mikio said he was happy so many people came to see the parade. He said he will continue to try to share the culture of Japan with people in America.
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