at 18:30 (JST), May 02

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/20230502183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : Kishida yoon security collaboration
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230501_19/

Final arrangements are being made for Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to make a two-day visit to South Korea from Sunday, where he will meet President Yoon Suk-yeol following their summit in Japan earlier this year.

It would be the first trip to South Korea by a Japanese prime minister since Abe Shinzo visited the country in 2018.

The leaders are expected to confirm that their countries will boost security collaboration to address issues including North Korea's nuclear and missile development.

They will also likely discuss economic security cooperation in semiconductor and other areas, as well as export controls between their countries.

Kishida's expected trip to South Korea would come after his meeting with Yoon in Tokyo in March and before the Group of Seven summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima from May 19 to 21.

Kishida is apparently hoping that visiting South Korea at this time will ensure the two countries are firmly back on track toward mending ties.

Kishida and Yoon agreed in their March meeting to normalize bilateral ties and resume mutual visits by the leaders of the two nations for the first time in more than a decade.

The summit materialized after the South Korean government unveiled its plan to settle a wartime labor issue that has strained bilateral relations for years.

Kishida is currently on a tour of four African nations and Singapore. He will return to Japan on Friday.

Key words : Kishida nana
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230502_04/

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine during their meeting in Ghana. They also made an agreement for their countries to work together to pursue reforms of the UN Security Council.

Kishida arrived in Ghana on Monday on the second leg of a tour of Africa and met President Akufo-Addo in the capital, Accra. During their one-hour meeting, the two agreed on the importance of maintaining a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

The leaders confirmed that Japan and Ghana -- both non-permanent members of the Security Council -- will join forces in reinforcing the functionality of the United Nations. They also agreed to closely coordinate on the issue of Sudan, where military clashes continue.

At a joint news conference after the talks, Kishida said Ghana is a major economic hub in West Africa and an important partner that shares basic values and principles with Japan, including the rule of law. Kishida says he hopes his latest trip will be a catalyst for the countries to boost cooperation across a range of fields, such as the economy, development and human resources.

Key words : Jack Ma visiting professor
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Key words : cyberattack
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230501_12/

Japanese authorities say a cyberattack against government websites last year was a distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attack.

The National Police Agency has been investigating why access to some websites, including the "e-Gov" portal, were temporarily blocked. Websites of some private firms were also disrupted.

The results of an analysis jointly released by the agency and the Cabinet Secretariat's national cybersecurity center show up to 100 gigabytes of data per second was sent from tens of thousands of IP addresses. They also show most of the addresses were abroad.

Police suspect a group of hackers illegally operated a large number of communication devices to launch the attack. They are looking into possible links between the incident and pro-Russian hacker group, Killnet.

The group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

It is rare for Japanese authorities to release the results of such analyses while investigations are still underway.

The authorities hope to prevent similar attacks from causing damage, by urging government offices and private firms to step up cybersecurity. They recommend using a system that identifies suspicious access from abroad and setting up a distributed network of servers known as a content delivery network.

Key words : drug maker
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230501_15/

Japanese drug maker Astellas Pharma says it will acquire a US biomedical firm for 5.9 billion dollars to expand its business in the treatment of eye conditions.

Astellas announced on Monday that it will buy all outstanding shares of Iveric Bio. The deal is due to be completed by September.

Iveric Bio specializes in the research and development of medicine for ophthalmology.

The company has filed an application with the US Food and Drug Administration for approval of a candidate drug to treat age-related macular degeneration. The condition leads to loss of vision among older people.

Astellas hopes the deal will make up for an expected fall in revenue after the patent for its mainstay prostate cancer drug expires in the late 2020s.

Astellas President Okamura Naoki said in a statement, "We believe that this acquisition will enable us to deliver greater value to patients with ocular diseases at high risk of blindness."

Key words : sony
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Key words : lifted evacuation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230501_13/

Japan's government has lifted evacuation orders for parts of Iitate Village in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan.

An evacuation order was issued for the entire village after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant 12 years ago. The village's southern district of Nagadoro was designated as a "difficult-to-return zone."

On Monday, an evacuation order for about 17 percent of the district was lifted. The area has been named a special zone for reconstruction and revitalization.

A road leading to the zone was opened, as people watched on. A sign indicating a "difficult-to-return zone" was removed.

The government also lifted an evacuation order for a neighboring park based on conditions, including that no one live there.

A 68-year-old man said the past 12 years have been long. He said he often debated whether to return to Nagadoro, but he decided he wanted to live at home and is now preparing to do so.

Evacuation orders for all special zones for reconstruction and revitalization in six municipalities around Fukushima Daiichi have now been lifted.