at 18:30 (JST), May 11

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/20230511183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : representative joint guideline
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230510_35/

Representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' navies held a meeting on Wednesday in the Philippine capital, Manila. They say they have agreed to set up their first joint guidelines to avoid problems at sea.

The guidelines stipulate distances that should be maintained, and communications used to avoid collisions between ships. They outline how to ask for support in case of emergency. The guidelines will be used to improve cooperation between navies.

They were proposed by the Philippines, which says its ships have frequently been obstructed by Chinese government vessels. China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea.

ASEAN members are also working on rules for a code of conduct with China to prevent disputes.

Observers say the initiatives are a way for ASEAN members to position themselves for future negotiations with China.

Key words : north collusion
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230510_21/

North Korea has called a Japan-South Korea summit held this month "military collusion."

In a commentary released on the website of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland on Wednesday, Pyongyang condemned South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for his "submissive" foreign policy.

The statement said, "The military collusion between South Korea and Japan has entered the stage for it to be recklessly carried out."

At the May 7 summit, Yoon and Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio confirmed that bilateral security cooperation and trilateral cooperation involving the United States will be further strengthened.

The commentary said the US has built a triangular military alliance and laid the groundwork for a foothold toward its goal of forming the Asian version of NATO.

Pyongyang has repeatedly criticized the forging of closer trilateral ties between Japan, South Korea and the US while pressing ahead with its nuclear and missile development.

It has also made clear that it puts more emphasis on strengthening relations with Russia and China to counter the three countries.

Key words : hong kong foreign lawyer
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230511_02/

Hong Kong's legislature has approved a new rule to restrict foreign lawyers from dealing with court cases linked to national security.

The Legislative Council on Wednesday passed an amendment to an ordinance related to the matter.

The change stipulates that foreign lawyers cannot handle national security cases without permission from the territory's chief executive.

In Hong Kong, foreign lawyers have been allowed to participate in legal cases if certain conditions are met under its judicial system introduced during Britain's colonial rule.

But the local government strongly opposed the participation of a Britain-based lawyer in the trial for Jimmy Lai -- founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper. Lai was charged with violating China's national security law for Hong Kong, among other counts.

The Hong Kong government asked the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress for a legal interpretation concerning the matter. In December last year, the committee said officials including the chief executive decide on whether to allow foreign lawyers to deal with court cases.

Associate Professor Hiroe Noriko at Daito Bunka University in Japan, who studies Hong Kong's legal system, said the territory's judicial independence, which has been protected under the "one country two systems" principle, has become further nominal.

Key words : foreign minister strong protest
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230510_22/

Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa says he has lodged a strong protest with China over remarks by its ambassador to Japan in relation to a possible emergency in Taiwan.

Wu Jianghao assumed the post of China's ambassador to Japan in March. He told reporters in Tokyo last month that the claim that any contingency in Taiwan would amount to a contingency for Japan is absurd and dangerous.

He added that it is illogical and harmful to connect a Chinese internal affair to Japan's security. He warned that if the country is tied to secessionist forces that seek to split China, the Japanese people will be "dragged into the fire."

Speaking at a Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on Wednesday, Hayashi said the remarks are extremely inappropriate for an ambassador to Japan. He told the meeting that he protested to China via a diplomatic channel.

The foreign minister also said Japan's position has consistently been that it expects the Taiwan issue to be resolved peacefully through dialogue. He added that Japan has conveyed this to the Chinese side directly, including on the summit level. He said the government will continue conveying the message by taking any possible opportunities.

Key words : yoon first year moon
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230510_24/

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has marked his first year in office and pledged efforts to create a country that can contribute to global peace and stability.

Yoon visited the National Cemetery in Seoul on Wednesday, where former South Korean presidents and the country's war dead are laid to rest.

He wrote in a guest book that he will work together with the people to create a country that embraces freedom and innovation and contributes to global peace and stability in a responsible manner.

Since taking office on May 10 last year, the conservative leader has been changing the policies of his liberal predecessor, Moon Jae-in.

Yoon has been promoting labor and educational reforms and cancelled the policy of reducing dependence on nuclear power.

On the diplomatic front, he is working to help strengthen the United States' "extended deterrence." It refers to the US commitment to defend Seoul and other allies with all its capabilities, including nuclear weapons.

Yoon also resumed leaders' mutual visits with Japan after relations deteriorated during the previous administration.

But on the domestic front, little progress has been made on reforms as the largest opposition Democratic Party has a majority in the National Assembly.

The latest opinion poll released on Friday showed that the administration's approval rating stood at 33 percent.

The polling organization says this is the second-lowest figure on the first anniversary of an administration since the 1980s.

Key words : visitor oversea outside
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230510_40/

Japan has seen a surge in the number of visitors from overseas, but the number of Japanese heading off to overseas destinations remains well below pre-Covid levels.

Japan is again attracting lots of visitors. The number of overseas travelers to the country in March was 65 percent of the figure for March 2019. But the number of Japanese going overseas was only 36 per cent of the figure for the same period, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

The Japan Tourism Agency, in collaboration with the travel industry, is promoting overseas travel with the slogan, "Ima-koso! Kaigai" or "Now's the time to go abroad."

There was a kick-off on Wednesday with officials from tourism agencies from more than 20 places around the globe.

People who acquire or renew their passports can enter a draw for 3,210 electronic gift coupons, each worth 8,000 yen, about 60 dollars. Travel agencies are also offering attractively priced packages to woo back younger travelers.

Head of the Japan Tourism Agency Wada Koichi says the public and private sectors are working together to encourage people to think about going on an overseas holiday if they have not been on one before, or going again. He says they want to get more people to travel outside Japan.

The National Consumer Affairs Centre is also urging people to be careful when making bookings on overseas-based travel websites.

The Centre has received complaints about websites that say they do not charge any cancellation fees, but actually do mention them in their small print.

There have also been complaints from people who say they were told they would not be able to get their money back after cancelling their bookings because they had incorrectly entered their names. They say the operators told them their names did not match those appearing in their passports and it was not possible to make the necessary corrections.

The Japan Tourism Agency is also urging people to exercise care when using overseas-based travel websites.

Key words : survivor hyogo
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230510_30/

A survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 has urged university students in western Japan to campaign for a nuclear-free world.

Setsuko Thurlow was 13 years old when the bomb was dropped on the Japanese city. She is now 91 and lives in Canada.

In 2017, Thurlow delivered a speech when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN.

On Wednesday, the longtime activist was conferred an honorary doctorate by Kwansei Gakuin University in Hyogo Prefecture. She later spoke before an audience of about 400 people.

Thurlow described as hellish what she saw in the darkness and silence after the bombing.

She said she has traveled the world stressing the need to eliminate nuclear weapons and calling for action on behalf of the victims. But, she said, all she has seen is the arrogance of nuclear powers that ignore efforts at nuclear disarmament and shirk legal responsibilities. There has been no progress, she lamented.

Thurlow underscored the significance of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and noted that Japan is not a signatory despite having suffered nuclear attacks.

She asked the audience to learn about Japan's contradictory nuclear policy and let the government hear the voices of the people.

A student in the audience said she was impressed by Thurlow's global campaign to abolish nuclear weapons.

She said it's hard for Japanese to have a sense of crisis about war when they live in an island country, but she said she will study global affairs and hopefully contribute to world peace.