at 18:30 (JST), June 06

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/20230606183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : india resumed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230605_33/

In India's eastern state of Odisha, services have resumed on a stretch of railway where at least 275 people died Friday in a triple train crash.

The pileup occurred on a key line linking major cities in the country's east and south. The railways minister said the recovery operation is still underway.

Ashwini Vaishnaw said services are "moving toward normalization." He added that work to help those missing be returned to their families continues.

The minister said the crash was caused by a problem with the signal system.

Railway officials said an express train traveling south at over 120 kilometers per hour was wrongly switched to a loop line and collided with a stationary freight vehicle. Some of the derailed carriages then hit the rear of another express train traveling in the opposite direction.

Key words : meteorologist heavy downpour
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230606_06/

Meteorologists say the heavy downpours that hit some regions of Japan's main island Honshu last weekend were so rare they occur less than once in a century.

The National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience uses a six-tier scale to measure the rareness of precipitation recorded in a given region.

Researchers analyze past data obtained from radar to define the frequency of rainfalls, using descriptions such as "once in a decade."

Total rainfall over the weekend reached around 400 to 500 millimeters in wide swaths of Honshu, causing floods in many regions.

Researchers judged that the amount of rainfall over a 24-hour period reached a level that occurs less than once in a century in central Japan -- mainly in eastern Aichi Prefecture and western Shizuoka Prefecture.

They said the same for parts of Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo, and northern Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan.

Shizuoka University Professor Ushiyama Motoyuki says the scale of damage that can be caused by the same amount of rainfall vastly differs by region. He says that makes it difficult to determine the disaster risk through the amount of rainfall alone.

Ushiyama says knowing how rare the deluge is in each region can help people judge what preparedness measures they should take.

Key words : former member
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230605_26/

Three former members of the major Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, have submitted a petition to political parties calling for revisions to the law on preventing child abuse.

The three say they were sexually abused by the agency's founder, Johnny Kitagawa, when they were teens. Kitagawa died in 2019.

They delivered to six ruling and opposition parties on Monday about 39,000 signatures that they have collected in an online petition drive since May 26.

They are calling for revisions of the law to cover child abuse cases to include sexual misconduct targeting children by adults with economic and social clout in addition to those by their parents or guardians.

They are also calling for making it mandatory for people around children to report suspected child abuse cases to police.

One of the petitioners, musician Kauan Okamoto, said he is pleased that the issue has resonated with so many people. He said he cannot undo what has happened but he hopes lawmakers will work on legislation that would protect children in the future.

Another petitioner, dancer and actor Hashida Yasushi, said he hopes the Johnny & Associates will address the claims and face issues that have been shrouded in fog and make a fresh start in the right direction.

Key words : power company finished
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230606_21/

Workers at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have finished sending seawater into an underwater tunnel that has been built to release treated and diluted water from the facility into the ocean.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, started the process on Monday afternoon. This came after work to dig the underwater structure was completed in April.

Once filled with seawater, the tunnel will guide treated water from the plant to a point about 1 kilometer offshore.

TEPCO says the tunnel has been filled with some 6,000 tons of seawater.

The water release system is almost complete, except for a reservoir that will store treated water before its release. The utility plans to complete all construction work by the end of this month.

The project still faces opposition from local fishery workers who are worried the plan could hurt the reputation of their seafood.

TEPCO has built the tunnel in an effort to address ever-increasing amounts of water on the premises of the plant.

Water used to cool molten fuel at the facility mixes with rain and groundwater. Accumulated water is treated to remove most radioactive materials and stored in tanks on the plant's premises.

The government plans to dilute the filtered water to bring the concentration of tritium well below the percentage permitted by national regulations.

The amount of tritium in the diluted water is also expected to be below World Health Organization guidance levels for drinking water quality.

Key words : thailand
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230605_32/

The front-runner for Thailand's next leader joined a pride parade on Sunday in Bangkok.

Pita Limjaroenrat, head of the opposition Move Forward Party, promised to pass a law allowing same-sex marriage if he becomes prime minister.

Giant rainbow flags festooned the streets of a central shopping district. Participants dressed to the nines to celebrate the second official parade in support of LGBTQ rights held in the country.

One participant said, "Today, we and all the genders are out here to show that we want diversity and equality enshrined in the law."

Pita is in talks to form a coalition with seven other opposition parties after Move Forward won most seats in May's general election.

Pita said: "I believe that both marriage equality and gender identity bills can be passed quickly. We will show the world that diversity is not the country's weakness but a strength."

But first, Pita has to win senators' backing for him to become premier.

Move Forward and other opposition parties are still bargaining over key political posts.

Meanwhile, allegations have surfaced that he holds shares in a media company -- something the Constitution forbids. Pita's path to power is by no means assured.

Key words : yoon survivor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230605_18/

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol has revealed that he plans to invite South Korean atomic bomb survivors living in Japan to visit their home country soon.

Yoon spoke at a ceremony on Monday marking the launch of an agency dedicated to South Koreans living abroad.

Acknowledging that the country had been unable to be there for the survivors during their pain and sorrow, Yoon said he will invite them to South Korea to comfort them, even if only a little.

Last month, during his visit to Hiroshima, Yoon met with South Korean atomic bomb survivors and apologized for the government's failure to provide sufficient support.

South Korean media say this initiative will be the first project undertaken by the new agency. They point out that it represents an extension of efforts by Yoon to improve bilateral ties with Japan.

Key words : artificial inroads
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230605_10/

Artificial intelligence is making inroads into many aspects of our daily lives. Now Japanese firms are introducing it to the classroom to make learning more engaging for students.

An AI-assisted system launched by Konica Minolta last month analyzes students' responses using images taken during lessons.

It compiles data on the concentration levels of students based on the direction of their gaze and the way they raise their hands.

Konica Minolta believes the teachers' way of communicating and teaching will become more suited to the children by using its system.

Techno Horizon, an IT company based in Nagoya, central Japan, has developed AI-powered technology that analyzes the emotional state of students.

It is connected to the built-in camera on the tablets students use. It can tell whether they are excited, bored or under stress from pulse waves on their foreheads and head movements.

Techno Horizon says that by analyzing several months' worth of data, the system can detect sudden changes in certain students and signs of bullying.

The firm aims to make the technology available for classroom use before the end of the current fiscal year next March.

Both technologies would only be used with the consent of both students and their parents.