at 18:30 (JST), June 23

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/20230623183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : foreign minister developing nations
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230623_03/

Japan's foreign minister has called on countries to adhere to international rules and standards when extending financial support to developing nations.

Hayashi Yoshimasa spoke at an international conference on development and finance in Paris on Thursday.

He did not directly mention China, but some experts have claimed that Beijing is expanding its influence overseas by offering what they call "debt trap diplomacy" to developing nations.

Hayashi said that "any development finance must be transparent and fair, not undermining the debt sustainability in developing countries."

Hayashi indicated that Japan will offer assistance to countries while respecting what he called their "governing capability," so that development can be better sustained.

He is believed to have made the comment with a view to boosting relations with emerging and developing nations, collectively known as the Global South.

Hayashi said Japan is continuing its efforts to expand its official development assistance. He said its ODA was the third-highest in the world last year at some 17.5 billion dollars.

He said, "Japan takes the lead in financing global issues, particularly in the fields of climate change and global health."

Hayashi also said global progress in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 is "being delayed" by the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The goals include eradicating poverty and ensuring access to quality education.

Key words : anniversary 78th
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230623_06/

People in Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa are observing the 78th anniversary of one of the deadliest battles of World War Two.

More than 200,000 people lost their lives, including roughly one-fourth of Okinawa's residents.

Okinawa recognizes June 23rd, 1945, as the final day of organized combat between Japan's now-defunct Imperial military and US-led forces.

Early on Friday, mourners laid flowers at the Cornerstone of Peace at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman City, the site of the last battle.

The official memorial ceremony will be held later on Friday.

An Okinawa-based think tank suggests that the number of Okinawa residents who experienced the war is now less than 10 percent of the prefecture's population.

The number of former students drafted and mobilized by the country's Imperial military is also dwindling. They continue to promote the value of peace.

The central government is recently advancing plans to strengthen Japan's defense capabilities in its southwestern islands by deploying multiple missile units in the area. Officials explain that the weapons could be used to target enemy positions in counterstrikes.

Some of the residents who survived the war are calling on the central government to respect the peace-loving spirit of Okinawa. They also stress the importance of peace diplomacy in solving international conflicts.

Key words : kitamura dna
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230623_02/

NHK has learned that the remains of people who were killed during fierce ground fighting in Japan's Okinawa Prefecture in the closing days of World War Two include those of dozens of women.

Japan's now-defunct Imperial military fought against US forces in the southwestern prefecture, in what is called the Battle of Okinawa. More than 200,000 people are known to have died, including soldiers and civilians. One in four Okinawa residents was killed.

The remains of more than 187,500 victims of the fighting have been discovered so far, but most have not yet been identified.

Japanese welfare ministry officials told NHK that they conducted DNA analysis on the remains of about 600 people in the six years through March 2023.

They said the research found that the remains include those of 46 women, including a child.

Osaka University's Graduate School Professor Kitamura Tsuyoshi, who studies the Battle of Okinawa, said the women whose remains were found at the battlefield were highly likely to have been local residents.

Kitamura said that even nearly 80 years after the fighting, most victims' identities and where they died remain unclear.

He added that the latest results of the DNA analysis will help shed more light on what happened during the battle.

Key words : 18,700 people dementia missing
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230622_30/

Japan's National Police Agency says that more than 18,700 people in the country with dementia or suspected of having dementia were reported missing during 2022.

The NPA says the number of reported cases of the missing has kept increasing over the years since comparable statistics became available in 2012. The figure has almost doubled in a decade, reaching 18,709 in 2022.

Many of those people were reported missing after they had wandered aimlessly due to dementia.

The agency also says 491 of those people who had been reported missing in the years before 2022 were confirmed dead last year, with traffic accidents the cause in some cases. People who were found alive later amounted to 17,923.

The agency says it will step up cooperation with local governments to find the missing as soon as possible.

Some local governments are asking family members of people with dementia or suspected of having dementia to have them carry GPS devices.

Other local governments are asking such families to attach on clothing small patches with QR codes printed with contact information.

Key words : ukrainian soldier living in japan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20230622125101951/index.html

Message of peace from former Ukrainian soldier

A former Ukrainian soldier visited Hiroshima, the site of the world's first atomic bombing. While his country faces Russia's nuclear threat, he has an important message to share.