at 18:30 (JST), June 27

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/20230627183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : tokyo police arrested suspicion
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230627_12/

Tokyo police reportedly arrested kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke on Tuesday on suspicion of aiding and abetting his mother's suicide.

Ennosuke, whose real name is Kinoshi Takahiko, and his parents were found collapsed in their home in Tokyo in May. His parents were later confirmed dead.

He has been quoted as telling investigators that he and his parents talked about dying and being reborn before his parents took sleeping medication.

Investigators suspect Ennosuke gave his parents drugs that he had in his possession.

Key words : tokyo police together
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230627_26/

Tokyo police say kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke is admitting to allegations that he helped his mother kill herself.

Investigators say the 47-year-old kabuki star is telling them that he and his parents decided to die due to a weekly magazine report on his involvement in a scandal.

Ennosuke, whose real name is Kinoshi Takahiko, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of helping his mother kill herself by giving her sleeping drugs.

Ennosuke and his 76-year-old father and 75-year-old mother were found collapsed at their home in Tokyo on May 18. His father was a kabuki actor known as Ichikawa Danshiro. Both parents were confirmed dead.

Tokyo police said they may have died of psychotropic drug poisoning on May 17 or the next day.

Ennosuke was found semi-conscious and taken to a hospital, where he was questioned by investigators. He was initially quoted as saying he and his parents talked about dying together and being reborn, before the parents took sleeping medication.

Ennosuke also told investigators that he helped with his parents' suicides, and was going to follow them by killing himself.

Police said ingredients of two kinds of sleeping medicine were detected in Ennosuke and his parents. They suspect the medication is one that had been prescribed to Ennosuke.

Investigative sources say Ennosuke also said in questioning prior to the arrest that he and his parents decided to bid farewell together because of a magazine article. The report on Ennosuke's personal scandal was published on the day they were found collapsed.

Theater critic Kamimura Iwao said Ennosuke's absence from kabuki has had a huge impact, as he is a key actor who has attracted the largest audiences among actors of his generation. Kamimura said the incident could at least temporarily affect kabuki's box office sales and popularity.

Key words : north korea war 120
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230626_17/

North Korea held mass anti-US rallies nationwide on Sunday to mark the 73rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War.

Ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Monday that about 120,000 workers and students took part in events in the capital Pyongyang.

A participant said in a speech that North Koreans "have firmly grasped the strongest absolute weapon to punish the US imperialists and the war deterrence for self-defense which no enemy dares provoke."

Participants also held marches at the venues, holding placards with the slogan "The entire US mainland is within range of our missiles."

The slogan was accompanied by illustrations of various ballistic missiles attacking the United States mainland.

This is the second straight year that North Korea has held anti-US rallies on the anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War, which broke out on June 25, 1950 when the country's troops invaded South Korea. The US-led United Nations forces fought on the side of South Korea.

Rodong Sinmun also stated that the country will push forward to achieve the party's economic goals with a determination to take a decisive blow to its enemy.

Key words : high-ranking italy
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230627_04/

A high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official has visited Italy amid media reports saying that the European nation is considering a withdrawal from Beijing's Belt and Road economic zone initiative.

The Communist Party said Liu Jianchao, the head of the International Department of the party's Central Committee, attended a meeting with businesspeople in Milan on Sunday.

Italy is the only Group of Seven country to have signed a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road initiative.

In the meeting, Liu hailed Italy's signing of the memorandum, saying the country made the right decision, keeping in mind not only the current situation but also the future.

Liu also said the deal would make the two countries more confident in bilateral cooperation and set a good precedent for other countries to follow in building a global network of partnership.

The party said Italian business people expressed their resolute support for continued cooperation between the two countries.

Media in the US and elsewhere have reported that the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who took office last year, is weighing a withdrawal from the Belt and Road initiative.

Liu's visit to Milan came amid growing wariness of China among EU countries. The trip was seen as an attempt by Beijing to keep Italy in the initiative.

Key words : coronavirus adviser
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230626_15/

The Japanese government's chief coronavirus adviser says a ninth wave of infections may have started in the country, and additional vaccinations and other measures are needed to curb the number of deaths.

Omi Shigeru, who heads the government advisory panel, spoke to reporters on Monday after exchanging views on the COVID-19 situation in Japan with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.

Omi said recent data from medical institutions show the number of infections is trending slowly higher nationwide, with some regional differences.

He said it is possible the ninth wave has already started, though it's unclear how the situation will change going forward.

Omi stressed the importance of protecting elderly people and others with a high risk of becoming seriously ill and reducing the number of deaths.

He suggested local governments should continue thorough anti-infection measures at nursing facilities for the elderly. He also advised elderly people to consider receiving a sixth vaccination as immunity weakens over time.

Omi referred to Britain as an example of what could happen in Japan. He said the number of deaths has gradually fallen as Britain went through repeated waves of cases and appears to have reached an "endemic" phase.

He predicts that the situation in Japan will also shift to an endemic phase, where the disease repeatedly occurs within a community but only at a certain level, if the number of deaths in the ninth wave is smaller than in the eighth.

Omi said the fatality rate in Japan appears to remain much the same, and the number of new infections must be closely watched.

He said an increase in cases to a certain extent had been expected when the coronavirus was downgraded to the same category as seasonal flu in May.

He said it is important to keep society going while trying to reduce the number of deaths.

Key words : corona okinawa tamaki
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230626_25/

The Okinawa prefectural government started operating a medical facility in Naha City on Monday to accept coronavirus patients with mild symptoms amid a rapid spread of the virus.

In Okinawa, Japan's southern prefecture, the average number of COVID-19 patients per medical institution was 28.74 during the seven-day period through June 18, the highest number in the country.

More than 500 people have been hospitalized in the prefecture. Okinawa also faces a shortage of medical resources due to in-hospital infections, forcing some institutions to restrict emergency medical services.

Against this backdrop, Okinawa governor Tamaki Denny said Monday the prefecture will take measures to address the situation.

He said the prefecture began operating a facility from Monday that can accept up to 25 coronavirus patients with milder symptoms aged 65 or older. A team of experts of infectious diseases has been set up to advise the prefecture.

Tamaki expressed a sense of crisis, saying emergency medical facilities are being strained, making it difficult to treat people suffering cardiac infarction or strokes, or those injured in traffic and other accidents.

He added he fears that lives that could be saved may no longer be saved.

Key words : south change entrance exam
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230627_07/

The South Korean government has announced it will eliminate extremely difficult questions on subjects often not taught in public schools from the annual college entrance exam starting this year.

The move follows President Yoon Suk-yeol's instruction to drop the so-called killer questions.

The government says the aim is to reduce private education expenses.

Education minister Lee Ju-ho said on Monday that the questions will be eliminated from the College Scholastic Ability Test, which takes place in November.

He said the existence of such questions forces students to prepare for the exam by enrolling in private cram schools.

He added that the move will allow students to take the entrance exam regardless of their parents' financial situation.

South Korea's media cite education expenses as a major factor behind the nation's declining fertility rate. South Korea is traditionally known for its academic-oriented society.

But the change of course, revealed just five months before this year's test, is provoking significant discussion. Some have expressed concern that it may cause confusion for those taking the exam in November.

Key words : trade and industry ministry
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230627_13/

Japan's government has drawn up a draft policy on "resources diplomacy," aimed at securing stable supplies of materials critical to its industries and economy.

Japan imports most of its natural resources. The document from the trade and industry ministry stresses the importance of hydrogen fuel and minerals needed to make electric-vehicle batteries.

But the country faces fierce competition from the United States, China and European countries in acquiring such materials.

The ministry lays out a strategy to improve ties with 25 "key nations" that are producers of these resources as well as oil and natural gas.

It underlines 19 of the nations for important minerals like lithium and nickel. They include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Peru, Canada and Australia.

The ministry also plans to invest in resource-development projects through joint public- and private-sector efforts. It aims to promote Japan's new-energy related technologies and other expertise in the key countries.

Key words : kyoto gion
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230626_13/

The ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto is offering premium seats priced at 400,000 yen each, or about 2,800 dollars, for the climax of the annual Gion Festival.

The Kyoto City Tourism Association is now selling the 84 premium seats on its English website, ahead of the one-month-long festival in July. The association hopes to attract wealthy visitors from overseas.

The one-meter-high special seating area with tatami mats and floor chairs will be set up for the July 17 parade of decorative floats. The procession is called Yamahoko Junko and it is the highlight of the festival.

The spectators in the special seating area can watch up-close the heavy floats negotiate turns at an intersection, using wet bamboo sticks laid beneath their wheels.

Drinks and snacks will be offered, and an audio guide with simultaneous interpretation will be available.

The tourism association says revenue from the seats will be used to repair the Yamahoko floats and fund a project to pass on the traditions of the festival to future generations.

The association says it hopes that the premium seats will help many people understand the city's history and the value of its culture. It also says it wants to draw attention to the importance of the preservation of traditional events and cultural assets.