at 18:30 (JST), July 07

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/20230707183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : Saturday religious
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230707_38/

Saturday will mark one-year since the assassination of Abe Shinzo, Japan's longest serving Prime Minister. Abe was fatally shot in broad daylight, while campaigning in the city of Nara in western Japan. His death sent shockwaves through Japan and the incident continues to shape the country's politics.

Yamagami Tetsuya was arrested immediately after allegedly opening fire on July 8, 2022. He was indicted for murder and other charges in January this year. The case against him is yet to be heard in court.

Yamagami told authorities he did it because he believed Abe had close ties with a religious group formerly known as the Unification Church. He says his mother donated large sums of money to the group, which left his family in financial ruin.

His lawyers say the first hearing of his trial is expected to be held next year at the earliest.

The Japanese government is carefully scrutinizing the group to seek a rare court order for stripping its status as a corporate entity.

Meanwhile, since the shooting, Japanese police have been tightening security measures for high-level officials.

In April, an explosive device was thrown toward current Prime Minister Kishida Fumio during a campaign event in the city of Wakayama, in western Japan. He was unhurt.

Now, political parties have asked to use indoor venues to facilitate security checks and to make sure there is distance between the speaker and the audience.

Key words : protection plan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230707_09/

Japanese police officials say they plan to further increase the amount of protection provided to dignitaries. This comes as Saturday marks one year since former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo was fatally shot while delivering a campaign speech.

The National Police Agency overhauled the country's VIP protection policy after Abe was killed. It began requiring that police officials in each prefecture submit a VIP protection plan in advance. Prefectural police officials were not previously required to do so.

The agency says it received about 3,100 protection plans during the 10-month period through June. It says it often instructed officials to alter police force deployments and make other changes, after risks were assessed at a venue.

In 17 prefectural police departments, a section dedicated to VIP protection has been set up. In the past, only the Tokyo and Osaka police departments had a VIP protection section.

A new device that is capable of creating a three-dimensional reproduction of a venue from photographs is expected to be introduced at some police departments this year. The device will make it possible for national and local police departments to share detailed information.

The agency has also been urging all political parties to take certain measures. This comes after a bomb was thrown toward Prime Minister Kishida Fumio during a campaign event in April.

To facilitate security checks, it has asked event organizers to use indoor venues, if possible. When outdoor venues are used, it wants the parties to make sure there is a distance between the speaker and the audience. It also wants the parties to take other safety measures.

The National Police Agency plans to use artificial intelligence to expand its online cyber patrols. One aim of the patrols is to detect online information about the creation of homemade guns and explosives.

Another issue is preventing crimes from being committed by lone offenders, who are not connected to organizations. The police are creating an effective information-gathering system and taking other measures.

Key words : myanmar aung court
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230706_33/

Myanmar's ousted de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi is seeking to overturn a barrage of criminal sentences at the country's top court. She's facing decades behind bars.

Sources say the Supreme Court examined two of 19 convictions on Wednesday.

Aung San Suu Kyi did not attend in person. Representatives reportedly argued against charges of electoral fraud and a breach of the official secrets act.

The court is expected to take about a month to reach a verdict.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been in detention since the military staged a coup in 2021.

Observers believe authorities are holding the trial to show defendants are given due process. The charges against her amount to 33 years in jail.

Key words : hacker port
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230706_12/

The port of Nagoya in central Japan is to resume container operations on Thursday afternoon after a cyberattack.

The Nagoya Harbor Transportation Association says the port's computer system was operating normally again at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday after it was found to be infected with ransomware the previous day.

The Nagoya Port Authority has not been able to load or unload containers at all five terminals at Japan's largest cargo port since Tuesday morning.

Association officials say the hacker group LockBit sent a document to a printer connected to the system. They cite the document as saying the system had been infected with ransomware that encrypted the data.

Key words : rohingya
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20230605120031879/index.html

Children in Japan collect aid for Rohingya refugees

Persecution in Myanmar has caused Rohingya people to seek refuge wherever they can find it. Many end up in Bangladesh. In Japan, a group of young students has been offering them aid and comfort.