at 18:30 (JST), July 24

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/20230724183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : cambodia landslide
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230724_06/

A media outlet close to the Cambodian government says the ruling party led by Prime Minister Hun Sen won by a landslide in Sunday's general election.

The election committee has yet to publicize the results of its ballot counting. But the media organization reports the Cambodian People's Party secured 120 out of the 125 National Assembly seats up for grabs.

Hun Sen's oldest son, Hun Manet, appears certain to gain a seat in his first electoral race. In December 2021, the father publicly announced his support for Hun Manet to succeed him as the next national leader.

The question is when the handover of power will take place. Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia for nearly 40 years.

Candidates from 18 parties stood in the election. But in May of this year, electoral authorities disqualified the main opposition Candlelight Party from the vote, claiming its paperwork was incomplete.

The party includes remnants of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, which was forced to disband under a court order ahead of the 2018 election.

The high-handed tactics of the Hun Sen administration have provoked concern from Western and other countries.

Key words : tightening export control
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230723_14/

The Japanese government started tightening export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment on Sunday. Shipments to China will face stricter regulations.

Japan's trade ministry had already identified 23 items that would be subject to the new rules. These include lithography machines, in which Japanese companies are leaders.

The regulations will not affect items sent to 42 destinations on a so-called "white" list, including the United States, South Korea and Taiwan, as the ministry has acknowledged they have proper export control arrangements. But items bound for China and other destinations will face stricter screening.

The move comes after the US asked Japan and the Netherlands, countries with a significant share of the global chip-making equipment market, to tighten their export controls. Competition has been intensifying between the US and China over advanced technology.

China has announced that it will impose its own export controls on rare metals, including gallium and germanium, starting August 1.

Japan says it does not currently view China's move as a retaliatory step, and it plans to see how the measure is implemented to understand Beijing's intention and evaluate its impact.

Key words : taiwan opposition
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230723_16/

Taiwan's largest opposition Kuomintang party has called for unity of all forces opposing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to achieve a change of power in next year's presidential election.

The party convention held on Sunday officially picked New Taipei City mayor Hou Yu-ih as its candidate for the presidential election, which will be held in January.

Hou criticized the Democratic Progressive Party for bringing about the danger of military conflict on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, which he says the world now views as the most dangerous place where a war is most likely to break out.

He said that if he is elected, he would make it his top priority to firmly maintain a democratic and free system, strengthen defense capabilities, and enhance cross-strait exchanges to reduce the risk of a clash.

Hou is lagging behind the other two major presidential candidates representing the ruling and opposition parties in recent polls.

The party leadership's selection of Hou as its presidential candidate without holding a preliminary election made some party members and supporters uneasy, which observers say could be adversely affecting his candidacy.

Party leader Eric Chu told the convention that in its bid to transform Taiwan, the party must be united with all forces to achieve a change of power in 2024.

Key words : foreign ministry false information
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230723_13/

Japanese foreign ministry officials say they will step up measures to counter false information regarding the planned release of treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean.

The ministry has a team tasked with dealing with false information. Last month, it discovered a South Korean internet media report saying Japan had donated a huge sum of money to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The institution's experts were assessing the safety of Japan's marine discharge plan.

The ministry's team rejected the allegation as totally groundless.

Officials say more false information rooted in baseless speculation could be spread online.

They plan to use AI to gather and screen information. If nonfactual content is found, they will demand its deletion or refute it.

The ministry also plans to work with the US and South Korean governments to disseminate information based on scientific evidence.

Foreign minister Hayashi Yoshimasa says Japan will take firm steps against the act of spreading false information with malicious intent.

Japan plans to release water that has been accumulating at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant following the 2011 triple meltdown. It is a combination of groundwater and rain that has seeped into the damaged reactor buildings, mixing with the water being used to cool molten nuclear fuel.

The water is treated to remove most radioactive materials but tritium still remains.

The treated water will be diluted with seawater to reduce tritium levels to one-seventh of the World Health Organization's safety standards for drinking water.

The government plans to start the discharge sometime this summer.

Earlier this month, the IAEA issued a comprehensive report concluding that Japan's plan is consistent with international safety standards.

Key words : myanmar giant
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230722_05/

Myanmar's ruling military has unveiled a giant Buddha statue built in the country's capital of Naypyitaw.

The marble image shown to domestic and foreign media on Friday is more than 19 meters in height, making it about 4 meters taller than the Great Buddha statue at Todaiji Temple in Japan's ancient capital of Nara.

Construction began at the instruction of the military's top general Min Aung Hlaing, who led a coup two years ago. The project cost about 30 million dollars.

A military spokesperson said the aim was to foster peace and prosperity in the country, stressing the impressive appearance of the all-marble edifice.

Myanmar has seen fighting between the military and pro-democracy forces intensify since the coup. Trade and other economic activities have been in sharp decline in response to tightening sanctions imposed by a number of Western countries.

Observers say military leaders seek to win popular support by demonstrating they are protectors of Buddhism in a nation where adherents of the religion make up about 90 percent of the population.

Key words : record low philippines
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230723_04/

The number of Filipino nurses seeking work in Japan has hit a record low at a recruitment event in the Philippines. This appears to reflect the weaker yen amid severe global competition to secure healthcare workers.

Japan has been accepting nurses from the Philippines since 2009 under an economic partnership agreement. More than 660 Filipino nurses have worked in Japan under the program.

Booths were set up in the capital of Manila on Saturday to interview candidates for the next fiscal year. The event was held for the first time in four years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But there were only 17 people seeking to work as nurses in Japan -- an all-time low since the program began.

With low wages in the Philippines, about one-third of the country's certified-nurses seek overseas work.

As Western nations struggle to secure healthcare workers, it is believed Japan is unpopular with Filipino nurses because of the weaker yen that would shrink their income. The language barrier was also a factor.

A recruiter from a medical facility in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Miyagi was shocked that there were so few applicants. The facility has been accepting Filipino nurses for about ten years.

One applicant with 6 years of nursing experience in Saudi Arabia said he wants to work in Japan to learn a different culture and its tradition, and to become proficient with high-tech medical equipment.

Key words : toyota mitsubishi
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230724_19/

Japan's Toyota Motor and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have announced a partnership to develop lunar rovers. Both companies plan to send vehicles to the moon within the decade.

Toyota is developing a manned rover powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The firm plans to send it to the Moon in 2029.

Mitsubishi Heavy is aiming to launch an unmanned explorer a few years earlier, in 2025.

Under the partnership, Toyota will provide Mitsubishi with its expertise in self-driving technology. Mitsubishi will share the data it obtains from its early launches.

Both companies are taking part in lunar exploration projects led by the Japanese space agency, JAXA. The agency is itself working under the umbrella of the NASA-led Artemis mission, which aims to land the first woman and person of color on the Moon.