at 18:30 (JST), July 31

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/20230731183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : reputation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230730_15/

Japan's industry minister has vowed to fishery workers in Fukushima Prefecture that the government will make efforts to prevent reputational damage until the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is decommissioned.

Nishimura Yasutoshi visited the prefecture on Sunday and met senior members of the Soma Futaba fishery cooperative. They discussed the government's plan to release treated and diluted water from the plant into the ocean, starting around this summer.

Rain and groundwater mixes with water used to cool molten fuel at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The accumulated water is treated to remove most radioactive substances, but still contains tritium.

Japan's government plans to dilute the treated water to about one-seventh of the World Health Organization's guidelines for drinking water quality before releasing it into the sea.

Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency concluded that Japan's plan is consistent with international safety standards.

Japanese government officials are currently considering exactly when to start the water discharge. Nishimura has held a series of talks with people in the fishery industry who oppose the plan.

In the meeting on Sunday, the cooperative officials voiced their concern. One of them cited talk that some people would not let their children eat locally-caught fish after the water discharge. Another expressed anxiety about whether local fishers' livelihoods can be protected.

Nishimura responded that the government and the IAEA will keep conducting analyses to ensure safety after the release. He said he thinks concerns will remain until the decommissioning work is over, so the government will keep working on the matter.

Cooperative head Konno Toshimitsu later told reporters that agreeing on timing for the water release would imply that his cooperative supports the plan.

He said once the water release begins, local fishers will face problems until the Fukushima Daiichi plant is decommissioned. He said that scientifically confirming safety is different from ensuring a sense of security.

Konno said that he wants the government to take swift action to prevent reputational damage.

Nishimura also met senior members of a fishery cooperative in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.

Those officials also voiced concerns about the planned water release. One of them pointed out that if China toughens its import restrictions, Japan's fishing industry as a whole would be affected.

Key words : xi letter
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230729_12/

North Korea and China have reaffirmed their close cooperation in response to the international situation.

The Saturday edition of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held talks on Friday with a Chinese delegation visiting Pyongyang.

The delegation, led by Li Hongzhong, vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, was visiting the North to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

The paper said the two sides reaffirmed that they will cope with the complicated international situation through close strategic and tactical collaboration.

China's state-run Xinhua news agency said that a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping was handed to Kim before Friday's meeting.

Xi reportedly said no matter how the international situation may change, it is always the unswerving policy of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government to maintain, consolidate and develop China-North Korea relations.

Rodong Sinmun also reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory speech to mark the occasion.

In the speech, Putin reportedly said strong support from North Korea for Russia's special military operation in Ukraine further emphasizes their common interest and determination to oppose the policies of the collective West.

Key words : explosion pakistan islamic
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230731_04/

Health officials in Pakistan say 39 people have been killed and more than 120 others wounded in an explosion at a political rally.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, which police suspect was a suicide bombing.

The explosion occurred on Sunday at the gathering of an Islamic party in a town bordering Afghanistan in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Police say over 400 people were present at the time of the explosion.

Footage from a local hospital shows injured people being taken there one after another even though the interior was already crowded.

Political parties are stepping up their campaign to appeal to voters as the term of the lower house of the national parliament expires in August.

The risk of terrorism tends to grow during election campaigning in Pakistan. In 2007, a suicide bomb attack killed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was an opposition leader at the time.

Key words : climate minister
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230729_05/

Environment and climate ministers from the Group of 20 nations have ended talks in India without a joint statement.

The agenda in Chennai included climate change and the conservation of ocean resources.

The chair country told reporters after the meeting on Friday that they stand united in their commitment to create a sustainable future.

At the same time, the ministers were unable to reach consensus on certain issues.

The chair's summary points to disagreements about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, among other matters.

The document says Russia expressed a "distinctive view" on the situation and also economic sanctions.

China reportedly opposed content related to geopolitics.

Other G20 ministerial talks in India have also ended without joint statements, mainly due to the divide between Moscow and the West.

Key words : hong kong glory to hong kong
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230729_03/

Hong Kong's High Court has dismissed the government's request to ban a song that became synonymous with mass protests.

"Glory to Hong Kong" was heard often at mass rallies in 2019.

The Hong Kong government applied for a total ban, including performances and any content shared online, saying some of the lyrics incite secession.

But on Friday, the court rejected the move, citing the importance of freedom of expression.

Authorities in Hong Kong have been cracking down on free speech.

The head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, Ronson Chan, welcomed the court's decision, adding that a ban would have been a chilling use of power.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee told reporters in Malaysia that he has instructed his judicial officials to examine the decision and consider a response.

Key words : explosion fireworks
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230730_04/

An explosion at a fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand has left at least ten people dead, including children. More than 100 individuals have been injured.

The blast occurred in the southern province of Narathiwat on Saturday afternoon.

Plumes of smoke can be seen rising up in aerial footage of the site. Many badly damaged buildings and houses are also visible in the surrounding areas.

Authorities say there may be more people trapped under the debris. Rescue operations are underway.

Local media outlets say welding work that was being done at the warehouse may have caused the detonation.

Key words : life expectancy dropped
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230729_04/

The average life expectancies of Japanese men and women dropped in 2022 for the second year in a row. The health ministry suggests deaths from the coronavirus were a major factor.

The ministry says the average lifespan for women was 87.09 years, down 0.49 years from 2021. The figure for men fell by 0.42 years to 81.05 years.

Life expectancy for women was the highest in the world. Men ranked fourth after Switzerland, Sweden and Australia.

The ministry says the probabilities of death from COVID-19, heart diseases and old age rose in 2022 from the year before.

A total of 47,635 people died from the coronavirus, up more than 30,000 from 2021.

Health ministry officials say the average life spans could increase again as the pandemic eases.

Key words : replica
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230730_10/

A replica of a wooden ship that carried Korean emissaries to Japan hundreds of years ago is about to set sail to Japan for the first time. In the southern South Korean city of Busan, an event has been held to celebrate the voyage.

The wooden replica, which was built in 2018 in South Korea, will leave Busan on Tuesday for Tsushima city in Nagasaki Prefecture, tracing the sea route that the emissaries took in old days.

Envoys representing the Korean Dynasty regularly visited Japan between the 17th and 19th centuries, 12 times during the Edo Era of Japanese history.

Japan's Consul-General in Busan Otsuka Tsuyoshi said that the Korean emissaries are a symbol of a good, long bilateral relationship.

Visitors went on board to see the reconstructed ship. One of them expressed hope that the two countries can move forward together with more exchanges, following the examples of the old time envoys.

After arriving in Japan, the ship will take part in a local festival in Tsushima.