at 18:30 (JST), August 02

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/20230802183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : spy social media
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230802_04/

China's Ministry of State Security is calling on citizens to join the fight against spying.

The ministry made the appeal on Tuesday in its first post on social media platform WeChat. The post is titled "Counterespionage work requires the mobilization of all parts of society."

It said espionage is a highly secretive, dangerous and grave criminal offense that requires the broad anti-espionage participation of the people and their joint prevention.

The ministry provided a phone number, an email address and a website that people can use to contact security authorities to report espionage, adding that the informants' identities will be protected.

The message was posted one month after China's revised anti-espionage law went into effect.

The revised legislation expanded the scope of activities that amount to espionage, raising concerns about a wider crackdown on foreign nationals and firms in China.

Key words : myanmar aung reduced
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230801_32/

Myanmar's military has reduced the prison term of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi by pardoning her on some of the charges with which she was charged.

The Nobel laureate has been detained since February 2021, when the military seized power in a coup. She was found guilty on 19 charges and sentenced to a combined prison term of 33 years in unofficial trials.

On Tuesday, the military announced through state media that it had granted more than 7,000 prisoners clemency in connection with a Buddhist event.

The military says it cancelled the prison terms attached to five offenses of which Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted.

A military spokesperson said Aung San Suu Kyi's time in prison had been reduced by six years, but that details such as where she is currently detained were unavailable.

Aged 78, Aung San Suu Kyi will be over 100 if she serves the remaining 27 years of her term.

Following the military's announcement, the acting president of Myanmar's pro-democracy shadow government, Duwa Lashi La, said on social media that Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners must be released "unconditionally and immediately."

The military on Monday extended a state of emergency for another six months, citing fighting against pro-democracy forces as a reason. This pushed back to next year or beyond elections that the military has pledged to hold as a step toward restoring civilian rule.

Key words : candidate taiwan nhk
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230802_02/

The presidential candidate of Taiwan's largest opposition party vowed to restore stability in relations with China. Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang party spoke Tuesday in an NHK interview after arriving in Japan the previous day.

Hou is serving his second term as mayor of New Taipei City. He said the Kuomintang party had a history of maintaining stable cross-strait relations while it was in power.

The popularity of the 66-year-old mayor in New Taipei has led to his candidacy in the next year's presidential election. The city has the largest number of eligible voters in Taiwan.

Ties with China are a key theme of the election. Hou expressed concern that the relationship is deteriorating.

Hou said, "Cross-strait relations are on the verge of war. If we are not careful, war will easily occur. As we are now facing such challenge, the first thing I should do as a candidate is ease tensions between the two sides."

Kuomintang under Ma Ying-jeou was the ruling party until 2016, when Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party took power.

Hou says that Ma's policy toward China was to not seek unification or independence or the use of force. He said that policy makes it possible to stabilize cross-strait relations.

Hou said, "We should adhere to the system of democracy and freedom, continue to enhance defense and military capabilities, and reduce confrontation through dialogue and relations between the two sides. This is the path we should take, and what I really intend to do."

About the relationship with Japan, Hou said the country is extremely important for the overall regional order of the Asia-Pacific. He says Taiwan maintains very close relations with Japan to play an important role in sustaining regional order.

Key words : Ukrainian artist hiroshima
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20230616101849423/

Ukrainian artist draws picture story for peace

When the G7 summit was held in Hiroshima last month, the eyes of the world were on the city which was destroyed by an atomic bomb. Now a Ukrainian artist who escaped from the war in her hometown is working on a new project, inspired by the testimony of Japan's hibakusha, or A-bomb survivors.