at 18:30 (JST), August 22

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/20230822183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : as soon as Thursday necessary met
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230822_19/

The Japanese government has finalized when it will begin releasing treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. The plan will be set into motion as early as Thursday.

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio announced the date at a meeting with Cabinet members on Tuesday.

Kishida said, "The treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will be released into the ocean starting as soon as Thursday, August 24."

Earlier this week, Kishida inspected the damaged facilities at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

The government says the release is necessary to decommission the plant, which suffered a triple meltdown in the wake of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Since then, rain and groundwater has mixed with the water used to cool molten fuel at the plant.

The water is treated to remove most radioactive material, but still contains tritium.

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

Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report saying Japan's water release plan is consistent with international safety standards.

On Monday, Kishida met with representatives from fisheries groups, who say they're concerned about the plan's impact on their industry.

He promised them the government will take full responsibility and support their livelihoods even if it takes decades.

But local residents have voiced concerns.

A fisherman in Fukushima says he cannot approve of the release. "It is going to be a huge problem if any of the radioactive substances are detected. When that happens, people would think that's because the treated water has been released."

The government has vowed to work hard to ensure public safety and prevent reputational damage to businesses.

Key words : defense ministry joint command
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230822_04/

Japan's Defense Ministry plans to set up a permanent joint command that is tasked with overseeing the country's Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense forces.

Officials say there is a growing need for them to more frequently attend to matters that do not fall into any one of the three branches of the SDF, such as space, cybersecurity and electromagnetic waves.

The permanent entity will be different from an ad-hoc joint task force that is set up during an emergency to better coordinate the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense forces.

The officials plan to establish the new command, composed of roughly 240 members, in Tokyo's Ichigaya district, where the Defense Ministry is located. The ministry plans to include necessary expenses in a budget allocation request for fiscal 2024.

Currently, the chief of the SDF's Joint Staff serves as an aide to the defense minister, as well as an operational commander. But after the permanent joint command center is launched in the next fiscal year, its head will take over the role as operational commander.

The Defense Ministry is considering requesting a record high budget of more than 7.5 trillion yen, or over 50 billion dollars for the next fiscal year. It will likely include the cost of building a vessel equipped with the Aegis anti-ballistic missile system.

Key words : coast guard kishida strongly
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230822_07/

Japan Coast Guard officials say they have been notified by North Korea of a plan to launch what it calls an artificial satellite later this month.

North Korean authorities in charge of securing the safety of the country's vessels reportedly told the Coast Guard officials on Tuesday that the satellite will be launched sometime between August 24 and 31.

The projectile will likely fall in one of three areas -- two in the Yellow Sea southwest of North Korea and one in the Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines. All of them are outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The Japanese officials are urging vessels operating in the waters to be on the alert for any falling objects.

North Korea made a similar notification to the Coast Guard on May 29, and launched what it called a satellite two days later.

The projectile is believed to have vanished in midair.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has instructed relevant ministries and agencies to work together to collect and analyze information, and provide people with information in a proper manner.

Kishida also instructed them to cooperate with the United States, South Korea and other countries concerned in strongly urging Pyongyang not to carry out the launch. He also told them to take necessary measures to prepare for an emergency.

Key words : taiwanese defense budget
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230822_02/

Taiwanese authorities have proposed a record defense budget for 2024 totaling more than 600 billion New Taiwan dollars, or about 19 billion US dollars, as China increases military pressure.

President Tsai Ing-wen was briefed on the proposal on Monday by officials from the Executive Yuan, or Cabinet.

The proposed budget is 606.8 billion New Taiwan dollars, up 4.5 percent from the current year. It includes a special budget, which analysts believe will be spent on procuring advanced F-16V fighter jets and mass-producing missiles and other equipment.

If approved, it will be the first time that defense spending has topped 600 billion New Taiwan dollars. Tsai said it accounts for 2.5 percent of Taiwan's GDP.

The Taiwanese presidential office released a video showing Tsai being briefed on the proposed budget. She said Taiwan must continue strengthening its self-defense capabilities and demonstrate its determination for self-defense in order to ensure its security and interests and win more international support.

The burden on Taiwanese military forces has been growing, as they scrambled jets and took other measures in response to increased pressure from the Chinese military.

Chinese forces have been stepping up activities involving aircraft and vessels around Taiwan.

Last week, Taiwan's defense ministry said it would increase its spending on fuel next year by about 50 percent from 2023.

Key words : health ministry new drug
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230822_01/

An expert panel at Japan's health ministry has approved a new drug to treat Alzheimer's disease.

It is the first time that the panel has endorsed an Alzheimer's drug that targets a specific cause of the disease.

The experts made the decision at a meeting on Monday. They said they have confirmed the effectiveness of the drug named lecanemab, which was jointly developed by Japanese firm Eisai and its US partner Biogen.

The experts also said there are no serious safety concerns.

The drug is designed to slow the progression of the disease by reducing the accumulation of amyloid beta protein in the brain.

Eisai applied for the ministry's approval in January. The ministry designated the drug as an item that should be given screening priority.

The drug can be produced and sold in Japan after it is granted the ministry's formal approval.

Key words : swiss detained 13
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230821_36/

A Swiss national is in hot water with Myanmar's military rulers. They've detained him for allegedly insulting Buddhism in a film he made and posted online.

Officials with the junta named the accused as Didier Nusbaumer. They've also detained 13 Myanmar nationals, including a 12-year-old girl who acted in the film.

Nusbaumer released the work last month. The military says it disregards Buddhist traditions and the ethical value of monks.

About 90 percent of Myanmar's population is Buddhist, and religious nationalism has in recent years become rife.

Observers say the military's tough stance could be an attempt to gain more public support.

Key words : researcher 731
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230822_03/

A Japanese researcher has discovered official records on a section of the now-defunct Japanese Imperial Army known as Unit 731, which is said to have engaged in research on germ warfare during World War Two.

Matsuno Seiya, a researcher at Meiji Gakuin University's International Peace Research Institute, said he found the records in a report numbering more than 100 pages kept at the National Archives of Japan.

The report was created in September 1940 by the Kwantung Army stationed in what was then called Manchuria.

The records on the unit described how its official name was changed at the time, as well as a plan to expand the group by allocating more personnel.

Appended to the report was a list of the names and ranks of the unit's members. Ishii Shiro, the head of the group at that time, and medical scholars are among the 97 members on the list.

Details of the unit's activities are not known, since records on the group were ordered to be destroyed by the Imperial Army.

Matsuno said the discovery is significant, because they are the first records found regarding the unit's composition, enabling him to figure out who was in the group in its early days.

Matsuno said the member list includes previously unknown names, and that it will help researchers get to the bottom of what the unit did during the war.