at 18:30 (JST), August 23

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/20230823183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : operator check 7,800 tons
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230823_08/

The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is measuring the concentrations of tritium contained in the treated and diluted water that is going to be released into the ocean soon.

On Tuesday, the Tokyo Electric Power Company began making preparations for the water's release. That was after the Japanese government announced that it would start discharging the water as early as Thursday.

TEPCO finished filling a facility, which is called a discharge vertical shaft, with the treated and diluted water by 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Each ton of treated water has been mixed with about 1,200 tons of sea water.

The operator is measuring the concentrations of tritium that the water contains. It plans to confirm on Thursday morning that the water has been diluted to the stated level.

TEPCO also intends to check weather and sea conditions. If there are no problems, it will start releasing the water later in the day.

The operator will first dilute 7,800 tons of the treated water with sea water. In the initial stage of the discharge program, it plans to release the diluted water for 17 consecutive days.

TEPCO said that it is making preparations to start discharging the water with the utmost vigilance.

The plant suffered a triple meltdown following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Water used to cool molten fuel at the plant mixes with rain and groundwater and the volume has been accumulating. The accumulated water is treated to remove most radioactive substances, but it still contains tritium.

The government plans to dilute the treated water to reduce the tritium levels to less than one-40th of the nationally-regulated level, before the water is released. That is about one-seventh of the level noted in the World Health Organization's guidelines for drinking water quality.

Key words : neighbor react
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230823_01/

Japan's neighbors have been reacting to the news of Tokyo's decision to start releasing treated and diluted water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean as early as Thursday.

In South Korea, one official said although Seoul concludes there is no scientific or technical issue with the plan, his government does not support it.

A senior official of South Korea's Office for Government Policy Coordination Park Ku-yeon said, "If the release is not carried out according to the plan, we will take it as a threat to South Korean people's safety and health, and demand the Japanese government to halt the release."

People against the release held a protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.

China had stronger words. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin called Tokyo's decision selfish and irresponsible.

He said, "We urge Japan to correct its wrong decision and withdraw its plan to release contaminated water into the ocean. We will take all the necessary measures to safeguard the marine environment, food safety and public health."

In Hong Kong, authorities have announced marine products from Fukushima, Tokyo and eight other Japanese prefectures will be banned starting Thursday.

The head of the IAEA has reiterated the discharge will have a negligible impact on people and the environment. He says the agency will provide the public with real-time monitoring data.

Key words : students nuclear weapon
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230823_06/

A delegation of Japanese high school students has urged the United Nations to do more to abolish nuclear weapons.

The 22-member delegation made the appeal on Tuesday at the UN office in Geneva, Switzerland.

The students from Hiroshima, Nagasaki and elsewhere observed a session on disarmament.

They also met the chief of service for disarmament affairs, Carolyne Melanie Regimbal. They showed her photos taken shortly after the 1945 atomic bombings and told her that survivors faced discrimination.

The students said Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to an argument that nuclear arms are needed as a deterrent, but they are the most inhumane weapons.

They handed Regimbal a petition calling for a world without nuclear weapons along with paper cranes, a symbol of peace and praying for recovery from illness in Japan.

She said no quantity of briefing materials can speak louder than what they have just said. She urged the students to continue their "fantastic work."

Student delegates had to suspend their annual visits to the UN office during the coronavirus pandemic. This is the first visit since 2019.

After returning to Japan, they will report on their visit in Nagasaki.

Gokan Sakura is from Hiroshima. Her grandmother experienced the atomic bombing of Hiroshima City.

She says she wants to practice Regimbal's ideas on how to reach out to people who are not interested in the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Key words : life expectancy
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20230719104757164/

No hiking, no life

Japan regularly ranks among the top countries in the world for average life expectancy. The latest statistics show that more than 90,000 people are over a century old. So, what is the secret to a long life? In this report, we will learn one answer.