at 18:30 (JST), August 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/20230824183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : diluted water release three decades
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230824_20/

The treated and diluted water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is about to be discharged into the ocean. The release is scheduled to begin on 1 p.m. on Thursday.

The Japanese government says it is a necessary step to decommission the plant -- more than 12 years after it was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami.

The plant's operator is holding a news conference to report on the results of the water's dilution. It is expected to confirm whether tritium levels are low enough to move ahead with the plan.

Fukushima Daiichi suffered a triple meltdown in 2011. Since then, water used to cool molten fuel at the plant is mixing with rain and groundwater and the volume has been accumulating.

It is being treated to remove most radioactive substances, but still contains tritium.

Before the release, the operator is diluting the treated water to reduce tritium levels to about one-seventh of the World Health Organization's guideline for drinking water.

The water will then be moved through a tunnel under the seabed and discharged 1 kilometer off the coast.

The first round of the process will take around 17 days, and involve the release of about 7,800 tons of treated water. The full process is expected to take at least three decades.

Members of local industries have voiced concern about how it will impact their business.

The government has promised to work hard to prevent any reputational damage.

Key words : resident court withdraw
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230823_26/

A group of people opposed to Japan's plan to release treated and diluted water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will file a lawsuit next month to seek a suspension of the release.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, is expected to start releasing the water into the ocean as early as Thursday.

The group told a news conference in Fukushima Prefecture's Iwaki City on Wednesday that it will file a suit with the Fukushima District Court on September 8 to demand that TEPCO stop the release. It will also demand that Japan's nuclear regulator withdraw its approval of the plan.

A lawyer said the group is expected to be made up of residents and fishers of Fukushima Prefecture and elsewhere.

The group says the release goes against the promise made by the government and TEPCO to Fukushima's fishery co-ops eight years ago that they would not go ahead with such a plan without understanding of concerned parties.

It also says the move would violate the residents' right to live in peace, and destroy the foundation of the lives of people with ties to the sea.

An Iwaki resident who plans to join the plaintiff group, Suzuki Shigeo, said promises must be kept. He also said all the efforts that have been made so far would come to nothing, and reconstruction would be delayed.

Water used to cool molten fuel at the Fukushima Daiichi plant gets mixed with rain and groundwater. The accumulated water has been treated to remove most radioactive substances but still contains tritium.

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

Key words : north failed emergency blasting
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230824_11/

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency says the launch of a military reconnaissance satellite failed due to an error in the emergency blasting system. It says the country will conduct another launch in October.

Key words : north broke
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230824_10/

Japan's Defense Ministry says a projectile launched by North Korea appears to have broken into several pieces.

Officials say the pieces are believed to have fallen into the Yellow Sea west of the Korean Peninsula, the East China Sea southwest of the Korean Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean off the Philippines.

They say all of the pieces fell outside waters that North Korea indicated as areas at risk of falling objects.

The ministry says the projectile appears to have passed over Okinawa Prefecture and was heading to the Pacific Ocean. It is analyzing details of the launch.

Key words : matsuno violation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230824_15/

The Japanese government says North Korea has launched a projectile that appeared to use ballistic missile technology. It flew over the southern prefecture of Okinawa. North Korea's state-run news agency says the launch failed due to an error in its third stage.

The Japanese government has reported the projectile was launched southward from a site in the country's northwest at around 3:51 a.m. Japan time.

The Self-Defense Forces didn't attempt to destroy the projectile and there have been no reports of damage.

NHK reporters in a town in northeastern China on the North Korean border captured footage of a light rising into the sky.

The government convened a meeting of the National Security Council to study the situation.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu said; "This is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting any launches, and poses a serious threat to the safety of Japanese citizens. North Korea conducted the launch despite having been asked many times to cancel them. The launch is an extremely problematic act, not only with regard to the safety of aircraft and ships, but also to the public."

Japanese Defense Ministry officials say pieces of the projectile fell into the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea off the Korean Peninsula, and the Pacific Ocean off the Philippines.

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency says the country will try again to launch a military reconnaissance satellite in October.

Key words : 11-day exercise
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230824_16/

The US and South Korean militaries have shown part of their regular joint exercise to the media.

The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, based on a scenario of a contingency on the Korean Peninsula, began on Monday in South Korea.

On Wednesday, South Korean and foreign media were invited to view an urban warfare drill outside Seoul.

They watched as US and South Korean soldiers stormed and took control of a building held by enemy special forces.

Thirty-eight open-air drills are scheduled during this year's exercise, more than double the figure for last year.

A South Korean lieutenant colonel said the drills are a good chance to confirm the units' operability and heighten their capabilities.

Also on Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol visited a US-South Korea command center, and stressed the unity of the 70-year bilateral alliance.

Yoon said the joint training and drills "are the source of strength to deter and to punish North Korea immediately and decisively in case of provocation."

North Korea has condemned the joint exercise as preparations for an invasion. It has warned of countermeasures that could include the launch of an ICBM or other type of missile.

Key words : bank of japan symposium
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230824_24/

Bank of Japan Governor Ueda Kazuo will attend the annual international economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Analysts are watching whether he will give an indication of the BOJ's policy direction amid the falling value of the yen.

The three-day annual gathering starts on Thursday.
The symposium has long been seen as an opportunity for central bank governors to present their policy directions.

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will speak on Friday.

There has been much attention on Japan's central bank ever since it decided last month to allow long-term interest rates to rise higher than it had previously tolerated.

The BOJ has said the decision is to enhance the sustainability of yield curve control, the key element of its monetary easing policy.

At last year's symposium, Powell stressed that monetary tightening aimed at curbing inflation must continue "until the job is done."

His remark highlighted the difference between the Fed and the BOJ, which has stuck to monetary easing, causing the yen to plunge in value against the dollar.

Key words : india successfully humanity
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230824_02/

India has successfully landed an unmanned probe on the surface of the moon. It is the world's first-ever landing near the moon's south pole.

The Indian Space Research Organization says the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft touched down just after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, India time.

Scientists say it's possible water exists at the pole in the form of ice. The probe's mission is to check for this and other resources in the area.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "This success belongs to all of humanity." He added, "I am confident that all countries in the world including those from the Global South are capable of achieving such feats."

India's previous attempt in 2019 failed when a software glitch caused the craft to crash into the lunar surface.

India is now the fourth country to land on the moon, after the former Soviet Union, the United States and China.

Key words : japan moon
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230824_04/

Nations and private sectors alike are scrambling to explore the moon in hopes of creating a new hub for mankind.

The race comes as research papers released in recent years suggest that there is water on the moon.

Japan is no exception. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, plans to launch a lunar lander from the Tanegashima Space Center in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima on Saturday.

The probe is called the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM. If successful, it would be Japan's first lunar landing.

The probe will use image-recognition techniques to help identify craters and other topographical features. The lander aims to touch down within 100 meters of its target.

The journey to the lunar surface will take four to six months from liftoff.

Also on JAXA's agenda is a joint launch with its Indian counterpart as early as April 2025. The planned unmanned lunar probe will look for deposits of ice in the southern polar region.

Key words : metropolitan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230823_33/

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is now using generative artificial intelligence at all of its bureaus. About 50,000 civil servants can use the technology.

Tokyo officials set up a project team in May and drafted guidelines on using the technology. They include a ban on inputting personal information or confidential data.

An official with the environment bureau asked the AI system to write easy-to-read explanations of bureau projects for social media. The system offered 3 options.

The official said that the system can quickly come up with ideas that the human team hadn't thought of. But it is necessary to check what is generated for copyright violations or other issues.

Tokyo plans to use the technology for tasks such as summarizing the minutes of conferences.

The chief of Digital Service Bureau said that the technology can bring great innovation and it can increase the efficiency and quality of administrative services.

He added that the top priority is using AI in a safe manner.