at 18:30 (JST), August 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/20230831183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : marks one week
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230831_01/

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says there has so far been no trouble with the release of treated and diluted water into the ocean as Thursday marks one week since the start of the release.

The plant suffered a triple meltdown in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Water used to cool molten fuel at the plant has been mixing with rain and groundwater.

The accumulated water is treated and stored in more than 1,000 tanks in the plant. They currently hold some 1.35 million tons of treated water, reaching 98 percent of the tanks' capacity.

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

Tokyo Electric Power Company has been diluting the treated water before discharging it to reduce tritium concentrations to about one-seventh of the World Health Organization's guidelines for drinking water.

TEPCO says no problems have emerged with discharge or other equipment. It says each day about 450 tons of treated water is mixed with more than 700 times that volume of seawater before being released. The company says it had discharged over 2,900 tons of treated water as of Wednesday.

TEPCO has been taking water samples from the sea within 3 kilometers of the plant daily to check tritium levels since the discharge. It says tritium concentrations have been below the detectable level of 10 becquerels per liter.

Tritium concentrations have also been lower than the detectable level in seawater monitoring conducted by the Environment Ministry and Fukushima Prefecture, and in fish caught in waters near the plant that were examined by the Fisheries Agency.

TEPCO plans to release 7,800 tons of treated water over 17 days in the first round and 31,200 tons through March. The amount is equivalent to that stored in about 30 tanks.

The release of the treated and diluted water is expected to continue for about 30 years.

Local fishers and others are opposed to the discharge, citing concerns about reputational damage. Observers say the government and TEPCO must ensure safety over the long term and provide information with high transparency.

Key words : north two tactical
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230831_08/

North Korea says it conducted a tactical nuclear strike exercise and launched two ballistic missiles on Wednesday in response to joint military drills being held by the United States and South Korea.

The General Staff of the Korean People's Army said that it fired the tactical ballistic missiles northeastward from Pyongyang International Airport. The announcement was carried by the ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun on Thursday.

It said the tactical nuclear strike exercise simulated the destruction of South Korea's major command centers and operational airfields. It also said the missiles were detonated at an altitude of 400 meters above the target island.

The Rodong Sinmun carried a photo of a missile believed to be a solid-fuel type being fired from a mobile launch pad on a runway. Solid-fuel missiles are a type that can be launched swiftly. There was also a photo of a missile exploding over an island.

North Korea's military said Wednesday's drill was in response to the joint drills by the US and South Korea involving US B-1B bombers the same day. It said it would never sit back and watch the "reckless actions" of the US and South Korean militaries.

South Korea's military said the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles from an area in or around Sunan, near Pyongyang, late Wednesday. The North's announcement is believed to be referring to these launches.

Key words : north kishida
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230831_14/

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has strongly criticized the latest missile launches by North Korea.

Kishida spoke to reporters on Thursday, the morning after North Korea fired two ballistic missiles.

Japan's Defense Ministry says the missiles appear to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Noting that North Korea has frequently been firing ballistic missiles, Kishida said Pyongyang's actions are unacceptable, as they threaten the peace and stability not only of Japan, but the region and international community.

The prime minister added that the launches are a breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Kishida said Japan will continue intelligence-gathering and surveillance, and do its best to ensure peace and security in partnership with the United States and South Korea.

Key words : cambodia hun
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230830_32/

Cambodia's new prime minister Hun Manet will make his first appearance at the UN General Assembly next month.

The focus is on whether he will try to improve relations with Europe and the United States, as he strengthens ties with China.

Hun Manet laid out his foreign policy on Tuesday in his first speech as prime minister. He is the son of longtime leader Hun Sen, and became leader himself a week ago.

He stressed a policy of diplomacy in all directions.
He said he will continue friendly relations with all countries in a neutral and independent way, based on national interests.
Ahead of the speech, he held a series of meetings with US Senate officials. He reportedly said he is ready to strengthen ties and expand cooperation with the US.

Europe and the US imposed sanctions when his father was in power over human rights concerns as he clamped down on opposition parties.

Hun Manet has plenty of experience with Western countries. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and earned a PhD in economics from the University of Bristol in England. He went on to become commander of the Royal Cambodian Army.

Key words : province four people dead
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230830_22/

Authorities in the inland Chinese province of Sichuan say last week's landslides at a construction site has left four people dead and 48 others missing. They have also detained five people for initially underreporting the number of missing people.

China's state-run Xinhua news agency and other media outlets report that rainstorms triggered a flash flood at a highway construction site in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture on August 21. Workers were caught in the disaster.

Initial reports said 79 people were rescued and search efforts for six missing people were underway at the site.

But local authorities said on Wednesday people in charge of the construction work deliberately underreported the number of missing people.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to find the missing people and for a thorough investigation at the site.

In July, a Communist Party newspaper carried an article highlighting Xi's achievements in flood control projects.

But after that, floods and landslides occurred in the country's north and northeast, caused by record rainfalls.

Some Chinese people have since used social media to voice their complaints about the authorities' disaster management.

Key words : learned espionage
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230831_06/

NHK has learned that a Japanese man has been indicted in China after being detained on what are thought to be espionage charges.

The man in his 50s was taken into custody in Shanghai in December 2021. He was served an arrest warrant in June last year.

The sources say Japan's Consulate-General in Shanghai confirmed that he was indicted in mid-August this year.

Japanese government sources say the Chinese side has not disclosed details of the indictment.

An anti-espionage law was enforced in China in 2014. The sources say since then at least 17 Japanese have been detained in the country for alleged involvement in spying under the law. They say nine of them were given prison terms.

Their trials were held behind closed doors. China has not revealed what they did to break the law.

Key words : india space agency confirmed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230830_31/

India's space agency says its moon rover has confirmed the presence of sulfur on the lunar surface. This comes just a week after its unmanned spacecraft made a historic landing on the moon's south pole, where none had gone before.

The Indian Space Research Organisation announced that the rover's laser instrument had confirmed the presence of sulfur. Other elements detected include oxygen, iron, calcium and aluminum.

The agency said the rover made measurements in place on the composition of the surface near the pole.

The craft, called the Chandrayaan-3, touched down on Wednesday last week. The rover was sent out to explore a challenging spot with uneven terrain. Scientists believe the area could contain water in the form of ice.

India has made other moves to expand its presence in space. It has announced it will launch its first solar observation satellite this Saturday.

Key words : two japanese fuel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230830_16/

Two Japanese companies are working on a joint project that will use a new and efficient method of converting carbon dioxide into fuel.

Osaka Gas and oil wholesaler Eneos will build a large-scale plant for the technology known as "methanation."
It combines carbon dioxide with hydrogen to produce methane, the key component of city gas.

Methanation is drawing attention as a more efficient way of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions than the existing method, which uses liquefied natural gas.

Osaka Gas will collect CO2 from factories. Eneos will acquire hydrogen made overseas with renewable energy.

The two gases will be synthesized, producing enough methane to meet the annual demand of a quarter of a million households by 2030.

Miyagawa Tadashi, Vice President of Osaka Gas, says, "We aim to realize carbon-neutrality by 2050. This project is a significant effort to achieve that goal."

The companies say the methanation facility will be the first large-scale one in Japan. They say its site will be in the Osaka Bay area.