at 18:30 (JST), September 01

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/20230901183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : north kim military command
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230831_20/

North Korean media say leader Kim Jong Un visited a military command post where a drill aimed at occupying South Korea was being conducted.

The ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Thursday that Kim visited the training command post of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army on Tuesday.

The report says the drill involving the entire army was launched on the same day. It said it was carried out in response to US-South Korea joint military exercises running from August 21 to 31.

The report said Kim studied the drill plan aimed at ''occupying the whole territory of the southern half" of the Korean Peninsula.

It said Kim also examined in detail a plan for ''disrupting the entrance of outside armed forces in contingency'' and carried a photo of him pointing at a map of the Korean Peninsula and talking with officers.

The report says Kim "stressed the need to pay the greatest attention" to dealing heavy blows to the enemy's war command center in the initial stages of operations to paralyze their will and ability to fight.

On Sunday, Kim visited the navy command and delivered a speech. He hinted that North Korea will strengthen its naval forces by deploying tactical nuclear weapons.

Key words : military equipment taiwan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230831_29/

The administration of US President Joe Biden has approved the first-ever US military transfer to Taiwan under a program normally used for sovereign states.

The Associated Press said the State Department on Wednesday notified Congress of the aid package, worth 80 million dollars, under the Foreign Military Financing, or FMF, program.

Taiwan can purchase military equipment and receive training from the United States using the FMF funds.

US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul welcomed the move. He said in a statement that the weapons will not only help Taiwan, but will also "strengthen the US deterrence posture" and ensure US national security from "increasingly aggressive" China.

The application of the FMF program for Taiwan is expected to draw sharp reactions from China, which opposes US military aid to Taiwan.

Key words : across japan great kanto
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230901_02/

Friday marks the centenary of a devastating earthquake that shook Tokyo and surrounding areas, leaving more than 105,000 people dead or missing.

The magnitude-7.9 Great Kanto Earthquake on September 1, 1923 caused violent tremors, tsunami, mudslides and extensive fires. A Cabinet Office report says the quake flattened upward of 100,000 homes.

In 1960, the government designated the date as Disaster Prevention Day to raise public awareness of the importance of preparedness for quakes, tsunami and other natural disasters.

This year, the government will hold a drill simulating its response to a major quake that could hit Tokyo or its vicinity.

The exercise is based on the scenario of a magnitude-7.3 quake hitting central Tokyo shortly after 7 a.m. and triggering powerful jolts across the greater metropolitan area.

Cabinet ministers and other government officials will gather at the prime minister's office and set up an emergency disaster response taskforce. They will confirm the extent of damage and how authorities are responding.

They will also hold a teleconference with officials of Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, to find out the extent of damage and what assistance is required.

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will then call a mock news conference to explain the government's response and call for cooperation from the public.

Other disaster drills will take place across Japan on Friday. They will include joint-response training in Sagamihara City, which will bring together firefighting and rescue officials from Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, as well as five major cities.

Key words : suspended seafood group tour
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