at 18:30 (JST), September 05

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/20230905183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : focus myanmar
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230906_24/

Leaders and top diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations kicked off a summit meeting on Tuesday in Jakarta. At the top of the agenda is the situation in Myanmar where battles are intensifying between the military that seized power two years ago and pro-democracy groups.

Peace efforts in Myanmar have dominated the discussions at recent ASEAN meetings, but little progress has been made.

Indonesian president and chair of the summit Joko Widodo reiterated his call for unity.

"Don't make our ship, ASEAN, an arena for rivalry that destroys each other, but make this ASEAN ship a field for growing cooperation, for creating prosperity, creating stability, creating peace," he said.

The summit will also be focusing on the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. China and some ASEAN members have overlapping claims in the waters. That discussion comes days after Beijing released a new map touting its territorial claims.

Key words : russia drill kim
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230906_21/

Russia's defense minister has hinted it may hold joint military drills with Pyongyang.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Sergei Shoigu said the two countries are discussing military exercises.

Russia has already been conducting joint drills with China. Shoigu said Russia's strategic bombers patrol with their "Chinese colleagues."

South Korea's National Intelligence Service initially reported the news at a National Assembly meeting Monday.

Lawmakers who were present say Shoigu allegedly proposed the idea during talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in late July. But it's unclear how North Korea responded.

Key words : russia drill proposal
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230905_30/

South Korea's intelligence agency says Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu likely proposed during his visit to Pyongyang in July that Russia and North Korea hold a joint military drill together with China.

The National Intelligence Service presented its analysis at a meeting of a parliamentary committee on Monday.

According to a lawmaker who attended the session, the intelligence agency said it has information that Shoigu made the proposal when he met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the country's capital Pyongyang in late July.

It is unknown how the North Korean side responded to the plan.

But earlier on Monday, South Korean evening newspaper Munhwa Ilbo reported that there is a strong prediction that North Korea, China and Russia will conduct three-way naval exercises in the near future.

The intelligence agency also said North Korea will likely continue to instruct forces in South Korea opposing President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration to campaign against Japan's release of treated and diluted water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Key words : israel nishimura ntt group
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230906_19/

Japan and Israel have held a forum in Tel Aviv to promote cooperation between businesses in the two countries.

About 250 people from Japanese and Israeli business circles took part in the event in Israel's commercial hub on Monday.

Japan's economy, trade and industry minister, Nishimura Yasutoshi, and his Israeli counterpart, Nir Barkat, also attended.

They looked on as Japanese telecom giant NTT Group signed a memorandum of cooperation with Israeli startup D-ID which has technology combining the metaverse and generative artificial intelligence.

Noa Asher, CEO of NTT Innovation Laboratory Israel said, " We believe that the platform that was created by D-ID can be used for many different products and services. There is a lot of possibility and potential for the collaboration."

Israel is home to many startups and is dubbed the Silicon Valley of the Middle East. About 90 Japanese firms have made inroads into Israel seeking new business opportunities.

Key words : thailand new cabinet
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230905_33/

Thailand is finally set to inaugurate its new cabinet after months of political limbo since May's general election.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin took office last month. The Royal Gazette published on Saturday the list of 34 cabinet members following endorsement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Srettha's Pheu Thai Party will lead the new coalition government comprising 11 parties, including pro-military factions. It won the second-most lower house seats in the election.

In the new cabinet, Pheu Thai holds the major defense and foreign portfolios. The pro-military faction maintains its presence with posts directly tied to its interests, such as agriculture and energy.
A political expert says Srettha will have a hard time managing his administration, given that it includes pro-military parties with which his party has long been at odds.

Srettha and his cabinet are due to take an oath at an audience with the king on Tuesday.

The prime minister says he will miss the summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Nations this week. He will send a foreign ministry official in his place.

Key words : court competent
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230906_03/

The trial of a man accused of carrying out a deadly arson attack on a Kyoto Animation studio four years ago is set to begin on Tuesday.

The July 2019 attack on Kyoto Animation's studio in Kyoto City left 36 employees dead and 32 others injured. Aoba Shinji has been charged with murder and arson in what is the deadliest murder case since 1989, the year in which the earliest records are available.

It has taken four years for his trial to start because the suspect himself suffered serious burns and spent time in hospital recovering.

The focus of the trial, which opens at the Kyoto District Court at 10:30 a.m., is expected to be on whether the suspect had the capacity to make a correct judgement at the time.

Prosecutors argue he was mentally competent, citing the results of a psychiatric evaluation. The suspect's defense team will likely contend he was mentally incompetent and seek an acquittal or lesser sentence.

It remains to be seen what Aoba will say during the trial regarding his motive. The suspect told investigators he set fire to the Kyoto Animation studio because it plagiarized his novel. The studio says he had entered a writing competition but was eliminated in the screening stage. It says there are no similarities between Aoba's work and any of its releases.

Kyoto Animation President Hatta Hideaki said he feels grief over the deaths of employees and feels sorry for the hardship other workers endured. Hatta said he expects the court to rule appropriately in accordance with the law.

Key words : court wheelchair burn
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230906_14/

The man accused of staging a deadly arson attack on an animation studio in Kyoto City has confirmed the charges against him in the first session of his trial. But his lawyers entered a not-guilty plea and are contesting his legal responsibility.

The July 2019 attack on the Kyoto Animation studio left 36 employees dead and 32 others injured. It was the deadliest murder case since 1989, the earliest year for which records are available.

Aoba Shinji is accused of pouring gasoline into the studio and starting the inferno. He faces multiple charges, including murder and arson. The case has taken four years to come to trial as the defendant suffered serious burns during the attack.

The trial, which involves lay judges, began at the Kyoto District Court on Tuesday. The 45-year-old defendant, wearing a face mask, entered the courtroom in a wheelchair.

Aoba confirmed the facts laid out in the indictment. He added that he did not think so many people would die.

The lawyers said that due to a mental disorder, the defendant could not tell right from wrong at the time of the crime, and was unable to stop himself from staging the attack.

Prosecutors refuted the argument, saying Aoba was fully capable of being held criminally responsible.

In their opening statement, prosecutors referred to Aoba's claim that his idea for a novel was stolen by the animation studio. They said that although it may be true that the defendant was delusional at the time, they will prove that the crime was committed not because of any delusion, but as a result of a misguided grudge against the studio.

The court is due to hear from doctors who have evaluated the defendant's mental state.

Attention is also focused on what Aoba will have to say about the background of the case and the motive for the attack.

Key words : supreme ruled opposes
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230905_17/

Japan's Supreme Court has ruled against Okinawa Prefecture over a landfill project to relocate a US military facility. Okinawa opposes the construction of the new airfield within the prefecture.

The court on Monday rejected Okinawa's appeal against a high court decision that upheld a state directive to demand the prefecture approve a design change to the landfill plan.

The change is needed to solidify soft ground found in the reclamation site off Henoko in Nago City to relocate the Futenma Air Station from the densely populated area in Ginowan City. Okinawa's refusal to give its approval halted the reclamation work.

The top court decision will now oblige the prefectural government to approve the revision, effectively leading to the resumption of the reclamation work.

Key words : sexually abused set up
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230905_21/

A group of people who say they were sexually abused by the founder and president of Japan's leading talent agency, Johnny & Associates, have sent a requests list to the agency that includes setting up a panel to pave the way for compensation.

A team of outside experts probing the allegations against the late Johnny Kitagawa confirmed last Tuesday that widespread abuse against minors occurred over long periods.

The experts urged the agency to set up a program that will compensate the victims.

The group of alleged victims met reporters in Tokyo on Monday, where they announced they had sent the list.

They said they also asked the agency to set up a panel including expert members that the victims' group and the agency each nominate.

They say the panel should comprise two groups. One would focus on shedding full light on the allegations and clarify where the responsibility for the alleged abuse lies. The other would hold a dialogue with the victims and provide relief, including compensation and address issues such as their psychological distress.

They requested that a fund to be set up for these purposes, and that the agency and the current president of Johnny & Associates, Julie K. Fujishima, contribute to the cause.

They also requested voluntary financial contributions from media organizations, including TV stations.

The group disclosed plans to submit a claim soon for human rights relief to the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. They also announced they are preparing to take their case to prosecutors, and in the event the talks collapse, they plan to file a civil suit.

The head of the group, Hiramoto Junya, said they proposed that the panel be active for ten years, so that victims who hesitate to come forward can have time to speak out.

He added that he wants the panel to create a framework to work with the victims to help them, rather than have the talent agency provide relief on its own.

Johnny & Associates earlier announced it will hold a news conference on September 7.