at 18:30 (JST), October 19

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/20231019183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : china customs authorities
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231019_01/

Data released by China's customs authorities indicate that the country imported no seafood from Japan last month.

Beijing suspended Japanese seafood imports on August 24 in response to the release of treated and diluted water into the ocean from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The International Atomic Energy Agency says the operation to release treated and diluted water into the ocean is consistent with international safety standards.

The data released on Wednesday show no numbers for imports of Japanese marine products in September.

Imports in August were already down about 67 percent year-on-year.

Japan's fisheries ministry says exports of Japanese seafood products to China totaled 87.1 billion yen, or about 580 million dollars, last year -- the largest by country or region.

Concerns have been raised about the impact of China's measure on Japanese fishery workers.

On Monday, Russia's sanitation authorities said the country was joining China in restricting imports of Japanese fishery products.

The Japanese government is demanding the countries drop their restrictions.

Key words : xi putin reaffirm
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231019_05/

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reaffirmed close ties between their countries amid deepening confrontation with the West.

The leaders met in Beijing on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum.

Representatives from more than 140 countries are attending the meeting on China's initiative aimed at creating a huge economic zone.

Xi said in a speech, "International Belt and Road cooperation has got off the ground, grown rapidly and produced fruitful outcomes over the past 10 years."

Putin praised the project in a speech, saying, "Belt and Road logically fits into multilateral efforts to strengthen creative and constructive interaction throughout the global community."

The leaders later held a bilateral summit.

Chinese state-run media said Xi called Putin an "old friend."

Following their talks, Xi said in a speech: "As great powers, China is willing to work with Russia. We will contribute to the development and revitalization of both countries, to maintaining international justice and promoting common development around the world."

Putin said: "In the current difficult conditions, close foreign policy coordination is especially necessary. We're already doing that."

Putin told reporters he and Xi discussed the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East, including the Israel-Hamas conflict.

He said those external factors are common threats that only strengthen interactions between Russia and China.

Key words : technical trainee
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231018_22/

A Japanese government panel has drawn up a proposal to abolish the current system for foreign technical trainees and launch a new program.

Under the current system, foreigners can learn technical skills while working for up to five years. But in some cases, foreign trainees are forced to work long hours for illegally low wages.

Japan's Immigration Services Agency says 9,006 trainees disappeared last year, the second-highest figure ever.

The new program proposed by the panel will aim to train foreigners for three years in principle to a level where they have acquired certain specialized knowledge and skills.

The system of training specified skilled workers for fields such as nursing care and construction will be maintained, but to transfer to this system, trainees must pass tests in technical skills and the Japanese language.

Trainees will also be allowed to switch employers, which was previously banned, if they have worked for more than a year, as well as have certain technical and Japanese language abilities.

Since many trainees pay huge fees to staffing agencies and brokers in their home country, the new program will incorporate a framework for Japanese firms that take in the trainees to shoulder some of the costs.

The panel plans to compile a final report by the year-end and submit it to the justice minister.

Key words : canada and china
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231018_04/

Canada and China are trading accusations over a mid-air incident involving their military aircraft.

Canadian media are reporting that the incident happened over international waters off the Chinese coast, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry says it was over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

Canadian media say a Chinese fighter jet came within 5 meters of a Canadian surveillance plane that was taking part in a UN operation to enforce sanctions against North Korea on Monday.

Reuters quoted Canadian defense minister Bill Blair as saying that the jet's behavior was dangerous, reckless and unacceptable.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters on Tuesday that the surveillance plane intruded into China's airspace and violated its sovereignty. Mao said Beijing lodged a protest with Ottawa.

She also criticized Canada for frequently conducting reconnaissance and provoking China in the name of implementing UN Security Council resolutions.

Japan controls the Senkaku Islands. China and Taiwan claim them.

The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory, in terms of history and international law. It says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them.

Key words : US defense department risky
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231018_11/

The US Defense Department has raised strong concerns about risky operational behavior by Chinese military aircraft in international airspace, including flying dangerously close to US military planes.

The Defense Department released images and videos on Tuesday showing 15 cases of "coercive and risky operational behavior" by Chinese fighter aircraft in the East and South China Sea regions.

The images and videos were shot between January 2022 and September 2023.

Video from May 2022 shows a Chinese fighter jet cross under a US military plane in the East China Sea.

The Defense Department says "the US pilot opened some distance between the two planes" but the Chinese pilot re-approached at a distance of about 3 meters below the US plane.

Another video from July this year captures a Chinese fighter jet deploying flares in the East China Sea. Flares are heat-sources used to evade missiles.

The Defense Department says it has seen more than 180 such incidents since the fall of 2021, which is more than in the decade before that.

The commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, said at a news conference that he is "most concerned about the potential for accidents," and that "those accidents could lead to miscalculation."

Key words : japan maritime program
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231018_20/

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force is hosting an exchange program for young officers from its overseas counterparts.

The MSDF has been hosting the event since 2000 in order to deepen mutual understanding among aspiring naval officers from various countries. This year, 29 officers from 26 countries, including the United States, South Korea, Australia and China, are taking part.

In the opening ceremony in Tokyo on Wednesday, the principal of JMSDF Command and Staff College, Egawa Hiroshi, said the countries are facing a variety of challenges that should be addressed collectively.

He told the participants that he is hoping for a lively discussion on such topics as how their countries can cooperate toward the goal of achieving regional stability.

The young officers will exchange views on the theme of maintaining and strengthening maritime order. They are also scheduled to visit MSDF vessels and have an opportunity to experience traditional Japanese culture.

The MSDF says it is looking forward to building good relations with people involved in the future of each country's naval force. The program runs until October 25.

Key words : india same-sex
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231018_37/

India's top court has rejected petitions seeking to legalize same-sex marriage, dealing a disappointing blow to the country's large LGBTQ community. It ruled that the decision should be left to parliament and government.

The ruling on Tuesday came after months of deliberation. Petitioners argued that not being able to marry violates their constitutional rights.

The five judges of the Supreme Court unanimously agreed that they cannot make law. The court also said that sexual minorities should be protected from prejudice and discrimination.

The ruling disheartened many of the LGBTQ community. Some vowed to continue their fight for equal rights.

The leaders of the country's ruling party have opposed same-sex unions. Religious leaders also argued that the legalization of same-sex marriage would distort the fabric of Indian society.

The court ruling came after years of legal battles by LGBTQ rights advocates against conservative social norms. In 2018, India struck down a colonial-era law that criminalized same-sex intercourse. But it kept the legislation limiting marriage to heterosexual couples.

Key words : high school entrance exam
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231018_12/

Students preparing to take school entrance examinations next spring are visiting a Shinto shrine, which honors the god of learning, to receive blessings.

Dazaifu Tenmangu is located in southwestern Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture. It enshrines Sugawara-no-Michizane, an aristocrat who lived from the 9th through the 10th centuries. The shrine holds a major ritual every year on October 18, the day on which Sugawara-no-Michizane became a scholar of the highest rank.

The event serves as a special occasion to pray for the success of those who will take school entrance exams.

On Wednesday, about 350 students from the prefecture and elsewhere took part in the rite, along with their families. They prayed for success.

A third-year high school student said he prayed to the god. He said he now feels that he is likely to pass the exam.

Throughout the month, the shrine's tower gate is decorated with images of carps and a dragon. The images are based on an ancient Chinese legend about a gateway to success. Worshipers are allowed to pass through the gate and pray that they will pass their examinations.