at 18:30 (JST), November 07

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/20231107183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : group of seven face-to-face
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231107_04/

Group of Seven foreign ministers are expected to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian situation on the first day of their two-day meeting that kicks off on Tuesday in Tokyo. Japan plans to call for a humanitarian pause and also urge G7 partners to forge a united front on the issue.

The Israel-Hamas conflict is expected to be a key item on the agenda during the first session of the meeting. This will be the first face-to-face meeting of G7 foreign ministers since the conflict broke out one month ago.

Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko, who is chair of the meeting, is expected to denounce the terrorist attacks by Islamic group Hamas. She is also likely to share the view with her counterparts that Israel has the right to defend itself and its people.

Japanese officials plan to convey the country's call for a humanitarian pause, as the Gaza district is on the verge of a serious crisis. They will also stress the need to comply with international law.

Japan hopes to facilitate the discussion so that G7 countries will be able to send a united message that could help calm the conflict and improve the humanitarian situation in the region.

Key words : deadly afghanistan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231107_03/

Women in Afghanistan are said to be disproportionately affected by deadly earthquakes that hit the country one month ago.

The two magnitude-6.3 quakes struck western Afghanistan on October 7. The Taliban interim government said more than 1,000 people were killed and over 2,000 others were injured.

In the hardest-hit province of Herat, many evacuees are still living in tents or other temporary structures. Local authorities are ramping up efforts to build houses ahead of the country's harsh winter.

UNICEF said almost 90 percent of those killed in the earthquakes were women and children.

The agency UN Women said the quakes had "devastating impacts" on women in Afghanistan, where "women's rights including their freedom to move has been so significantly curtailed."

The agency said women in the country were "trapped inside their homes as a result of increasing restrictions" under the Taliban, which seized power in 2021.

Citing a report from the affected areas, the agency said many women and girls "lacked safe access to latrines." It also said, "Women first responders and health workers in Herat's regional hospital have highlighted insufficient food, soap, underwear, and menstrual hygiene products."

The report warned that woman-headed households may not be able to receive assistance because they don't have a "man who can access services on their behalf." It also noted that women and girls "could not obtain information on earthquake preparedness due to restrictions imposed on their rights and mobility."

Key words : chinese vice premier confirmed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231107_05/

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, known as a close aide to President Xi Jinping, has been confirmed as the head of three key entities overseeing financial and economic policy.

The People's Bank of China on Monday announced that He attended a meeting of the Central Financial Work Commission and gave a speech as its chief. His titles also include head of the office of the Central Financial Commission, according to the announcement.

It was announced in October that the vice premier -- who worked under Xi in a regional office -- had been appointed head of the office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission.

All three of the entities that the vice premier leads are under the direct jurisdiction of the Communist Party and tasked with overseeing financial and economic policy.

The appointment of He to the posts is seen as an attempt by Xi and other Chinese leaders to strengthen the party's supervision and control over financial and economic matters. This comes at a time when China's economic recovery is losing steam amid the sluggish real estate market and weak domestic demand.

Key words : 36 kyoto
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231106_29/

Prosecutors and lawyers for a man accused of killing 36 people in Kyoto Animation gave more details in court Monday on their arguments over his mental competency.

The defendant Aoba Shinji has been charged with murder and arson after setting fire to an office in July 2019 in an assault that also left 32 people injured.

Public prosecutors reiterated Monday that Aoba was mentally competent enough to be held fully responsible for the incident. Aoba's lawyers entered a not guilty plea because of his mental condition. They spoke at Aoba's trial at the Kyoto District Court.

Prosecutors said the defendant acted at his own discretion to carry out his plan while understanding that it was a crime, noting that he hesitated at the last moment to commit arson.

They said the murders were committed because the defendant's life didn't go the way he had wanted. The prosecutors noted that these disappointments included the rejection of his novel by the studio he attacked. They say the defendant fell into a pattern of assaulting others.

The prosecutors said Aoba's delusions at the time of the crime had only a limited effect on him.

Some bereaved family members and lawyers also attended. They said the defendant is extremely self-centered, as he only thought of his novel rather than the lives of the 36 victims. They also said it cannot be said that the delusion he had at the time of the crime influenced his action.

In the court room, Aoba listened to their arguments and looked at those testifying while sometimes closing his eyes.

The defendant's lawyers argued that Aoba had a serious delusional disorder at the time of the crime. They said the rejection of his novel was not the only cause of the crime. They said it was his experiences and anger in the delusion for more than 10 years that made him lose the ability to know what is right and wrong, as well as to control his own behavior. They argued that he was mentally incompetent.

The judges and lay judges are expected to discuss behind closed doors whether the defendant was mentally competent.

The court is scheduled to hand down a ruling on January 25.

Key words : foreign minister baltic political figure
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231107_08/

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has set out on a visit to the three Baltic states, in a move that could draw a sharp reaction from China.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry says Wu will visit Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania during his week-long trip beginning Monday.

Wu is due to deliver speeches at think tanks in Latvia and Estonia, and will attend a forum in Lithuania. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry says he is also expected to meet with key political figures, although it did not provide details.

The ministry says Wu's tour will underscore Taiwan's resolve to stand up against authoritarianism. This is seen as a reference to the pressure Taiwan is facing from China and the three Baltic nations from Russia.

Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have diplomatic ties with China. But they have been distancing themselves from Beijing in recent years, while building stronger ties with Taiwan.

The three Baltic nations have all pulled out of a China-led forum for economic cooperation with Central and Eastern European countries. In August, the heads of the three nations' parliamentary foreign affairs committees visited Taiwan together. The speaker of Lithuania's parliament also visited Taiwan for the first time last month.

Key words : senior un
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231106_24/

A senior UN official has urged the international community to hold dialogue with the Taliban and provide support for women and girls in Afghanistan.

The UN Development Programme's Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja, spoke to NHK on Monday in Tokyo.

The Taliban, which seized power two years ago, have been restricting women's rights to education and work.

Wignaraja said there is a direct correlation between the denial of their basic freedoms and a sense of hopelessness and losing one's self esteem, particularly among young women.

She also expressed concern about the mental wellbeing of Afghan women and a growing number of child marriages amid the country's dire economic situation.

The international community has not recognized the Taliban as a legitimate government. But Wignaraja said they are the authority right now who are running the country.

She therefore urged countries to continue to negotiate with the Taliban and look for ways to directly support women to run their lives.

She also touched on this year's Nobel Peace Prize that has been awarded to jailed Iranian women's rights advocate Narges Mohammadi.

Wignaraja said it "certainly gives Afghan women and girls the sense that the world sees them."

She added that if culture hurts or destroys people, that culture has to change, urging the world to pressure the Taliban into changing their policy toward women.

Key words : kako unesco
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231106_25/

Japan's Princess Kako has traveled to the ancient Inca capital of Cusco in Peru during an official visit to the South American country.

The City of Cusco is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the Peruvian Andes at about 3,400 meters above sea level.

Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince and Princess Akishino, visited the ruins on a hill, which gives a sweeping view over the urban areas of Cusco, on Sunday morning.

The ruins are well-known for long stone walls made up of meticulously cut granite. Looking up to a 7-meter-tall stone, which is said to be weighing about 120 tons, the princess asked a guide what they used to measure the weight of the stone.

Princess Kako later visited the Cathedral of Cusco in the central part of the city. The structure was built on the ruins of a palace of the Inca Empire between the mid-16th and mid-17th centuries. She also enjoyed religious paintings there by indigenous artists.

In the afternoon, Princess Kako attended a welcome event held at the city hall. She applauded when women with colorful ethnic costumes performed a traditional dance to music played on a quena, the traditional pipe of the Andes.