at 18:30 (JST), December 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/20231201183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : us military official request
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231201_09/

The US Department of Defense says there has been no official request from Japan to ground Osprey transport aircraft, following Wednesday's crash into the sea of a CV-22 Osprey in southwestern Japan.

Japan's Defense Minister Kihara Minoru said on Thursday that he had met the top official of the US military in Japan and asked him to suspend flights of all Japan-based US Osprey aircraft, except for search and rescue missions, until their safety is confirmed.

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said at a regular news conference on Thursday that she was not aware of any official request for a suspension.

She said, "As of right now, we are still continuing to operate the Osprey aircraft."

She added that if the ongoing investigation should yield any results that require the department to take additional steps, the US military will certainly do that.

Key words : osprey on board one crew
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231201_05/

The Japan Coast Guard says an underwater sonar search has detected what could be wreckage of the US military Osprey transport aircraft that crashed off the southern Japanese coast on Wednesday.

The plane was carrying eight people on board when it went down off Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture. One crew member is confirmed dead. The others are missing.

The coast guard has been conducting round-the-clock search operations. On Thursday, it used a sonar system to scan the seafloor.

Coast guard officials say they got sound reflections that may be from parts of the aircraft at multiple locations on the seabed at a depth of about 30 meters, about 1.2 kilometers from Yakushima Airport.

The officials say divers searched one of the sites later in the day, but found no clues.

The coast guard plans to continue its search operations as long as the weather permits.

Key words : spy satellite officially
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231201_02/

North Korea says the country is ready to officially start on Friday what it claims to be the reconnaissance mission of a military spy satellite it launched last week.

Pyongyang announced that it launched its first military spy satellite, the Malligyong-1, on November 21, in the third attempt of its kind, and successfully placed it into orbit. The country failed in its two previous attempts in May and August.

North Korea's state-run media say leader Kim Jong Un visited the Pyongyang General Control Center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration after the launch and viewed photos taken by the satellite.

The media say the imagery includes photos of the White House and the Pentagon, the US Kadena Air Base in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Okinawa, and US bases in South Korea and Guam. Officials in countries concerned are analyzing the capabilities of the possible satellite.

North Korea's ruling Workers' Party is expected to convene a plenary meeting of its Central Committee in December and decide on a plan to launch more reconnaissance satellites next year.

North Korea's five-year defense program entails operations of such satellites. The country's leadership is believed to be attaching importance to developing various types of missiles and enhancing reconnaissance capabilities to constantly and accurately monitor the military activities of the US and other nations.

Analysts say North Korea is intent on bolstering its monitoring of moves by Japan, the US and South Korea, which have been ramping up their security cooperation.

Key words : xi condolence wang
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231130_35/

China's foreign ministry says President Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolences to US President Joe Biden over the death of veteran US diplomat Henry Kissinger.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the announcement during a news conference on Thursday.

Wang said Kissinger made "historic" contributions to the normalization of China-US relations, and that Chinese people will remember him for his "sincere devotion and important contribution" to the bilateral relations.

The spokesperson pointed out Kissinger believed that relations between the two nations are vital to the peace and stability of both countries and the wider world.

Wang also said, "China and the US should carry forward Kissinger's strategic vision, political courage and diplomatic wisdom."

He added both countries should promote "the sound, stable and sustainable development of China-US relations" based on the important shared understandings agreed to during a recent summit meeting between Xi and Biden in San Francisco.

Key words : labor shortage shiga
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20231030153422657/

Japan focuses on Vietnam to solve labor shortages

As labor shortages stifle Japan's economy, the local government and businesses in Shiga Prefecture are looking to Vietnam's youth to provide a solution.