at 18:30 (JST), December 11

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/20231211183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : Kishida replace senior
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231211_05/

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio plans to replace high-ranking administration officials in response to a growing money scandal involving the largest faction in his main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He is arranging to make the reshuffles as soon as the current session of the Diet closes on Wednesday.

The scandal mainly involves the LDP faction once led by late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. It's still referred to as the "Abe faction."

Sources say the group is suspected of paying kickbacks to its members who exceeded their quotas of the sale of tickets for its fundraising events.

Offices of most of its nearly 100 members are said to have received such payments, but kept them off their political fund reports in violation of the law.
Members of political organizations found guilty of failing to report such revenues could face fines, or even imprisonment. Violators can also be temporarily banned from voting and standing in elections.

The senior officials in question include Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu, LDP Diet affairs chief Takagi Tsuyoshi, LDP Upper House Secretary-General Seko Hiroshige, LDP policy chief Hagiuda Koichi, and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nishimura Yasutoshi.

Nishimura said on Sunday that he will give an explanation at an appropriate time and continue to perform his ministerial duties.

Prime Minister Kishida met senior LDP officials over the weekend to discuss how to deal with the issue. He is now making arrangements to replace Cabinet ministers and LDP executives, including Matsuno and Takagi.

But Kishida is expected to carefully consider the size and timing of the personnel changes due to conflicting views within the government and the LDP.

Some say Cabinet ministers and junior ministers who belong to the Abe faction should all be replaced. But others say the prime minister does not need to replace officials if their involvement in the scandal remains unclear.

The secretary-general of the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, Okada Katsuya, says none of the LDP lawmakers who are involved in the scandal have explained how the unreported slush funds were used.

Opposition parties are poised to demand Kishida instruct the LDP members in question to fulfill their accountability during the last three days of the Diet session.

Key words : pro-beijing almost
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231211_16/

Pro-Beijing candidates have swept almost all the seats in Hong Kong's district council elections. The turnout in Sunday's polls was a record low of 27.5 percent as pro-democracy parties were unable to field any candidates after a change in the election system.

Vote counting was over by Monday morning for the 88 directly elected seats in the 18 district councils.

The turnout plummeted from the record high of 71.2 percent in the last elections in 2019 and was the lowest since Hong Kong was returned from Britain to China in 1997.

The district elections were once said to accurately reflect the views of Hong Kong voters. In the 2019 elections, the pro-democracy camp swept to a landslide victory.

In July, Hong Kong's electoral system was revamped in favor of pro-Beijing candidates. Those wishing to run are now required to obtain a certain number of nominations from members of government-appointed committees.

No pro-democracy candidates were able to stand in the elections, apparently leading many voters who support the camp to abstain.

The district councils have a total of 470 seats. The remaining seats are to be filled by Hong Kong government-appointed members and other members chosen by pre-selected electors.

Key words : philippines accusation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231210_15/

The Philippines and China are trading accusations over the latest collision between their vessels in disputed waters in the South China Sea.

The Philippine government said on Sunday that two resupply ships and a patrol boat were obstructed by Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels off the Spratly Islands in the morning.

A video released by the Philippine government shows the patrol boat surrounded by Chinese vessels and being water-cannoned, and a Chinese Coast Guard ship ramming into the side of one resupply vessel.

The government says one of the resupply vessels suffered damage to its engine, and the patrol boat towed it back to a port.

Philippine officials accused the Chinese vessels of "unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers" that "put the lives of Filipino crew members at risk."

The Chinese Coast Guard said the Philippine vessels illegally entered the waters, and one of them "made an unprofessional and dangerous sudden turn, intentionally ramming into a Chinese Coast Guard vessel."

The Chinese side argues that the Philippine side bore full responsibility.

This is the second day in a row that the two countries have been involved in a maritime incident.

On Saturday, the Philippines said Chinese Coast Guard ships fired water cannons at its resupply vessels in another location in the South China Sea.

Key words : soldiers surrender myanmar
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231209_15/

A Myanmar military officer who surrendered to an ethnic minority armed group has told NHK the military is struggling to maintain control as troop morale sinks. The ruling junta has been facing escalating clashes with ethnic minority militants and others.

Militants from three minority groups launched joint attacks against junta forces in the eastern state of Shan on October 27. The militants are stepping up their offensives in cooperation with pro-democracy forces.

Myanmar's military is now on the defensive across the country for the first time since it seized power in a coup in 2021.

The pro-democracy National Unity Government says 541 junta soldiers had surrendered as of November 29.

The military officer who gave himself up to an ethnic armed group called the Karen National Union in the southeastern state of Karen spoke to NHK under supervision of the group.

The officer said he surrendered along with 20 lower ranking soldiers after coming under attack for two and a half days, while guarding a bridge last month.

He said he lost 25 of his 53 subordinates in the attack. He said he and some others are lucky to be alive, and they had no choice but to surrender.

The officer said he chose to give up to protect himself and he feels no regret about his decision. He added it is time for other soldiers to act on their own behalf.

The officer said the military's top general Min Aung Hlaing is losing his way. He said no one in the military continues to believe in the general's leadership.

He said there are no longer any soldiers or staff in the military who have faith in him as they did before.

It appears junta soldiers who surrender are allowed to live relatively freely. But footage taken by ethnic minority forces show troops being forced to line up in front of a bridge, and to pay tribute to those killed by the military.

The high reported number of surrendering soldiers is unusual. They are believed to live communally in military facilities with their families, and are exposed to mutual surveillance and indoctrination by superiors, so they are unable to disobey orders.

A military spokesperson said through state-run media on Monday that if soldiers who have gone missing from the military return, they will be allowed to return to military duty.

The comment suggests there is a shortage of military personnel.

Key words : australia papua
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231208_35/

Australia has signed a bilateral security pact with neighboring Papua New Guinea. The deal between the two countries is seen as an attempt by Australia to counter China's growing influence in the Pacific region.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape in Canberra on Thursday to ink the agreement.

It bolsters cooperation in areas including defense, policing, maritime and aviation security. The deal also says the two nations will consult and collaborate if there is a threat to peace or an external armed attack on either country.

Albanese called the agreement "comprehensive and historic." He said that the pact will make it easier for Australia to help PNG address its internal security needs and for both countries to support each other's security and the region's stability.

Canberra will provide about 130 million US dollars for police training and infrastructure to help PNG double its force to 10,000 officers by the end of 2027.

Marape highlighted the significance of the pact. But he said his country will not pick sides in the growing rivalry between regional powers, including China.

Last year, China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands. The US, Australia and New Zealand are concerned that the deal could lead to an increased Chinese military presence in the South Pacific.

It's believed that Australia wants to keep China in check by strengthening cooperation with Papua New Guinea, the most populous island nation in the region.

Key words : japanese victim shooting
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231209_10/

The Japanese Consulate in San Francisco says one of the people killed in a campus shooting in Las Vegas has been identified as a Japanese woman in her 60s.

Takemaru Naoko, an associate professor who taught Japanese language and culture at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, was one of three people who died in the attack on Wednesday.

The university said Takemaru was a noted scholar, author and award-winning educator who recently marked her 20th year as a faculty member. It said she was extremely dedicated to her students.

Police say they shot and killed the 67-year-old suspect at the scene. They say the man, a former professor at a different university, had applied for jobs at several universities in Nevada but been turned down.

US President Joe Biden mentioned the shooting in a speech delivered in Nevada on Friday.

He said he would pray for the families of the victims, "whose hearts have been broken by yet another horrific gun violence."

Biden called for tighter gun control, citing the many cases of mass shootings this year. He said, "This is not normal and we can never let it become normal."

Key words : ohtani history
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231210_07/

Japanese Major League Baseball superstar Ohtani Shohei has announced on Instagram that he has reached an agreement to join the Los Angeles Dodgers.

His agent's office said he was offered a 10-year, 700-million-dollar contract. US media reports said this is the largest contract in sports history.

In 2023, Ohtani's sixth season, he leads the American League with 44 homeruns.

As a pitcher he has earned 10 wins to become the first-ever MLB player to earn double-digit wins and home runs for two consecutive seasons.

Ohtani won the Most Valuable Player Award in the American League in 2021 and 2023. He is the first player in MLB history to win the title by unanimous vote more than once.

By joining the Dodgers, Ohtani is sure to seek further success that has evaded him so far -- that is, to play and win the World Series.