at 18:30 (JST), December 18

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/20231218183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : north fired outside
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231218_04/

Japan's Defense Ministry says North Korea has fired what appears to be a ballistic missile.

The Japanese government says it may have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

South Korea's military announced the North fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan on Sunday.

A senior South Korean official had previously said Pyongyang might launch an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, as early as this month.

North Korea sent a military spy satellite into orbit in November.

It is the 20th time this year that Pyongyang has launched what could be a ballistic missile or an object using ballistic missile technology.

Key words : leaders of japan and agreed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231217_12/

Leaders of Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to promote mutual security cooperation, apparently with China's increasing maritime activities in mind.

The leaders met on Sunday, on the second day of the special three-day summit in Tokyo to mark 50 years of friendship between Japan and the block. They discussed a wide range of topics.

The leaders agreed to advance their security cooperation, including maritime security cooperation, in such areas as the provision of defense equipment and joint drills.

They also confirmed that they will work together toward nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, cybersecurity, as well as on strengthening supply chains and other items in the field of economic security.

To further promote person-to-person exchanges, Japan and ASEAN agreed to launch a "Partnership to Co-create a Future with the Next Generation" program, which will involve more than 10 million people over the next decade.

They will also work to encourage the public and private sectors to invest a total of 35 billion dollars over the next five years toward decarbonizing the ASEAN region, strengthening infrastructure connectivity, and supporting start-ups.

The leaders issued a joint statement and an implementation plan on Sunday.

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio told reporters after the meeting that the world is facing multiple crises amid deepening division and confrontation.

He said Japan stands with ASEAN, which is a key player in a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Kishida added that his country will tackle new challenges based on the strong mutual trust between Japan and ASEAN, contribute to peace and stability in the region, and create a world where human dignity is protected.

Key words : philippine president increased
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231217_02/

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says tensions with China in the South China Sea have increased in recent months. He suggests Japan and ASEAN should enhance cooperation in the field of security as they have been doing with economic matters.

Marcos Jr. sat down with NHK for an exclusive interview on Saturday in Tokyo. He is in the Japanese capital to attend a special summit marking 50 years of friendship between Japan and ASEAN.

Chinese government ships have recently been using water cannons on Philippine vessels and obstructing their navigation in the South China Sea.

Marcos Jr. says tensions with China in the region have increased in recent months and the situation has grown more complicated.

The Philippine president said the participants to the Japan-ASEAN summit must find a way to maintain the peace.

Marcos Jr. stressed that the Philippines will also deepen trilateral cooperation with Japan and the United States and seek to collaborate with more countries by conducting joint exercises.

Key words : myanmar ethnic group
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231216_08/

The United Nations says fighting between Myanmar's military and three armed ethnic groups persists despite China's efforts to mediate a ceasefire.

China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the two sides had reached an agreement. But none of the warring sides has officially announced a deal.

Media in Myanmar say there were airstrikes and attacks on Friday.

The militants launched coordinated attacks against the military in the eastern state of Shan in October. They have since intensified their offensive in tandem with pro-democracy forces.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report released on Friday that fighting continues in some parts of Shan State.

The OCHA says at least 378 civilians have reportedly been killed and more than 660,000 people displaced nationwide since late October.

The UN agency says more than 2.6 million people have fled their homes since the military seized power in 2021.

Key words : japan and three
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231216_13/

Japan and three other countries have issued a joint statement urging North Korea to rectify its human rights situation.

Japan, the United States, South Korea and Albania issued the joint statement on Friday to mark this month's 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Japan and Albania are currently non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The United Nations has been hosting a variety of events to commemorate the occasion over the past week.

The four countries accuse Pyongyang of having one of the world's worst human rights records. They cite abductions of Japanese and South Korean nationals as examples of the North's human rights breaches.

They also point out that the North Korean people are unable to exercise their rights, including "freedoms of expression, thought, conscience, and religion, peaceful assembly, association and movement."

The statement says the North Korean government continues to ignore "the basic needs of its people."

The countries call on Pyongyang "to abide by its obligations under international law to take immediate steps to end all human rights violations and abuses."

Key words : china taiwan trade
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231215_24/

China's Ministry of Commerce says it has determined that Taiwan's restrictions on imports from China constitute trade barriers.

The ministry announced on Friday the results of an investigation into whether Taiwan's restrictions on imports of about 2,500 agricultural, industrial and other items from China could be considered trade barriers. The ministry launched the probe in April.

The reasons it gave for its conclusion were that Taiwan has set up a system that only allows imports from China when there are permits. It also said Taiwan's procedures for Chinese imports lack transparency, with no explanations provided to affected firms.

The Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council said Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party is unilaterally imposing restrictions on Chinese imports. It said it supports the relevant authorities to study and take corresponding measures.

Taiwan is scheduled to hold its presidential election in January next year.

China is apparently trying to make the anti-Beijing Democratic Progressive Party look like it is distorting trade, with the intention of applying political pressure.

Taiwan said the one-sided investigation is politically motivated and unacceptable.

Key words : china state security
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231217_10/

China's Ministry of State Security has indicated it will crack down on criticism of the Chinese economy.

The ministry said on social media that some people are denigrating China's unique socialist system by fabricating remarks about the country's economic condition.

Observers say Beijing is apparently nervous about the pessimistic views on the uncertain economic outlook caused by the sluggish real estate market.

It is feared that controls on media and the Internet could be further tightened.

Key words : japanese actor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231218_05/

The memoir "Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window," written by Japanese actor and TV personality Kuroyanagi Tetsuko, has been certified by Guinness World Records as having the most copies published for an autobiography by a single author.

The book was first published in 1981 and more than 25 million copies have been printed worldwide.

"Totto-chan" depicts Kuroyanagi as a first grader meeting new friends and Mr Kobayashi, the school principal, when she transfers to a school in Tokyo. The descriptions of vibrant children and a friendly teacher-student atmosphere struck a chord.

Publisher Kodansha says the book has been translated into more than 20 languages, and 25,113,862 copies have been published in Japan and abroad as of the end of September. A sequel was released in October.

Kuroyanagi says she did not intend to write an autobiography but just wanted to write about Mr. Kobayashi and her childhood memories.

She says she hopes more small children and young people will read the story and feel it is all right to think freely like Mr. Kobayashi.