at 18:30 (JST), December 21

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/20231221183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : daihatsu additional
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231220_25/

Japanese automaker Daihatsu Motor is set to halt shipments of all its domestic and overseas models due to a third-party committee's discovery of additional safety data irregularities.

It was found in April that Toyota Motor's fully owned subsidiary had rigged door parts in collision tests on cars for overseas markets.

In May, it came to light that Daihatsu had improperly obtained government certification for hybrid vehicles for the Japanese market as well.

The committee and the company say irregularities were found for 64 vehicle types in total, including ones no longer in production.
Production suspension is also likely to expand from the two domestic models that are now on hold.

Key words : fire bangladesh
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231220_10/

A fire broke out on a train that was traveling in Bangladesh on Tuesday. Four people were killed, including a three-year-old child and his mother.

The train, which was bound for the capital city of Dhaka, departed from northern Bangladesh. Three cars were severely burned in the fire.

The train was carrying a large number of passengers.
Police are investigating the incident as a possible case of arson.

The fire occurred ahead of the general election, which is scheduled to be held in January. Clashes have broken out between police officers and supporters of opposition parties. The supporters have been engaging in anti-government protests.

Some protesters have become violent. They have set buses and other vehicles on fire.

The government has taken a hardline stance and detained senior members of the opposition parties.

Supporters of those parties called for strikes across the country on Tuesday. They wanted public transportation to be brought to a standstill. They deny that they were involved in the fire on the train.

Observers say security in Bangladesh could deteriorate ahead of the general election.

Key words : tens of thousands china
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231220_26/

Tens of thousands of people in inland China have taken shelter amid freezing cold temperatures after a massive earthquake hit the region on Monday.

The quake occurred in highlands more than 2,000 meters above sea level in Gansu Province.

A total of 134 people have died there and in neighboring Qinghai Province.

Gansu officials told reporters on Wednesday that rescue work has basically ended. They said they will shift their focus on supporting the afflicted people.

More than 200,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged due to the tremors, forcing more than 87,000 people to evacuate.

Evacuees are facing a shortage of supplies, including tents and bedding as night-time temperatures drop to around minus 15 degrees Celsius amid a cold wave. Military and other personnel are working to deliver necessities across the quake-hit area.

Meanwhile, rescue operations are expected to continue in Qinghai Province to search for 13 people who are missing due to a landslide.

Key words : kim nuclear attack
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231221_09/

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says Pyongyang will not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack in response to nuclear provocations.

The country's ruling Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, said on Thursday that Kim made the remarks the previous day when he congratulated the missile bureau that had carried out a launch drill for the Hwasong-18.

Kim said the drill demonstrated that North Korea would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack when the enemy provokes it with nuclear weapons. He was accompanied by his daughter.

The Hwasong-18 is North Korea's first solid-fuel ICBM-class missile. The North says it conducted the drill on Monday.

Last year, Pyongyang enacted a law allowing the preemptive use of nuclear weapons. Kim's remarks on Wednesday underscored this stance.

Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong Un, issued a statement on Thursday in response to the UN Security Council emergency session that followed the North's missile launch.

She said, "From now on, the hostile forces had better worry themselves about how the DPRK would define and regard the character of the coming scenarios for the military confrontation with the DPRK predicted" by the United States and South Korea.

She clearly showed the North's confrontational stance against Washington and Seoul, which are strengthening their deterrence against Pyongyang.

Key words : philippines surveillance
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231220_33/

The Philippines is using a recently installed Japanese-made air-surveillance radar system to monitor activity off its coast. It says it will share data from the radar with Tokyo to strengthen their security relationship.

Officials from Japan's defense ministry attended a handover ceremony at a Philippine Air Force base on Wednesday. The base faces the South China Sea, where the Philippines is involved in several territorial disputes with China.

"The transfer of this radar system signifies that the Philippines now has a new eye towards its surrounding airspace with Japanese-made equipment, solidifying the evidence of our cooperation," said Japanese defense ministry official Nishiwaki Osamu.

"We are cooperating because we have shared values against the contrived and unilateral attempt by other countries to appropriate the West Philippine sea as its own," added Philippine defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro. He avoided mentioning specific countries in his comments, but warned against illegal activities in the South China Sea.

The Philippines plans to install three more Japanese-made radar systems.

Tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea are intensifying. The two countries have recently traded barbs over incidents involving their vessels in disputed waters.

Key words : south samsun sony
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231221_05/

NHK has learned that South Korea-based chipmaker Samsung Electronics looks set to open a lab to develop advanced semiconductors in Yokohama, near Tokyo.

Sources say Samsung Electronics has decided to set up the research and development facility in the Minato Mirai business district.

Investment is expected to top 40 billion yen, or 278 million dollars, from 2024 onward. The Japanese government is expected to shoulder half the amount.

It is believed the facility will serve as a hub for developing chip-packaging technology required for high-performance chips.

The lab will employ about 100 engineers in Japan, and Samsung Electronics is studying the possibility of launching joint development with research organizations in the country.

As the United States and China lock horns over semiconductors, which are key products related to national security, the Japanese government has been calling on foreign chipmakers to make inroads into Japan to strengthen domestic supply chains.

Sources say Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio plans to disclose the government's assistance to Samsung Electronics at a meeting in Tokyo on Thursday aimed at expanding investment in Japan.

The world's largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, is building its first plant in western Japan in a joint project with Japan's Sony Group and others.

Key words : number of visitors
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231220_22/

The number of foreign visitors to Japan has topped 20 million for the first time since 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic.

The Japan National Tourism Organization says 2.44 million foreigners visited Japan in November, exceeding 2 million for the sixth straight month. This brings the total since January to more than 22.33 million.

Among last month's visitors, there were 649,900 from South Korea, 403,500 from Taiwan, 258,300 from China and 200,400 from Hong Kong.

The numbers from 13 countries and regions were the highest ever for November. They include South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and Australia.

Officials with the tourism organization say the weak yen is encouraging more people to travel to Japan from all over Asia, Europe and North America.

Meanwhile, the number of visitors from China, who used to make up the bulk of visitors to Japan, remained at about one-third of the level it was four years ago.