at 18:30 (JST), December 27

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/20231227183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : taiwan army conducted
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231226_16/

Taiwan's army has conducted its first drills using live ammunition in rifles and handguns outside military facilities.

The exercise took place on Tuesday at a swimming area in the northern city of Taoyuan on the scenario that enemy forces were trying to land at the beach. About 50 personnel took part.

The army said the drill was aimed at boosting soldiers' skills in a realistic environment amid China's mounting military pressure on Taiwan.

The practice site is close to Taoyuan International Airport and within 30 kilometers of central Taipei and the presidential office.

The site is thought to be one of the likely landing areas in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

In the practice, soldiers armed with rifles and handguns fired at mock targets from set positions using live ammunition. They then examined their accuracy.

An army colonel said the military wants to improve individual soldiers' abilities through drills in a realistic coastal environment.

Key words : indian ocean tsunami
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231226_17/

Indonesians have commemorated the 19th anniversary of the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004. The disaster left more than 220,000 people dead or missing in a vast area spanning from Southeast Asia to East Africa.

The tsunami was triggered by a massive earthquake that struck off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island. More than 160,000 people were killed in Aceh province, located on the northwest tip of the island.

A memorial ceremony was held Tuesday in Banda Aceh, the capital of the province. Amid the wail of sirens, prayers were offered at 8 a.m., around the time the quake struck.

At the event, a tsunami survivor shared her experience with other participants.

A woman said the tsunami hit about 20 minutes after the quake took place. She said she found herself unable to run because she was so shocked to see the tide surging up "like a dragon."

A 63-year-old man, who lost his son in the disaster, said he can never forget the tragedy. He said he intends to tell as many people as possible to quickly evacuate to higher ground when they hear the tsunami warning sirens.

Aceh authorities have been providing training for disaster preparedness through such efforts as maintaining the remains of homes destroyed by the tsunami.

The authorities aim to pass on the memories of the disaster to future generations.
They are considering ways to carry this out with help from Japan, which experienced a massive quake and tsunami in 2011.

Key words : tourism agency
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231227_03/

Japan's Tourism Agency says hotels, inns and other types of lodging in the country accommodated 11.6 million foreign guests in November. That's a record for the month.

The preliminary figure is about three times higher than last year. It is also 28 percent higher than the number in November 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic began.

The number of Japanese guests fell by 0.1 percent from the year before. But at nearly 42 million, it was a 3.4 percent increase over four years ago.

The overall number of guests was up 16.9 percent from the same month last year.

Key words : picture book defferent
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20231129200756982/

Japanese picture books capture hearts of Vietnamese children

Japanese picture books, which use a lot of illustrations to tell their stories, are finding young new fans in Vietnam, where they are translated and published in the local language.