at 18:30 (JST), January 03

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/20240103183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : confirmed dead collision
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240103_02/

Five Japan Coast Guard personnel have been confirmed dead, after their aircraft was involved in a collision with a Japan Airlines passenger aircraft at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

Japan Airlines says the plane was Flight 516, traveling from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

The Japan Coast Guard says the JAL plane collided with one of its aircraft immediately after landing at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

The coast guard says there were 6 people on board its plane and all perished except the pilot who was seriously injured.

The JAL aircraft was engulfed in flames. More than 100 firetrucks were assigned to extinguish the fire.
A JAL passenger posted video footage on social media, showing white smoke and sparks rising from the runway.

One of passengers said that the plane was filled with smoke. The crew told flyers that the doors in the center and the back couldn't be opened. Everyone used the front exit to escape.

The airline says 379 people, including 8 children, were on board and has confirmed they were all evacuated from the aircraft. But, firefighters say 14 people on board the JAL airplane were injured.

The coast guard says its aircraft was on the way to deliver supplies to quake-stricken Niigata Prefecture along the Sea of Japan coast.

Authorities at Haneda Airport say partial operations of the airport's runway have restarted, but it can't confirm when full operations will resume.

Key words : learned traffic controller permission
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240103_07/

NHK has learned that an air traffic controller at Tokyo's Haneda Airport had given permission for a Japan Airlines passenger jet to land on a runway before it collided with a Japan Coast Guard plane on Tuesday evening.

The air controller had also ordered the coast guard aircraft to hold short of the runway. The plane belongs to the Haneda Airport base.

A source from Japan's transport ministry revealed this information to NHK.

JAL Flight 516 was landing on Haneda's C-runway from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido when the collision occurred at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

The collision caused both aircraft to catch fire, killing five coast guard members, while all 379 on board the commercial flight escaped from three emergency exits.

Fourteen of the passengers who suffered bruises or felt in poor condition were treated at hospitals.

Of the six people on board the coast guard aircraft, only the captain survived. He was evacuated with serious injuries.

Japan Airlines has announced that its crew members said they confirmed the landing permission from the controller and repeated the order before carrying out landing operations.

The Japan Transport Safety Board is dispatching six investigators to begin a full-scale probe into the collision.

Key words : magnitude 7.6 temblor confirmed dead without electricity
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240103_06/

Central Japan continues to be rocked by earthquakes following the deadly magnitude 7.6 temblor on New Year's Day.

Rescue operations are ongoing in hard-hit Ishikawa Prefecture, where officials say 57 people are confirmed dead. Tens of thousands remain without electricity.
It's feared many are trapped under collapsed houses.
Officials warn that aftershocks of similar intensity may occur this week.

City officials in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, say 25 houses have collapsed. Firefighters were seen using power-saws to enter collapsed buildings to free those trapped inside.

Quake-triggered fires also destroyed about 200 houses in Wajima.

In nearby Suzu City, officials confirmed more than 50 houses have been leveled. On Tuesday morning, an NHK helicopter captured images of chairs in a Suzu parking lot arranged to spell out SOS. Hospitals in both Wajima and Suzu have been treating the injured.

Thousands of people in affected prefectures are also still sheltering at evacuation centers.
Water supplies in some areas have been cut off. Residents have been lining up to receive drinking water.

The quake also triggered mudslides that severed major roads in both cities.
Some roads remain closed.

A seismologist with Kyoto University, Goto Hiroyuki, says several short tremors followed Monday's quake.
Goto says wooden structures are susceptible to their high-frequency vibrations.
He says there could therefore be extensive damage from Monday's quake.

Officials are urging people to recognize the potential for earthquakes with an intensity of 7 on the Japanese scale over the next 7 days or so. The Japanese scale runs from 0 to 7, with 7 being the strongest.

Key words : dead Wednesday ishikawa
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240103_24/

More than 60 people are confirmed dead in Monday's devastating earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan. Tens of thousands are still without electricity.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says emergency teams are in a race against time to save lives.

Rescue operations are ongoing throughout Ishikawa, where officials say at least 65 people are confirmed dead.

A man said, "I lost my two daughters when the first story of my house collapsed. A roof beam came crashing down on the table where my family was celebrating the New Year."

He added, "My two daughters were crushed under the table. I couldn't stop crying. Who would've imagined this could happen."

Many more are feared trapped under collapsed houses and exposed to the winter cold. Rain is forecast for Wednesday night.

Kishida said, "More than 40 hours have passed since the earthquake occurred. It's a race against time to save lives and rescue survivors. This is a crucial moment."

He added that the government will do all it can, placing top priority on saving lives.

Kishida said, "We have boosted the number of Self-Defense Forces personnel from 1,000 to 2,000. Not just that. More than 2,000 firefighters and more than 700 police officers are also gathering from across the country."

Kishida also said that affected municipalities are requesting more rescue dogs, a quick reopening of severed roads, and supplies of water, blankets and other necessities.

Key words : taiwan skilled labor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20231215153907686/

Taiwan's 'chip schools' nurture new talent

Taiwan leads the world in the field of semiconductors. But it's facing a serious problem: a shortage of skilled workers. Now universities are working with the government and the industry to develop a new generation of specialists.