Asian View
Key words : suga congratulate race
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201112_09/
Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide says US President-elect Joe Biden has suggested that Washington will help Japan defend the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea under the bilateral security treaty.
Suga and Biden spoke for the first time over the phone for about 10 minutes on Thursday morning, Japan time.
Suga told reporters he congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory in the US presidential race.
Suga said the security environment around Japan is becoming increasingly severe, and he conveyed the need to further strengthen the Japan-US alliance, which is indispensable for the peace and prosperity of the region, as well as the international community.
The prime minister said he also conveyed his wish to work with the US to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Suga said Biden expressed Washington's commitment to applying Article Five of the Japan-US Security Treaty to the Senkaku Islands. He also told Suga he is looking forward to cooperating with Japan to strengthen the bilateral alliance and for the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan controls the Senkaku Islands. China and Taiwan claim them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory, in terms of history and international law. It says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them.
Suga said he and Biden agreed to work together on matters of international concern, such as the coronavirus and climate change.
The prime minister said he also sought US cooperation in resolving the abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea.
He described the phone conversation as very meaningful for efforts to reinforce the Japan-US alliance.
Suga added that he plans to visit the US at an appropriate time, but they have agreed to meet as early as possible.
Key words : pro-democracy criteria group of 19
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201112_01/
The expected departure of pro-democracy members of Hong Kong's Legislative Council will drastically weaken the legislature's checks on the government's measures and policies.
The Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress set new criteria for the council's members on Wednesday. Under them, members will immediately lose their status if they call for Hong Kong's independence, ask foreign forces to interfere in the territory's affairs, undermine national security or refuse to support the territory's Basic Law.
In response, the Hong Kong government announced it had disqualified four legislators.
A group of 19 pro-democracy lawmakers, including the four, reacted sharply. The 15 who were not barred on Wednesday said they would collectively resign in a show of protest. They plan to submit their resignation letters on Thursday.
If they do so, all but two members of the council will be pro-Beijing.
The Standing Committee's introduction of the new criteria is apparently aimed to step up Beijing's control of the territory, following the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong in late June.
Concerns are rising that the "one country, two systems" principle, which has guaranteed the territory a high degree of autonomy, is becoming a mere formality.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab criticized the Hong Kong government's move.
He said in a statement, "China's decision to arbitrarily remove elected pro-democracy Hong Kong legislators from their positions represents a further assault on Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and freedoms under the UK-China Joint Declaration."
He also said, "This campaign to harass, stifle and disqualify democratic opposition tarnishes China's international reputation and undermines Hong Kong's long-term stability."
Key words : honda launch
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201111_40/
Honda Motor plans to launch a self-driving vehicle with hands-free capabilities by the end of March. Japan's transport ministry says that would make the automaker the first in the world to commercialize a so-called level-three self-driving vehicle.
Honda says it has obtained a government designation for the firm's autonomous driving system.
The company plans to sell a Legend model equipped with the technology.
Autonomous driving technology is categorized into five levels.
Levels one and two are fitted with automatic braking and lane-keep technology. Many cars already have these functions.
Level three allows drivers to let the vehicle do all operations, including steering and braking. But that's only when certain conditions are met, such as when a vehicle is in congested, slow traffic on an expressway.
Key words : hosting
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201111_22/
Japan and the United States have formally started working-level talks on Japan's share of the cost of stationing US forces in the country. The two sides have agreed to seek an early conclusion to the matter.
Foreign and defense officials from the two countries met in Washington on Monday and Tuesday. They also met in October.
The officials agreed that the US forces in Japan are central to the bilateral alliance. They also agreed that Japan's financial support of the forces has played an important role in the troops' activities.
They agreed to work toward an early conclusion. They must take into consideration the process that Japan needs to go through in order to draft a budget for fiscal 2021.
Japan wants its financial burden to remain at the current level at least through the next fiscal year. Japan hopes to conclude the negotiations by the end of December.
Japan's financial contribution for hosting US bases is agreed upon every five years. The contribution includes a portion of the salaries that employees earn at the US military bases. It also includes a portion of the utility fees for the bases. The current arrangement is set to expire in March.
Key words : myanmar
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201111_42/
Myanmar's ruling party led by the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi will remain in power after a general election on Sunday.
Local newspaper "7Day News Daily" on Wednesday reported that the National League for Democracy party won an absolute majority of seats in parliament.
The paper says 446 seats, or more than 90 percent of contested seats, have been determined. The NLD has captured 397 seats.
The NLD has won an absolute majority, despite the fact a quarter of the seats are reserved for the military under the Constitution. It means the party has the right to elect a president who has the power to form a cabinet.
In the previous general election five years ago, the NLD won a landslide victory and put an end to a military-led government. This time around, it got extra seats to win 397 seats, securing a very solid power base.
Over the last five years, the administration led by Aung San Suu Kyi has given priority to fostering ethnic reconciliation and revising the Constitution that guarantees the military's influence on politics. But it has been criticized for producing little results.
In its second term, her administration will be put to the test over these issues.
Key words : India prime stressed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201111_33/
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed the importance for countries to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, apparently holding border dispute opponent China in check.
Modi made the remarks at an online summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Tuesday.
The summit was the first occasion for Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping to communicate with each other since their troops' deadly clash in a disputed region in June.
Modi said, "India believes that to further deepen Connectivity, it is necessary to carry forward with the core principles respecting each other's sovereignty, and Territorial Integrity."
India has been accusing China of its attempt to change the status quo. Modi's speech was apparently aimed at China while avoiding directly mentioning the country.
The troops of the two countries are still facing off near the disputed region, with skirmishes erupting in some parts for nearly five months.
Diplomatic and military officials of both countries have continued dialogue separately. But no prospect is in sight for an easing in the tension.
Key words : alibaba up sharply
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201112_10/
Alibaba Group says its sales during the "Singles Day" shopping season reached 498.2 billion yuan, or 74 billion dollars.
The Chinese e-commerce giant says the figure for the first 11 days of this month was up sharply from last year.
A big reason is that Alibaba extended the Singles Day period for 2020. It added the first three days of November to prevent a surge of orders concentrated in a single day.
The discounts were only available on November 11 last year.
The day is known as "Singles Day" in China, because the number one symbolizes people without partners. Online retailers hold sales campaigns on this date.
Analysts say the coronavirus pandemic helped fuel the nationwide shopping spree this year. They note that consumers are doing more of their purchasing online. Foreign products are popular, as most people can't go overseas.
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