at 18:30 (JST), November 19

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/20201119183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : metropolitan 534 new
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201119_25/

Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials confirmed more than 500 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, the most ever reported in a single day. Tokyo has raised its alert to the highest of four levels, for the first time since September.

Tokyo confirmed 534 new cases across the capital on Thursday.

Daily cases nationwide surpassed 2,000 this week, prompting concerns about a third wave.

Tokyo officials and infectious disease experts met Thursday to discuss the situation. Officials say the latest seven-day average is about 326 daily cases, up from 244 the week before.

Now that Tokyo has raised its alert, they are also looking at what measures should follow.

"We are in a phase where infection is spreading rapidly," said Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko. "The number of new cases among elderly people, in particular, is increasing and we need to address risks for the elderly."

Tokyo has a separate alert level for "medical care availability." It's staying at the second highest level of the four-point scale, for now.

But at least one expert wants something stronger, suggesting more medical oversight at facilities for people who are infected but have no symptoms.

Key words : dining lodging
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201119_10/

Wednesday marked another daily coronavirus record in Japan. Officials confirmed more than 2,200 new cases -- a continuation of a troubling upward trend.

Just last month, fewer than 1,000 cases were reported each day.

But the figure rose during the first two weeks of this month -- prompting concerns about a third wave.
Now the daily tally has risen above 2,000 - for the first time -- surpassing a record set on Saturday.

Of those, nearly 500 were confirmed in the capital. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to raise the coronavirus alert to its highest level on Thursday.

The northern prefecture of Hokkaido has also seen numbers soar, reporting around 200 daily cases over the past ten days.

Residents are being urged to avoid traveling to or from the prefectural capital of Sapporo. Officials are also asking Sapporo residents to avoid non-essential outings.

Experts are concerned about the spread of cluster infections outside of entertainment districts and workplaces.

They say grouped infections are now being identified in rural areas, medical institutions, and elderly care homes.

Toho University Professor Tateda Kazuhiro said, "In the second wave, the targets were clear, so officials could respond with more ease. Now that cluster infections are diversifying, it's becoming more difficult to take action."

The recent spike comes as the Japanese government tries to boost the economy through campaigns that offer subsidies on dining, lodging and transportation.

It has no immediate plans to halt its campaign. But it's asking local governments to consider placing restrictions on restaurant coupons -- to limit group dining.

The head of the central government's expert panel is calling for tougher preventive measures. Omi Shigeru said, "We are on the verge of a situation where we will be forced to more strictly limit economic and social activities. To avoid that, we need to raise our guard once again."

Experts warn that the virus could be more easily transmitted in the dry and cold winter weather, especially if people stay in closed, heated rooms.

Key words : thailand protestor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201118_04/

Tensions are growing in Thailand before lawmakers vote on proposals to revise the country's constitution on Wednesday.

The parliament on Tuesday began debating seven draft amendments in its two-day session.

Young demonstrators support a civil group's proposal seeking to revoke articles that give the military strong influence over politics as well as to reform the monarchy.

But some lawmakers including those of the ruling party are cautious about reforms to the monarchy.

Demonstrators attempted to march toward the parliament building in protest against the ruling party.

Police set up barricades of concrete and barbed wire, and sprayed the demonstrators with water cannons. A group of royalists wearing yellow shirts joined in and pelted the demonstrators with objects.

Local authorities say at least 41 people were injured in the clashes.

The parliament is set to take a vote on each of the seven proposals on Wednesday. Protestors have planned a mass rally.

Key words : social media user hong kong police
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201119_08/

Social media users are criticizing Hong Kong police over their anti-fraud campaign mascot, which resembles a character from the popular Japanese anime "Kimetsu no Yaiba," or "Demon Slayer."

The Hong Kong police department posted an image of its mascot called "The Little Grape" on Facebook earlier this month. It wears a checked outfit and carries a black sword. And part of its name uses the same Chinese characters as Kamado Tanjiro, the hero of the anime whose film version has become a record-breaking hit.

Social media users have commented on the mascot's resemblance to the anime star. Some have described it as a near-complete copy of Tanjiro except that it's a grape. Others have accused the police of copyright infringement.

Hong Kong's pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow tweeted, "Kimetsu no Yaiba becoming a tool for Hong Kong police makes me sad."

Hong Kong media reports say the police insist "The Little Grape" is their original creation.

Key words : southeast asia dispute
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201118_31/

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has expressed concern over territorial disputes between some of its members and China in the South China Sea. It called for a peaceful resolution to the matter.

Vietnam chaired the four-day virtual ASEAN summit meeting, which wrapped up on Sunday. The chairperson released a statement on Wednesday.

The statement said, "We discussed the situation in the South China Sea, during which concerns were raised by some Leaders on the developments, including land reclamations, activities and serious incidents in the area."

It was apparently referring to China, which set up administrative districts on islands in the area earlier this year.

The statement went on to say, "We further reaffirmed the need to pursue peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with the universally recognized principles of international law."

The statement also referred to North Korea's denuclearization and urged all concerned parties to resume dialogue.

Key words : UN general
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201119_05/

The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution expressing international concern over North Korea's human rights abuses and urging the country to resolve the issue of its abductions of foreign nationals.

The resolution submitted by Japan, the European Union, the United States and others won overwhelming support in a vote at the General Assembly on Wednesday, overriding opposition from a handful of nations, including China and North Korea.

It has been adopted 16 years in a row.

The resolution "condemns in the strongest terms the long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights" in and by North Korea.

It urges the North " to address all allegations of enforced disappearances, provide accurate and detailed information to the families of the victims on the fates and whereabouts of their missing relatives and resolve all issues related to abductees at the earliest possible date."

The resolution in particular called for the immediate return of all abductees of Japan and South Korea.

Prior to the vote, Japan's deputy permanent representative, Ambassador Kimura Tetsuya, noted the deaths this year of the parents of two Japanese abductees, Yokota Shigeru, the father of Yokota Megumi, and Arimoto Kayoko, the mother of Arimoto Keiko.

Kimura said, "It is heartbreaking to imagine the pain of the family members who passed away after working so hard for over 40 years to rescue their dearest children in vain. There is no time to lose."
North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Song, slammed the resolution, calling it a political plot and saying it has nothing to do with the promotion and protection of human rights.

Key words : taiwan broadcast
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201119_06/

Taiwan's agency in charge of broadcasting has decided not to renew the license of a cable news channel controlled by a businessperson widely seen as pro-China.

The National Communications Commission on Wednesday rejected an application filed by CTiTV to renew its license, which is due to expire on December 11.

The Commission says, since the previous renewal of the license in 2014, the news channel has failed to make improvements despite more than 20 punitive actions taken against it for inaccurate reporting without confirming the facts and other irregularities.

It also cites interference in the program production of the channel by a major shareholder.

The accusations include reporting the commission saw as being biased to Taiwan's main opposition Nationalist Party and affecting the fairness of Taiwan's elections.

The operator of the channel reacted harshly, calling it a political decision.

The Nationalist Party also criticized the decision, saying it will greatly undermine freedom of the press.

Taiwan's administration, led by the Democratic Progressive Party, says it honors the decision by the independent commission, whose members are selected in accordance with the approval of the Taiwanese parliament.

Key words : leading japanese
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201118_35/

A leading Japanese maker of airplane parts is exploring new opportunities in the field of surgical robots. The move by Kawasaki Heavy Industries comes amid falling demand for aircraft components, due to COVID-19.

Kawasaki's new surgical assistant, named the "hinotori", has four arms fitted with various instruments and an endoscopic camera. The arms can be operated like human fingers. The robot was developed together with a medical device maker.

Japan's health ministry says Kawasaki is the first domestic maker to win government approval to produce and sell a surgical assistant robot.

Kawasaki officials aim to strengthen the firm's presence in high-precision robots in a bid to turn around its finances. The company posted a net loss in the first half of the current fiscal year.