Asian View
Key words : hong kong media
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201212_19/
Hong Kong media mogul and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai has appeared in court to face charges of violating Beijing's national security law. The legislation is aimed at cracking down on anti-government activities in the Chinese territory.
The founder of the Apple Daily newspaper, known for its critical stance against Beijing, was indicted on Friday for allegedly colluding with foreign forces and endangering national security.
In the first court hearing on Saturday, prosecutors claimed that Lai committed the alleged offenses by posting around 1,000 comments on Twitter and giving a number of media interviews after the end of June, when the legislation came into force, through December 1.
The court denied Lai bail and adjourned the case until April 16 next year. He will most likely remain in detention until that date.
During the proceeding, Lai greeted his supporters sitting in the gallery from time to time by raising his hand. After the session, supporters called out to him to express their solidarity.
The trial is presided over by a judge designated by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to handle cases related to the national security law.
There is a growing view in the pro-democracy camp that a harsh ruling will be handed down.
Key words : indonesia
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201214_01/
Indonesian police say they have arrested a senior member of a terrorist organization on suspicion of having been behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.
Police on Saturday said they arrested Zulkarnaen of the Jemaah Islamiah network based in Southeast Asia.
Zulkarnaen is suspected of involvement in the building of bombs used in the attack.
He is also thought to have had a hand in other attacks, including the 2003 and 2004 bombings in the capital Jakarta.
Zulkarnaen has been on the UN Security Council sanctions list for being one of Al-Qaeda's representatives in Southeast Asia.
The US State Department had offered a reward of up to 5 million dollars for information leading to his detention.
Key words : unesco panel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201214_10/
Japan's traditional architectural techniques are expected to be registered this week on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a UNESCO panel, will begin its session online on Monday. Participants will consider the nominations for the list.
Japan has submitted 17 traditional craftsmanship techniques for consideration.
They include the skills required to do restoration work on traditional cultural structural properties. Among them are the techniques needed to preserve the Horyuji temple in Nara Prefecture, which is one of the world's oldest wooden structures.
Japan's list also includes thatching, a technique which has been widely used for the roofs of traditional structures.
Also nominated are "urushi" lacquer painting, which gives wood a distinctive gloss and color; "sakan" plastering, a skill that enables walls to be finished with layers of mud and plaster, and tatami mat production.
All the techniques have been handed down and developed since ancient times. They enable natural materials such as wood, vegetation, and soil to be used to build and maintain structures that are resistant to earthquakes and typhoons.
In November, the UNESCO panel recommended that the techniques be added to the intangible heritage list. An official decision is expected around Thursday.
Key words : seeing a surge
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201214_02/
Japan is seeing a surge in coronavirus cases across the country. Daily cases topped 3,000 for the first time on Saturday. The spread of infections will likely affect the way people spend the year-end holidays.
The minister in charge of the COVID-19 response said the government is approaching the situation with a sense of extreme urgency.
Nishimura Yasutoshi said, " I share a sense of crisis that we need to further strengthen measures while working closely with the governors of areas where infections are spreading. The government will do its utmost to implement measures for the four regions of Hokkaido, the Tokyo metropolitan area, the Chubu and Kansai regions."
The year-end holidays are approaching. But some things will be different this year. Two million people usually visit this shrine in Saitama prefecture near Tokyo during the first three days of January. But some people are already worshipping instead of visiting during the New Year holidays.
Restaurants are implementing preventive measures in an effort to attract customers during the holidays. A pub in Tokyo has introduced a robot to serve food to promote non-contact with customers.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 480 new cases in the capital on Sunday. The figure is the highest ever for a Sunday.
Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases President Tateda Kazuhiro says, " It is inevitable that medical care and testing services will be understaffed over the holiday period. Stronger anti-infection measures will be necessary."
Across Japan, more than 2,300 new cases were confirmed on Sunday. More than 580 people are in serious condition. The total number of infections nationwide has topped 181,000. Over 2,600 people have died.
Key words : college student
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201213_01/
The father of an American college student who died after being detained in North Korea is calling on the international community to keep pressure on the country.
Fred Warmbier sat for an interview with NHK in Tokyo on Saturday on the sidelines of a symposium on the issue of North Korea's abductions of foreign nationals.
His son, Otto, was detained while visiting North Korea for sightseeing. He was held for more than one year for allegedly trying to steal a propaganda poster. He returned to the US in 2017, but died shortly after that. He sustained brain damage before returning to the US.
During the interview, Fred Warmbier said he looks forward to working with the administration of US President-elect Joe Biden.
He said the Biden administration will make a point of standing up to the horrendous human rights violations in North Korea.
Warmbier said the families of Japanese people abducted by the North are standing up for their loved ones.
He said the world must watch and learn from this, and must never stop until North Korea's behavior changes.
Key words : chinese government
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201213_12/
A senior official of China's Communist Party speaking at a Nanjing Incident memorial event says he wishes China and Japan would work jointly to push forward bilateral ties toward friendly cooperation and peaceful development.
The Chinese government designated December 13th as a day to mourn the victims of what it refers to as the "Nanjing Massacre."
The head of the party's Organization Department, Chen Xi, spoke at the ceremony held in Jiangsu Province on Sunday.
Chen criticized the behavior of the Japanese Imperial Army, saying that 300,000 Chinese people were killed after it entered Nanjing in 1937.
The Japanese government says it's undeniable that a large number of noncombatants were killed, but that it is difficult to determine the correct number of victims.
China has been showing a stance to strengthen economic ties with Japan amid Beijing's deepening rift with the United States. Observers believe that might be why the Chinese official avoided stronger criticism.
Key words : temple narita
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201213_09/
A major Buddhist temple in the city of Narita near Tokyo has been spruced up for the New Year.
About 40 monks and staff members wearing masks gathered in the main hall of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple shortly after 5:00 a.m. and began dusting Buddhist statues and altar ornaments with brushes and cloths.
They used 8-meter long bamboo poles to clean carved wood panels near the ceiling. They then swept up dust on the hall's 296 tatami mats.
About 3 million people usually visit the temple during the first three days of January. But the staff is asking people to stay away on those days to mitigate the risk of spreading the coronavirus. The visitors that do make the trip will be asked to maintain adequate social distancing.
A priest said the temple is clean for the New Year and that he wants to see the pandemic come to an end soon.
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