Asian View
Key words : major british
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210128_03/
Major British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca plans to shortly start producing its coronavirus vaccine in Japan.
In December, the company signed a contract with the Japanese government to provide 120 million doses of vaccine. Thirty million doses are expected to be imported to Japan by March.
AstraZeneca says that to speed up supplies, it will also start producing the vaccine in Japan in the near future by outsourcing the work to several firms, including a drugmaker in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan.
Up to 90 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made in Japan are expected to be supplied for the country's vaccination program if the vaccine is approved by the health ministry. Clinical trials are now underway.
As the supply of vaccines is behind schedule in Europe and other countries, AstraZeneca aims for a stable supply in Japan.
Key words : myanmar vaccine
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210127_23/
Authorities in Myanmar have started rolling out coronavirus vaccines that have been provided by India free of charge. China is also offering doses as part of its "vaccine diplomacy."
Healthcare workers began receiving shots in Myanmar's largest city of Yangon on Wednesday.
The vaccines, developed by Britain's AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, were made in India and shipped to Myanmar as a gift.
A volunteer worker at a makeshift hospital expressed gratitude to India.
Myanmar is located in a strategically important position for both China and India, which are trying to expand their influence in the country.
They saw an opportunity in Myanmar's budget crunch, which has forced its government to turn to public donations to purchase coronavirus vaccines.
India delivered 1.5 million doses to Myanmar last Friday, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi offered to supply 300,000 doses for free when he visited Myanmar earlier this month.
An expert on diplomacy at Myanmar's Institute for Strategy and Policy, Khin Khin Kyaw Kyee, says Myanmar would be taking a balanced approach to avoid worsening ties with either China or India. She says Myanmar has to be careful, as any misstep could lead to a proxy war between the two major powers.
Associate Professor Jabin Jacob at India's Shiv Nadar University says both India and China have been actively supplying vaccines to developing countries as a key component of their diplomacy.
He describes this as a power game and says India has an advantage over China as one of the world's largest producers of vaccines.
Key words : world health origin
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210128_02/
An international team from the World Health Organization is set to start an investigation in China's Wuhan into how the coronavirus pandemic started.
The team arrived in the capital of the central Hubei Province on January 14. It has since been under quarantine at a hotel in the city while holding online meetings with Chinese experts and others.
The team is expected to launch a full investigation after the two-week quarantine ends on Thursday.
The team plans to inspect a seafood market linked to a number of COVID-19 patients in the early stage of the outbreak and Wuhan Institute of Virology, from which US officials claim the virus may have leaked.
They also plan to interview medical workers in an attempt to determine where the virus originated and what route it took when it spread to humans.
As a year has already passed since the virus started spreading, some WHO officials are expressing doubts about whether the investigation will help identify the virus's origin.
The focus is on how much China will accept requests from the WHO team, such as providing related data.
Key words : low temperature
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210127_35/
Japanese manufacturers are stepping up production of ultra-low temperature freezers to store COVID-19 vaccines.
A freezer by leading medical equipment company PHC Holdings chills its contents to minus 80 degrees Celsius.
It has been designed to store the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which must be kept at around minus 75 degrees Celsius.
PHC says it controls the world's second largest market share for such freezers, and is fielding orders from home and abroad.
The firm plans to double its output from next month by running its factory around-the-clock.
Home appliance manufacturer Twinbird has raised production capacity of its freezer by ten-fold. It can store items at up to minus 40 degrees Celsius.
The Twindbird freezer is intended for the vaccine developed by US firm Moderna, which requires storage at around minus 20 degrees Celsius.
The companies are moving as health authorities in Japan prepare their vaccination program, which is expected to begin late next month.
Key words : strengthen realize
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210128_05/
Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and US President Joe Biden have agreed to work closely together to further strengthen their countries' alliance and realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Suga and Biden spoke on the phone for about 30 minutes from shortly before 1 a.m. on Thursday, Japan time. It was their first phone conversation since Biden took office.
In the talks, Suga congratulated Biden on assuming the presidency.
The leaders confirmed they will cooperate closely on global issues, including the coronavirus and climate change.
They also confirmed that Article Five of the Japan-US Security Treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands. The article obliges the United States to defend territories under Japan's administrative control.
Japan controls the 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.
They also agreed on cooperation with Australia and India.
Suga and Biden said they will continue efforts to resolve the issue of the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea as soon as possible, as well as work to bring about the country's denuclearization.
They also confirmed that arrangements will be made for Suga's visit to the US as soon as possible, taking into account the situation of the coronavirus infection.
After the talks, Suga told reporters that in their second conversation following Biden's victory in the presidential election, they were able to hold more substantial discussions than in the previous one. Suga said he wants to deepen his personal relationship with Biden and work hard to strengthen the Japan-US alliance.
Suga said they did not discuss the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which have been postponed to this year due to the pandemic.
Key words : Xi stressed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210128_09/
Chinese President Xi Jinping has praised the Hong Kong government's handling of the situation in the region since the national security law took effect last year. He stressed that Hong Kong must be governed by patriots.
Chinese state-run television reported that Xi was updated on the situation by Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam via video link on Wednesday.
Xi gave a favorable assessment of Lam's performance, telling her she has led the Hong Kong government resolutely in enforcing the national security law for Hong Kong that went into effect at the end of June 2020.
He said Lam had stopped violence and chaos in accordance with the law and worked to bring Hong Kong back on a normal track.
Xi added that Hong Kong's long-term stability and security can only be maintained by ensuring that patriots govern the region.
Hong Kong is working on a system to oblige public servants to pledge loyalty to its government. There's also a plan to apply the system to local assembly members.
The top Chinese leader's remarks appear to be aimed at urging the Hong Kong government to accelerate the process, which would lead to the removal of pro-democracy lawmakers.
Key words : kimetsu
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210127_37/
The Japanese blockbuster animation film "Kimetsu no Yaiba," or "Demon Slayer," has been released in South Korea.
Moviegoers flocked to a theater in Seoul on Wednesday, some of them wearing costumes of the movie's characters.
The movie is the biggest box office hit of all time in Japan, raking in 36.5 billion yen, or more than 350 million dollars.
In South Korea, its release was originally scheduled for last year but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Demon Slayer proved popular among South Koreans, as it topped the list of advance ticket sales in the country.
A man in his 20s said he is a big fan of the anime series so he came to watch it on the first day. He said he loves the story, action scenes and music.
In 2019, Japan tightened its controls on exports of key high-tech materials to South Korea, triggering a campaign of boycotting Japanese products in the country. Japanese movies also became the targets of the boycott.
Some of the visitors to the theater said they just wanted to enjoy culture for culture's sake, while acknowledging the importance of the boycott campaign. Others said they did not think about the boycott as they love anime.
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