Asian View
Key words : security forces intensify
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210304_20/
Security forces continue to intensify their crackdown on people protesting against last month's coup in Myanmar. The United Nations says nearly 40 people were killed on Wednesday, making it by far the deadliest day yet.
Security forces opened fire on crowds in the largest city of Yangon, the second-largest city of Mandalay and the central city of Monywa.
A witness in Yangon said police used machine guns, causing a number of casualties.
The UN special envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener condemned the latest violence.
She said, "Today was the bloodiest day since the coup happened on the 1st of February. We had today, only today, 38 people died. We have now more than over 50 people died since coup started and many are wounded."
The military is also clamping down on the media.
A local human rights group says as of Tuesday, at least 15 journalists had been detained while covering the protests.
Key words : maritime
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210303_25/
Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and Coast Guard have held a joint drill off southwestern Japan, with a focus on how to respond to a suspicious ship.
The exercise, held off Kyushu on Wednesday, involved a destroyer, a missile boat and two helicopters from the MSDF, and two Coast Guard patrol ships.
It was the first time for the MSDF to have one of its destroyers take part in the annual drill in eight years, apparently to show its enhanced cooperation with the Coast Guard.
The drill was conducted in a closed manner due to the coronavirus pandemic, and reportedly based on a scenario that a suspicious ship was spotted approaching an important facility.
Participants are said to have confirmed procedures for chasing the ship while sharing information through radio communications and forcing it to stop.
A defense ministry source says it is meaningful that the destroyer took part in the drill despite tightening of operations of destroyers due to such duties as patrols and surveillance in waters around Japan.
Observers say the MSDF aims to show that it is strengthening cooperation with the Coast Guard as Chinese government vessels have frequently been spotted navigating in Japan's territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
Japan controls the islands. China and Taiwan claim them. The Japanese government maintains that 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.
China last month introduced a new law that allows its coast guard to use weapons in waters it considers to be under its jurisdiction.
MSDF Chief of Staff Yamamura Hiroshi told reporters on Tuesday that cooperation with the Coast Guard is becoming more important given the current situation in the East China Sea.
Key words : suga about two weeks task force
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210304_05/
Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide says he may extend the coronavirus state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo Area by about two weeks.
He plans to make a final decision at a task force meeting on Friday, based on opinions from a panel of experts.
Suga spoke to reporters on Wednesday after discussing the situation with the minister in charge of the country's coronavirus response, Nishimura Yasutoshi, and health minister Tamura Norihisa.
The state of emergency is due to expire on Sunday in Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba.
Suga said the occupancy rate of hospital beds in those prefectures should be 50 percent or below and keep declining. He added new infection numbers have not fallen far enough.
The government will make a final decision while consulting with governors of the four affected prefectures, based on a comprehensive assessment of the situation.
As the scheduled ending date of the declaration approaches, the government says it has indicated its course of action ahead of time, taking into consideration possible effects on restaurants and bars.
However, some government and ruling party officials say the government wanted to show that it has made its own judgment before receiving extension requests from the prefectural governors.
Key words : olympic whether
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210303_33/
Five main parties involved in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have agreed to decide this month whether to accept spectators from overseas to the Games. They plan to announce next month if the number of spectators will be limited, as a measure to prevent coronavirus infections.
The Games' organizing committee president Hashimoto Seiko talked online with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons on Wednesday evening, Japan time.
Japan's Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Marukawa Tamayo and Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko also attended the closed-door meeting.
They agreed to decide on possible spectator limits after watching how professional sports events will be taking place in Japan.
Government and organizing committee officials will also consider various other factors, such as the number of new infections in Japan and abroad, including those of variants, and travel restrictions to and from the country.
During the meeting, Bach underscored the importance of ensuring "safe, secure, and fair competition for all the athletes" and placing top priority on measures against the coronavirus.
Bach pledged to ensure the safety of people in Tokyo and other parts of Japan as well as athletes and officials from around the world.
He explained that "a considerable number of national Olympic committees" are launching efforts with their governments to have athletes vaccinated in time for the Games.
Bach voiced hope that as many participants as possible will be vaccinated before entering Japan to show unity for the Olympic community.
Marukawa said that careful consideration is needed to decide whether to allow in spectators from outside Japan. She said the coronavirus situation remains very severe and unpredictable due partly to variants.
Hashimoto suggested the decision on whether to accept spectators from outside Japan should be made by the end of this month.
Key words : south africa and china
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210304_08/
The International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, says local authorities in South Africa and China have cracked down on criminal groups selling counterfeit coronavirus vaccines.
The France-based organization made the announcement on Wednesday.
It said that vials of fake vaccines equivalent to around 2,400 doses were found at a warehouse in the province of Gauteng, northern South Africa, where officers arrested three Chinese nationals and a citizen of Zambia.
In China, police successfully identified a network selling counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines, and raided the manufacturing premises, resulting in the arrest of some 80 suspects.
Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock said in a statement that this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine related crime.
Stock warned that criminals would target the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, both on and offline.
Key words : health ministry woman died
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210302_34/
Japan's health ministry says a woman in her 60s died on Monday, three days after receiving a coronavirus vaccine. It is the first time in Japan that a person who has been vaccinated has died.
The ministry says the woman, a healthcare worker, received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last Friday.
On Tuesday, the hospital that administered the vaccine filed a report with the ministry saying the woman had died on Monday.
The hospital says the woman had no underlying conditions or allergies, and is believed to have died of subarachnoid hemorrhage. The hospital told the ministry that it cannot evaluate a causal relationship with the vaccination at this point.
The health ministry says the case will be closely examined by a panel of experts.
Key words : guinness
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210302_33/
Japanese marathon runner Kawauchi Yuki has received a certificate from Guinness World Records for completing the most number of marathons under 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Kawauchi said on Tuesday that he's neither the fastest nor the strongest runner in Japan, but reached the record by running diligently in each race.
He had filed for the recognition after his 100th race under 2 hours and 20 minutes last December. He finished the Hofu Marathon in Yamaguchi Prefecture with a time of 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 26 seconds.
On Sunday, he finished the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon in Shiga Prefecture with his personal best time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 27 seconds. That was his 101st race under 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Kawauchi first became popular as "a public servant runner" working at a high school in Saitama Prefecture. He competed in four World Athletics Championships, and won the Boston Marathon in 2018. He turned pro in 2019.
Kawauchi said he is aiming to compete in the World Athletics Championships in 2022.
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