Asian View
Key words : people in Japan moment of silence
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210311_30/
People in Japan are remembering those who were killed 10 years ago, when a massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan and triggered a nuclear catastrophe. A national memorial ceremony has been held in Tokyo.
People observed a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m., the exact moment the magnitude-9 quake struck.
The quake generated tsunami over 10 meters high, killing 15,900 people. 2,525 others remain unaccounted for, and 3,775 have since died of related causes.
The government has held a memorial ceremony annually on March 11 starting in 2012. But the event was canceled last year and the number of attendees has been limited this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
At the ceremony, family members of victims spoke about their loss and how they are trying to move on. Saito Makoto is from Fukushima prefecture, one of the areas most devastated by the disaster.
"I lost my second son Shota, who was 5 years old at the time, in the tsunami. If he were alive, he would be in his third year of junior high school. I deeply regret that I can't give him any advice on his future. I don't want his death to be a waste. I work at an elementary school. So, I want to share with children what I experienced and teach them how precious life is. I am determined to keep the disaster from fading away in people's memories and pass on the lessons we learned to future generations," Saito said.
Omi Chiharu, who lives in Iwate Prefecture, survived, but the inn she worked at was completely destroyed by the tsunami.
"Thanks to a lot of support and warm words from people not only across Japan but around the world, I was able to get back to normal, little by little. I look forward with hope, even in a difficult situation where everything changed... It's been 10 years since the disaster, yet the sadness we felt will never fade away. But we will protect the town we love with our hands, and move toward the future," Omi said.
This is the first time Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended the annual ceremony. The couple has visited the affected areas since the disaster and offered words of encouragement to survivors before Emperor Naruhito ascended the throne in 2019.
At the ceremony, the Emperor said that while he feels reconstruction has been progressing, various problems still remain. He said his heart aches when he turns his thoughts to those who have struggled.
Emperor Naruhito said, "It is a matter of great importance, I believe, that we all keep ourselves united, and everlastingly maintain the will to stand by the afflicted people so that the progress of the reconstruction will steadily bear fruit from now onwards in order to help all of them regain their peaceful daily lives in less than no time without leaving even a single soul behind in this difficult situation. I, together with the Empress, would like to continue to listen to the voices of those in the afflicted regions and stay close to them."
Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide said that 2,000 people still reside in temporary housing even though reconstruction is entering its final phases. He stressed the government's commitment to leading reconstruction efforts.
Suga said, "The government will continue to provide seamless support to affected citizens. In areas affected by the nuclear disaster that need mid- to long-term help, the government will advance measures to improve living conditions for people to return home, and bolster the revitalization of industries. We will do our utmost to fully reconstruct and revive Fukushima and complete the reconstruction of the Tohoku region."
He added that Japan's history of natural disasters has created resiliency in its people, and vowed that the country would follow past examples of "courage and hope."
Key words : okuyama
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210310_18/
The remains of a woman, who had been listed as missing since a tsunami hit northeastern Japan in March, 2011, were handed over to her son on the eve of the disaster's 10th anniversary.
The remains belong to Okuyama Natsuko. She was a 61-year-old resident of the Nobiru District of Higashimatsushima City in Miyagi Prefecture at the time of the disaster. Her son, Eiki, received the remains at a police station in the neighboring city of Ishinomaki on Wednesday.
Police said the remains were discovered last month at a company compound in Higashimatsushima. They were later identified as those of the victim through genetic and other tests.
The Nobiru District was hit hard by the tsunami 10 years ago.
Okuyama was one of more than 500 victims in the community.
Police said the remains of six other people discovered in the prefecture have yet to be identified.
Eiki said he is deeply grateful for the search efforts that have now been continuing for a decade. He said there have been times when he has wanted to talk to or rely on his mother, since she went missing, but he will now move on alone.
Key words : UN security council due to
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210311_09/
The UN Security Council has issued a presidential statement condemning the violence against protesters in Myanmar, where a number of casualties have been reported.
The US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who is the current council president, held a virtual meeting on Wednesday.
She said all the council members had agreed to the presidential statement following the discussions held last Friday on the situation in Myanmar.
The statement says, "The Security Council strongly condemns the violence against peaceful protesters."
It also calls for the "utmost restraint" by Myanmar's military.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to reporters before the statement was issued.
He said, "I hope that with this statement, there will be an increasing conscience in the military in Myanmar that it is absolutely essential to release all prisoners. It is absolutely essential to respect the results of the elections."
But the UNSC statement does not refer to the military takeover as a coup or warn of possible further action, due to opposition by China and some other countries. Beijing has close ties with Myanmar's military.
Key words : tokyo air raid
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210310_30/
A memorial ceremony was held in Tokyo, to mark the 76th anniversary of devastating US air raids carried out toward the end of World War Two.
The predawn campaign mainly raided downtown areas, leaving about 100,000 people dead. The ceremony held at the office of Tokyo Metropolitan Government was downsized this year due to the coronavirus, with less than a tenth of the usual number of attendees. The pandemic forced organizers to cancel it for the first time last year.
In the ceremony on Wednesday, about 50 participants, including survivors and relatives of victims, offered a silent prayer.
One of the survivors, Takahashi Masao, gave a speech. The 90-year-old man was a junior high school student at the time of the air raids.
He recounted what he went through during the ordeal. He said his house and others in the neighborhood were engulfed in flames as warplanes dropped bombs.
Takahashi said there should never be war. He said he is always thinking about how to pass on his experience to younger generations.
Key words : ebina
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210309_02/
A top US Embassy official in Japan has sent an eulogy to a Japanese activist trying to keep alive the memories of victims of US air raids on Tokyo more than seven decades ago.
NHK has learned that Charge d'Affaires ad interim Joseph Young wrote a letter addressed to Ebina Kayoko, an 87-year-old woman who lost six relatives to the air raids.
Her relatives were among about 100,000 people who died in the predawn bombing of Japan's capital. Wednesday marks the 76th anniversary of the destruction.
Ebina has spent her own money building a memorial and has written books retelling her experiences during the war.
Ebina said she received Young's letter from a US embassy official on Monday.
In the letter, Young wrote in part, "Thank you for the opportunity to join you in solemn remembrance of all the victims who were lost over the course of the Second World War."
The message was written in both English and Japanese.
Ebina said she was very surprised. She stressed she is happy that the US has heard her message that war should never be waged again.
The US Embassy told NHK that Young wrote the letter in a private capacity in the spirit of friendship between the two countries.
Yoshida Yutaka, head of The Center of The Tokyo Raids and War Damage, said it is quite rare for any communique to come from a US official about the air raids.
He says the message puts the victims of the bombing in the spotlight again, now that the memories of the event are fading even from the minds of Japanese people.
In the past, US envoys to Japan have participated in an annual memorial ceremony hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan government. Walter Mondale did so in 1995 and Caroline Kennedy in 2015 and 2016.
Key words : olympic bach
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210311_06/
The International Olympic Committee has reelected its president, Thomas Bach, for an additional four-year term.
Bach won an unopposed second term, receiving a majority of the eligible votes cast online at the IOC general assembly, which opened on Wednesday.
In his opening speech, Bach said, "Tokyo remains the best prepared Olympic city ever, and at this moment we have no reason to doubt that the opening ceremony will take place on 23rd of July."
He added that "the question is not 'whether,' the question is 'how' these Olympic Games will take place."
Later, ahead of the voting, Bach stressed what he achieved by spearheading the Olympic Agenda 2020 to transform the IOC and the Olympic Movement.
On day two of the IOC Session, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games will brief participants on how preparations for the games have progressed.
The head of the committee, Hashimoto Seiko, welcomed Bach's second and final four-year term.
In a statement, she said Bach likely bears a heavy responsibility leading efforts to promote the Olympic Movement amid the coronavirus pandemic.
She said she has respect for Bach's leadership, which has allowed him to advance various reforms since 2013, and is encouraged by his presence as Tokyo prepares for the games.
She said that like President Bach said, her committee will do all it can to hold the games safely and with a sense of security, so it can become the light at the end of the dark tunnel the whole world is going through.
Key words : thai
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210310_33/
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has sprayed reporters with what is believed to be disinfectant as he was irritated by their questions.
After a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Prayut was asked by reporters about who will replace the two ministers who were found guilty of their involvement in illegal protests during the time of the previous administration.
He was apparently frustrated. He said he does not know, rejecting the question. He then sprayed many of the reporters at the news conference.
Local media say Prayut, asked by the reporters about what he was doing, noted that it was to protect himself from the coronavirus, and they should get a vaccination shot in their mouth.
On social media, critics call the prime minister's move a stupid act.
Prayut, who came from the military, led a coup seven years ago and has been leading the government since then. But anti-government demonstrations by young people and others have continued since last year. They are demanding he should step down, saying he uses a heavy-handed approach.
Key words : pineapple import ban
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210310_32/
Domestic sales of pineapples are booming in Taiwan, following China's import ban on the fruit produced in Taiwan.
Orders for a total of 40,000 tons of pineapples reportedly came in a little less than a week after Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen called on businesses and consumers to step up purchases to help growers.
Chinese authorities suspended imports of pineapples from Taiwan on March 1, on the grounds that pests had been found.
But Taiwanese officials said they had not found any bugs in the fruit since they tightened measures in October last year.
An operator of three supermarkets in Taipei has been placing the fruit in prime positions on the shelves since last week. It said sales, as well as the amount it kept in stock, roughly doubled compared to the same time last year.
A manager at the retailer said pineapples are being put on sale in the best places on shelves to support Taiwanese farmers. The manager said the fruit sold out as soon as it went up for sale.
Shoppers said they will buy more to support Taiwan.
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