Asian View
Key words : government decided to release
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210413_13/
The Japanese government has officially decided to release treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean, after diluting it to levels below national regulations.
The draft bill was endorsed at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide said on Tuesday morning, "The government has come to the conclusion that releasing the treated water into the sea is a realistic solution. We will do our utmost to keep the water far above safety standards, while taking every possible measure to fend off any negative rumors."
This year marks a decade since northeastern Japan was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami, crippling the power plant.
Wastewater produced at the facility is stored in tanks that are set to fill up next year.
It's treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System, or ALPS, to remove most of the radioactive materials, but still contains radioactive tritium.
The government will ask the plant's operator, known by its acronym TEPCO, to prepare equipment needed to release the treated water in about two years.
The concentration of tritium is to be diluted to one-40th of the national regulations or about one-seventh of the World Health Organization's standard for drinking water.
The plan calls for cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency to disseminate transparent and objective information at home and abroad.
It also pledges support for the local fishery, tourism and agricultural industries. If there is damage to the reputation of an industry, the plan calls for TEPCO to provide compensation.
TEPCO President, Kobayakawa Tomoaki, said, "We will work hard to fulfill our responsibility to strike a balance between regional reconstruction, and decommissioning the reactors throughout the lengthy decommissioning process."
Local concerns persist over the ocean discharge plan. People in the fishing industry have been against the idea.
Key words : taiwan identification
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210413_01/
Taiwan says 25 Chinese military aircraft, including fighters and bombers, entered its air defense identification zone on Monday.
It's the largest such action in one day by China's military since Taiwan's defense ministry began releasing data in the current format in September of last year.
Ministry officials said the Chinese aircraft flew into the zone from Chinese airspace and headed back along the same route. The zone is situated over waters southwest of Taiwan.
The Chinese military has stepped up its activities in the skies southwest of Taiwan, with its aircraft recently appearing almost daily.
Taiwan's security authorities claimed in the legislature earlier this month that Beijing is trying to exhaust Taiwan's defense resources.
They said China is also looking to increase its dominance over a route leading to Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.
Key words : human rights myanmar 710
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210413_05/
Human rights activists in Myanmar say the death toll from anti-coup protests is rising, as the country's military continues its crackdown on citizens.
The rights group said 710 citizens have been killed since the February 1 coup, including 50 children.
Protests continued in places including the second largest city of Mandalay and the southern city of Dawei, despite the start on Tuesday of a one-week holiday celebrating the new year.
Local media reported on shootings by security forces across the country. A 7-year-old child was reportedly shot in the northwestern region of Sagaing.
On Monday, Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers revealed that she is now facing a fresh charge of violating anti-coronavirus rules.
This means that she has been charged in a total of six separate cases -- which apparently reflects the military's determination to stop her return to politics.
Key words : torch suita
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210413_12/
The Olympic torch relay leg in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, started on Tuesday away from public roads in a closed park course to prevent a further spread of the coronavirus.
The event was originally scheduled to take place on public roads. It is instead being held on an approximately 3-kilometer route around the iconic Tower of the Sun at the Expo '70 Commemorative Park in Suita City.
The first torchbearer was Kabuki actor Kataoka Ainosuke, who is from Sakai City. Some 180 runners will carry the torch about 200 meters each. The Osaka leg will go on for two days.
The general public was not allowed inside the park. Each runner was allowed to invite up to four family members or other people as spectators.
A man who came to watch his sister run said he was worried about whether the event would be held. He said his sister looked happy and he's proud to have a family member become a torchbearer.
Osaka says the ceremony to mark the end of the relay in the prefecture will be simplified. It will be held without spectators and streamed online.
Key words : exceeded 1,000
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210413_25/
NHK has learned that in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, the daily tally of new coronavirus infections exceeded 1,000 for the first time on Tuesday.
Key words : health ministry at least 1,100
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210413_03/
Japan's health ministry says at least 1,100 seniors were given a coronavirus vaccine on the first day of the country's inoculation program for the elderly.
The effort to vaccinate about 36 million people aged 65 or over in the country got underway on Monday.
It came after about 1.12 million medical workers received at least one dose since February. Roughly 560,000 of them have already received their second shots.
The number of doses available for the elderly is initially limited. About 50,000 doses had delivered to municipalities across the country by Sunday.
The ministry said the number of seniors who received their first shots totaled 1,139 as of 7 p.m. on Monday.
The ministry plans to step up deliveries. It expects that municipalities will have enough doses by the end of June to give all seniors their second shots.
Key words : teikoku
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210413_02/
A credit research firm says more than 1,300 businesses in Japan have gone bankrupt since February last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Teikoku Databank says the tally was at 1,301 as of Monday. It includes companies that have filed for bankruptcy, or suspended operations to begin legal liquidation procedures.
Bars and restaurants topped the list of industries with 218 cases, followed by construction firms at 117, and hotels and inns at 87.
The number has been rising since the third wave of cases arose late last year. Last month saw the largest number of bankruptcies at 172, followed by February at 134, and January at 125.
Teikoku Databank said a growing number of firms opted to go under, because they had no prospects of reviving business. Many said they can no longer stay in business relying only on public assistance.
The research firm is concerned about a further increase in bankruptcies among bars and restaurants, as they are asked to slash hours under recently-adopted strict measures against the coronavirus.
Key words : komuro
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210412_29/
A lawyer for Komuro Kei, who is to be engaged to Japan's Princess Mako, says his client intends to provide money to settle a financial issue between his mother and her former fiance.
The planned engagement of Komuro and Princess Mako, a daughter of Crown Prince Akishino, was announced in 2017.
But after weekly magazines and other media reported on the financial trouble, the Imperial Household Agency announced the postponement of the string of events leading up to the wedding.
Komuro outlined details of the financial trouble in a document released last Thursday.
His lawyer, Ueshiba Naoji, told reporters on Monday that the document simply described how the issue had developed and corrected misinformation in what had been reported.
Ueshiba added that the document was not designed to resolve the money issue.
He said it has become difficult to settle the issue through discussions, though Komuro and his mother have always been grateful for the former fiance's financial support.
The lawyer said Komuro is now prepared to provide money to settle the issue, and that Komuro has talked with the princess about his idea of a monetary settlement.
Komuro has been studying at a law school in the US state of New York since 2018. He plans to take the bar examination after graduating in May.
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