Asian View
Key words : osaka third state of
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210419_36/
The governors of Japan's two major urban centers are considering stricter measures including another state of emergency.
The goal is to counter a spike in cases experts say is driven largely by more contagious variants.
In the western prefecture of Osaka, officials reported 719 new infections. That's the highest on record for a Monday.
Health authorities there are asking hospitals to secure more beds. 254 have been set aside for severe COVID-19 cases. But 302 people are in serious condition.
Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi says he will ask the central government to declare a third state of emergency in the prefecture, so he can further restrict the movement of people.
Osaka officials plan to ask bars and restaurants, department stores and amusement parks to shut temporarily. Yoshimura also says he will talk with governors from neighboring prefectures about issuing a joint request for an emergency declaration.
In Tokyo, officials on Monday reported 405 infections nearly 100 more than a week ago.
The daily tally tends to be low after the weekend, when many testing facilities are closed.
Officials in the capital are also considering requesting an emergency declaration ahead of a weeklong holiday that starts in late April.
The chief cabinet secretary says the central government is closely watching the situation in Osaka and Tokyo.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu said, " If we receive a request for a state of emergency, we will decide quickly whether to issue a declaration."
Vaccinations for the elderly began in Japan last Monday.
But some medical workers who administer vaccines have not been inoculated.
Only about 15 percent of the 4.8 million healthcare workers had received two shots as of Friday.
Doctors and nurses at this elderly care home in Osaka have not been vaccinated either.
Doctor Nakazawa Hideo at a nursing home said, "I'm nervous every day as there's always concern that infections might spread to facility users. I think medical workers, the ones who give vaccinations, should be vaccinated first."
A senior member of Japan's ruling party has suggested vaccinating everyone in Japan who wants to be vaccinated could take until early next year.
Key words : kitazumi released
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210420_31/
The Japanese Embassy in Myanmar has lodged a protest against the detention of a Japanese journalist by security forces.
Kitazumi Yuki was detained at his apartment in Yangon on Sunday after about 50 security personnel surrounded the building.
Embassy officials said they were told by police that Kitazumi is accused of spreading misinformation.
Based on the criminal law revised after the coup, the Myanmar military has been taking into custody journalists and high-profile persons for spreading misinformation and other charges. They could face up to three years in prison if convicted.
Police said Kitazumi, who is imprisoned in Yangon, is not injured.
The embassy officials are demanding that they be allowed to visit him in prison and that he be released. They say the military has not complied so far.
Key words : chinese military about 200
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210420_10/
NHK has learned that the Chinese military is suspected of ordering hackers to attack hundreds of targets in Japan, including the country's space agency and defense-related firms.
Investigative sources say the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, suffered a cyberattack in 2016. Tokyo police have identified a Chinese man who had leased several servers in Japan that were allegedly used in the attack.
The man is said to be a computer engineer in his 30s, and a member of the Chinese Communist Party. He allegedly rented a server five times under false names. Police found that the servers' ID and other credentials were then passed on to a Chinese hacker group, known as "Tick."
The man is no longer in Japan, but police plan to send his case to prosecutors as early as on Tuesday, on suspicion of forging digital records.
Another Chinese man is also said to have rented several servers in Japan using fake identities. This was allegedly under the instruction of a member of unit 61419 -- a bureau in charge of cyberattacks within the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Tokyo police suspect the PLA instructed Tick to stage cyberattacks in Japan, and that about 200 companies and research institutions were targeted.
A JAXA spokesperson told NHK that the space agency did experience unauthorized access, but suffered no damage, such as data leaks.
Cyber security expert Iwai Hiroki says Tick is one of the private hacker groups that are believed to work under the instructions of China's PLA and national security authorities. He says Tick became active in the early 2000s, and is thought to target aerospace research entities with sophisticated attacks.
Key words : european union presence
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210420_08/
European Union members have agreed to reinforce the bloc's strategic focus, presence and actions in the Indo-Pacific, apparently with China's increasing influence in the region in mind.
A document adopted by EU foreign ministers on Monday says, "Current dynamics in the Indo-Pacific have given rise to intense geopolitical competition," adding to increasing tensions on trade and security. It adds, "Human rights are also being challenged."
The document says these developments threaten regional stability and directly impact the EU's interests.
It does not mention China by name, but apparently reflects the country's increasing influence in the region.
The document says the EU will look to deepen cooperation with like-minded partners, such as Japan, South Korea and Australia, on issues of common interest.
The EU Commission and the bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, have been asked to draw up a more detailed Indo-Pacific strategy by September.
The EU is wary of Beijing's human rights records involving Hong Kong and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as well as China's activities in the South China Sea.
But the EU and China have broadly agreed to sign an investment accord to strengthen economic ties. EU member states also aren't in agreement over how they deal with China.
Key words : riken
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210420_01/
A group of researchers from Japan's Riken research institute, the University of Tokyo, and other institutions say they have developed a test method that detects the coronavirus within five minutes.
Under the new method, specimens are placed on a glass plate with one million indentations per square centimeter.
The indentations, which serve as micro test chambers, are created using microscopic forming technology. Each chamber contains a reagent. When a sample contains the ribonucleic acid, or RNA, of the coronavirus, light is emitted from the chamber.
Unlike the conventional PCR test, the new method does not need to amplify the coronavirus RNA, because even a small amount of the virus can be detected within a micro chamber.
Test results are available within five minutes, instead of the one hour or more needed for a PCR test.
The group says it aims to commercialize the technology within a few years.
Watanabe Rikiya, a chief scientist at Riken, says the method does not involve complex processes. He says if commercialized, the simple, rapid test could be used at medical institutions and for screening virus carriers.
Key words : auto show
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210419_31/
One of the world's largest auto shows got underway in China on Monday, with about 1,000 firms taking part.
Exhibitors at Auto Shanghai 2021 are pitching their electric-powered vehicles amid growing competition.
One domestic automaker is displaying its new compact convertible, hoping to build on last year, when it led the Chinese market in EV sales. The firm's vehicles start at around 4,600 dollars.
Toyota Motor unveiled a prototype of an electric SUV for the first time. The Japanese maker announced plans to introduce more than 20 electric-powered models, including hybrids, to the Chinese market by 2025.
Elsewhere at the show, the country's largest Internet search engine provider, Baidu, is showcasing its self-driving technology.
The Chinese government is promoting eco-friendly vehicles in what is the world's largest auto market. Sales of so-called new-energy vehicles, which include electric cars, rose more than 10 percent last year to a record high of about 1.36 million units.
Key words : toyota
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210420_03/
Toyota Motor says it will introduce 15 models of electric vehicles globally by 2025.
Under a new plan announced by Toyota, the automaker will increase the number of its EV models to 15 by 2025 from the current six.
Toyota also announced a new series of EV vehicles named "Toyota bZ" that it plans to sell in Japan, Europe, the United States and China.
Toyota will join forces with three Japanese automakers -- Daihatsu, Subaru and Suzuki -- and Chinese EV maker BYD for the development of vehicle bodies and batteries.
Toyota says it will offer a wide range of models from SUVs to small runarounds.
Toyota seeks to take on European and Chinese rivals by adding more electric vehicles to its lineup, which includes hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles.
Key words : cherry
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210419_24/
Cherry blossoms at a park in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Aomori are in full bloom.
Hirosaki Park in Hirosaki City is home to about 2,600 cherry trees of around 50 varieties. It's one of Japan's best-known places for appreciating the beauty of cherry blossoms.
The city's municipal office announced that the popular somei yoshino variety came into full bloom on Monday, eight days earlier than last year.
A cherry-blossom festival is scheduled to start at the park on Friday for the first time in two years, as it was cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Stalls began selling food and other items on Saturday.
The city says the somei yoshino flowers will likely remain in full bloom for about three days. Visitors will later be able to enjoy the sight of petals floating in a moat at the park and falling and scattering like snowflakes in a snowstorm.
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