at 18:30 (JST), August 03

Asian View

"Asian View" is a five-minute news segment broadcast by NHK WORLD-JAPAN. It features the latest news and deep analysis from Japan and the rest of Asia. Listen to "Asian View" and get the latest information from a region that's playing an increasingly important role in the world.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20210803183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : poland humanitarian visa return
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210803_19/

Poland has granted a humanitarian visa to a Belarusian athlete who refused to return home from the Tokyo Olympics.

Krystsina Tsimanouskaya will reportedly leave Tokyo soon. A Polish foreign ministry official tweeted on Monday that the country will do whatever necessary to help her career.

The Olympian said her coaches tried to force her back to Belarus after she complained on social media about being ordered to run in an event she wasn't scheduled for. She said her comments were seen as criticizing the Belarusian government.

Tsimanouskaya sought help from police officers at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on the weekend.

Her husband told British broadcaster Sky News that her departure to Poland was not planned. Arseniy Zanevich added that they have no interest in denouncing the government, adding, "I was expecting something to happen in our team but I did not expect it to go this far."

The international community has criticized Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for cracking down on anti-government protesters.

Key words : high jump
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210802_23/

The action has been coming thick and fast at the Tokyo Games. In track and field, Italy's Lamont Marcell Jacobs stormed to a surprise gold in the men's 100-meter sprint, grabbing his country's first-ever medal in the event.

The final was the first since three-time champion Usain Bolt retired from the sport. Jacobs filled the void left by the Jamaican superstar with an electrifying performance, clocking a time of 9.80 seconds.

US athlete Fred Kerley took silver, while Canada's Andre de Grasse repeated his podium finish from Rio five years ago by claiming bronze.

China's Su Bingtian crossed the line in sixth, after setting an Asian record of 9.83 in the semis. He was the first Asian competitor to race the final since 1932.

There was success for Italy in the men's high jump as well. But, in a dramatic twist, it shared gold with Qatar. Gianmarco Tamberi cleared 2 meters 37 on his first attempt, which was matched by his good friend and rival Mutaz Essa Barshim. After both failed to manage 2 meters 39, they asked the officials to forgo a jump-off, agreeing to share the top prize.

Tamberi said, "I will probably never, ever share a gold medal with anybody else apart from Mutaz. We were the only two athletes who have had the worst injury possible for a high jumper. I know what he did to be back. He knows what I did to be back."

Barshim said, "This is true sportsmanship, this is the message we're delivering to the younger generation."

Woo Sang-hyeok recorded South Korea's best-ever result in Olympic track-and-field by finishing fourth.

Tobe Naoto became the first Japanese high jumper to make the Olympic final in almost 50 years. The domestic record holder ended down the field in 13th place.

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu took bronze in the women's singles, becoming the first female athlete from the country to win two Olympic medals.

In the third-place match, Sindhu surged ahead against China's He Bingjiao, totally controlling the game to run out a 2-to-zero winner. She landed the silver in the same event at Rio 2016.

She said, "I'm really very happy and I thank all my fans, all my supporters, my family members, my support staff and my sponsors. I think without their support, you know, I wouldn't have been here."

China's Chen Yufei faced Taiwanese world number-one Tai Tzu-ying for gold. Chen, ranked second, triumphed for China's second badminton gold of these Games.

In gymnastics, the apparatus event finals began, with American superstar Simone Biles watching from the sidelines. Her teammate Sunisa Lee was looking to fill her shoes by winning a second individual gold.

The 18-year-old shot to prominence by winning last week's individual all-around event. But she fell short on the uneven bars, finishing with bronze.

Belgium's Nina Derwael took gold. The 21-year-old is the two-time defending world champion in the event.

Earlier in the day, USA Gymnastics confirmed that Biles would not compete in Monday's floor exercise final.

They had already announced she would miss the uneven bars and vault events. Biles has yet to decide whether to enter the balance beam on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in the men's floor exercise final, Israel's Artem Dolgopyat secured his country's second-ever gold medal. The first came back in 2004 for sailing.

Japanese double gold medalist swimmer Ohashi Yui has been speaking about her experience. She said, "Before the Olympics started, I never thought it would be such fun. It was really exciting so I needed to stay cool before the race. I think I was able to swim my own way."

Looking ahead, Ohashi says she will aim for the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka next year, but is yet to make a decision about the Paris Olympics in three years.

Despite recent struggles with injuries and illness, the 25-year-old demolished the field in the 400-meters individual medley on July 25. Back in the pool three days later, Ohashi added another gold in the 200-meters version of the same event.

Here's the latest medal table as of 2:30 p.m. Monday.
China stands on top of the three -- with 24 golds.
The United States follows on 20, then Japan on 17.

Australia has 14 gold medals -- followed by the Russian Olympic Committee with 12.

Key words : myanmar southeast
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210803_06/

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have called on Myanmar to promptly approve the appointment of an ASEAN special envoy to the country. This comes amid speculation that a Bruneian diplomat is strongly favored for the post.

ASEAN foreign ministers met online on Monday to discuss the implementation of a five-point consensus on Myanmar, which was drawn up during the ASEAN Leaders' Meeting in April.

The agreement calls for an immediate halt to violence in Myanmar and an envoy to be sent to mediate talks between the military and the pro-democracy camp, among other steps.

Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi told reporters after the meeting that they spent most of the time discussing whom to appoint as the envoy.

Retno said the session was supposed to last two hours, but it actually went on for five.

Retno expressed her frustration about how little progress has been made since the leaders' meeting. She urged Myanmar to quickly approve the envoy proposed by ASEAN.

The outcome of discussions at the latest meeting has yet to be disclosed. But diplomatic sources said Brunei's second minister for foreign affairs, Erywan Yusof, is strongly favored for the position.

Key words : more than 300 people
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210803_01/

More than 300 people have been confirmed dead since record-breaking rainfall triggered flooding in central China last month.

Local authorities in Henan Province told reporters on Monday the death toll from the floods rose to 302, with 50 others still missing.

Beginning in mid-July, heavy rains fell intermittently in the city of Zhengzhou and elsewhere. Flooding occurred across the province, causing mudslides and toppling buildings.

Officials said the deluge affected more than 14 million people and caused over 17 billion dollars in economic damage.

Controversy arose online over 14 people who died when a subway line in Zhengzhou was flooded.

Some cast doubt on whether local authorities were doing enough to ensure the safety of the subway system.

Hong Kong media reported that Chinese journalists were obstructed by police when taking footage of residents mourning victims of the flooding.

The authorities are apparently worried that they may become the target of public criticism.

Key words : thailand measures
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210802_21/

Southeast Asian nations are struggling to handle rising coronavirus infections. Thailand's government has extended its pandemic measures in Bangkok and high-risk provinces as the country faces its worst outbreak so far.

Thailand's COVID-19 task force said Sunday existing restrictions will be extended by two weeks and expanded to 29 provinces, starting Tuesday.

The controls include a nighttime curfew and a ban on travel between provinces first imposed in mid-July.
The extension comes as the country has logged over 15,000 daily cases in the past week. On Monday, health officials reported almost 18,000 infections, and a record-equaling 178 people died from the virus.

The high death toll has burdened the morgue of a hospital near Bangkok. Hospital officials have begun storing bodies in refrigerated containers due to a lack of space in the building.

To curb the surge, the government is accelerating vaccination campaigns. Thousands of monks in the capital have been inoculated since last week as they receive daily alms and perform spiritual duties.

The pace of infections is also accelerating in other Southeast Asian countries. Malaysia reported a daily record high of over 17,700 cases on Saturday.
The Philippines confirmed over 8,100 cases on Monday, the fourth straight day it has seen more than 8,000 cases. The government will re-impose a strict lockdown in Manila this Friday.

Key words : food exports
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210803_13/

Japan's food exports soared in the first half of the year as the economies of trading partners like the US and China continued to recover. The export figure for the January-to-June period hit a record high.

People familiar with the data say the total value of agriculture, forestry, and fishery products sold overseas was over 577 billion yen, or nearly 5.3 billion dollars.
That is 31.6 percent higher in yen terms from a year earlier. The figures include items sold on the Internet.

Demand has been rising in China and the US as economic activity returns, despite infections still spreading around the world.

The people with knowledge of the matter say businesses are exporting more food items to be consumed at home, as people refrain from eating out.

Shipments of alcoholic drinks, such as whisky and sake, jumped by 83 percent. Beef exports were up 119 percent. Those of scallops were up 74 percent.

Hong Kong was the top export destination, with a value of over 940 million dollars. China was a close second, followed by the US and Taiwan.

Key words : dagashi
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210801_09/

A hotel in Tokyo is offering traditional Japanese penny candies, known as "dagashi," for Olympic-related guests from overseas, whose outings are strictly restricted.

A hotel in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward offers cheap snacks and candies free of charge in the lobby with a message written in English.

The hotel hopes their 300 Olympic-related guests from abroad will get a taste of Japanese culture, even under strict measures during the Olympics.

Foreign visitors related to the Games can visit only places they have submitted in advance during the 14 days after entering Japan.

The hotel manager said some of the guests at first hesitated to try the dagashi, which they say were a complete novelty. But she says they have now grown to like them.