at 18:30 (JST), August 09

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/20210809183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : closing ceremony paralympic
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210808_02/

The Tokyo Olympic Games are drawing to a close with several events scheduled for Sunday, the final day of the 17-day competition.

The men's marathon will be held in the northern city of Sapporo on Sunday morning. Runners will compete on a route that starts and finishes at Sapporo Odori Park.

The gold medal game for women's basketball will be held between Japan and the United States. The Japanese squad has advanced to the final for the first time. The US team is going for the gold in the seventh straight Olympics.

Cycling track and rhythmic gymnastics events are also scheduled for Sunday.

The closing ceremony is due to start at 8 p.m. at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

The theme for the ceremony -- "Worlds We Share" -- reflects the organizers' hope that people remember they shared the same thrills even though they could not share the same places because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The organizers also hope the closing ceremony will suitably usher in the Paralympics, which open later this month, and the future.

One of the ceremony's highlights will be the official handover between Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.

The governor of Tokyo, Koike Yuriko, will hand the Olympic flag to the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.

Key words : open on august 24
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210809_02/

Tokyo is facing the challenge of how to contain the coronavirus as the Paralympics are set to start in two weeks.

The host city saw infections surge during the Olympic Games, which ended on Sunday.

The Olympics were held under a state of emergency, and no spectators were allowed into competition venues in Tokyo and five other prefectures.

But cases increased at an unpresented pace during the Games. Daily infections in the capital topped 4,000 for five days in a row through Sunday.

The seven-day average of cases through the closing day was 2.9 times higher than that on the opening day on July 23.
The number of inpatients reached a new high on Saturday and Sunday. The number of patients self-isolating at home also rapidly increased.

Experts advising the metropolitan government say the medical system in the capital is overstretched.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has denied the view that the Games led to the spread of the virus by an increase in the number of people going out. She said many people stayed home to watch the Olympics on TV.

The Paralympics are due to open on August 24.

Key words : nagasaki silent oka
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210809_12/

People in Japan are taking a moment to remember the victims of one of history's most catastrophic war events on Monday. On this day 76 years ago, a US military plane dropped an atomic bomb on the southwestern city of Nagasaki, just three days after the world's first atomic attack leveled Hiroshima.

People gathered at a ceremony to pray for a world without war and nuclear weapons.

The city fell silent at 11:02 a.m., the time the bomb exploded. The heat rays, radiation and blast wave devastated the city, killing more than 70,000 people by the end of 1945.

Many survivors suffer from cancer and other diseases related to their exposure to radiation.

The number of attendees at this year's ceremony was reduced to around 500 due to coronavirus measures. That was about one-tenth of the size before the pandemic.

They watched as the names of the victims were symbolically placed on the memorial. The register now contains 189,163 names. It includes the names of 3,202 people that have been added since last year.

Oka Nobuko spoke about her experience on behalf of the hibakusha, or survivors of the atomic bombing. She was a 16-year-old student nurse at the time. Although she was injured herself, she was mobilized to take care of others who were badly wounded and dying.

Oka said, "We, the hibakusha, pledge that as long as we live, we will hand down our experiences and continue to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and appeal for peace."

In his peace declaration, Nagasaki Mayor Taue Tomihisa referred to a UN treaty that bans nuclear weapons. The treaty came into force in January. But nuclear powers, as well as Japan and other countries protected by the US nuclear umbrella, have not signed it.

Taue said, "As the country that is most aware of the tragic consequences of nuclear weapons, Japan should join the first meeting of state parties to the UN treaty as an observer, in order to look into ways to develop the treaty. And I demand that Japan sign the treaty and ratify it as soon as possible."

Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide said Japan will promote efforts by the international community to abolish nuclear weapons, step by step.

Suga said, "Today, we find ourselves in a severe global security environment and witness disparities between where nations stand on nuclear disarmament. Under such conditions, through mutual engagement and dialogue, countries must dispel the sense of distrust and make efforts to build a common foundation."

Suga said Japan aims to achieve meaningful results at an upcoming review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

The average age of the survivors is now over 83. As they grow older, they are struggling to pass on their experiences, especially as the pandemic deprives them of the chance to speak to people face-to-face and at public events.

Key words : myanmar rally
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210809_01/

Protesters opposing the military crackdowns in Myanmar have staged a democracy rally in Tokyo. The event marked the anniversary of an uprising in Myanmar on August 8, 1988.

Mass demonstrations were held across Myanmar 33 years ago to protest military rule at the time.

On Sunday, about 350 people gathered to demonstrate, including Japanese supporters and Myanmar nationals living in Japan. They expressed opposition to Myanmar's military, which seized power in a February coup.

The protesters marched to Myanmar's embassy in Japan after offering silent prayers to the victims of the crackdowns.

Participants carried photos of the 1988 demonstrations and chanted slogans against the military violence.

One female protester from Myanmar said 33 years ago she saw people killed right in front of her eyes. She said the conduct of Myanmar's current military is totally unacceptable.

Nine-hundred-60 people have died in clashes with the military over the past six months since the coup.

Earlier this month, the military announced the formation of a caretaker government in a move seen as an attempt to retain power.

Protests also took place across Myanmar on Sunday, including in the largest city of Yangon and the second-largest city of Mandalay.

Citizens also posted photos and videos of the demonstrations on the internet to express their opposition to military rule.

Key words : poland interview
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210809_04/

The Belarusian Olympic sprinter in exile, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, says she wants to send a message of encouragement to people repressed by the government of her country's President Alexander Lukashenko.

Tsimanouskaya spoke to NHK in an exclusive online interview on Sunday.

She was granted refuge in Poland and arrived on Wednesday after refusing to board a flight to her homeland from Tokyo.

She claimed she was being forced to return home for posting comments on social media that were viewed as critical of the Belarusian government.

Tsimanouskaya said she sought asylum because otherwise she would have been jailed, or committed to a psychiatric hospital in Belarus.
She said she has to be under constant guard at all times in Poland, and is not sure if it is safe for her to go outside. She made mention of a Belarusian anti-government activist who was found dead in Ukraine earlier this month.

Tsimanouskaya also indicated that she hopes to take part in a marathon to be held in Poland and elsewhere to mark one year since the Belarusian presidential election, which sparked mass protests by people who allege the vote was rigged.

She said she wants to continue sprinting to support people in her home country, including journalists, athletes and political prisoners.

Key words : protester thailand
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210808_06/

Protesters have clashed with police in Thailand amid growing public discontent with the government response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The highly contagious Delta variant has been spreading across the Southeast Asian country.

Thai officials confirmed nearly 22,000 new cases of coronavirus infections and more than 200 deaths on Saturday. Both figures were the highest ever for a single day.

In Bangkok, people criticizing the government for its delay in procuring COVID-19 vaccines and its economic measures have taken to the street almost every week since June.

About 1,000 protesters marched through the capital on Saturday demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Police squads fired rubber bullets and tear gas in an attempt to push the demonstrators back when some of them tried to remove barricades set up by the police.

Officials say at least two demonstrators were injured in the clash.

Anti-government protesters plan to stage rallies on and after Sunday despite anti-infection measures that ban gatherings of more than five people.

Key words : kim ordered
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210808_16/

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly ordered disaster relief measures for an eastern region that was hit by floods earlier this month.

State-run Korea Central Television says more than 5,000 residents evacuated and farmland was submerged after heavy rains hit South Hamgyong Province on August 1 and 2, flooding rivers and destroying their banks.

The ruling Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on Sunday that Kim had ordered the measures at a regional meeting of party and military executives on Thursday.

He reportedly instructed the spending of contingency funds to provide the necessary supplies, putting priority on rebuilding people's lives.

North Korea is said to be facing food shortages, and the meeting reportedly discussed ways to minimize the impact of the disaster on crops.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency says it is highly unusual for the details of such a meeting to be reported, adding that Kim may be trying to maintain public trust in the leadership by swiftly responding to the disaster.

Key words : knife commuter train kill
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210807_16/

A knife-wielding man who rampaged through a Tokyo commuter train was arrested on Saturday. He reportedly told police he wanted to kill a woman who "looked happy" -- but anyone would do.

Ten people were injured in Friday night's attack, which came despite heightened security around major stations and venues for the Olympic Games.

The 36-year-old suspect, Tsushima Yusuke, began brandishing a knife around 8:30 p.m. on the train operated by Odakyu Electric Railway. The incident occurred in the commuter town of Seijogakuenmae, near central Tokyo.

The railway operator says it was alerted and brought the train to an emergency stop.

The Tokyo Fire Department and police say one woman in her 20s sustained serious injuries to her back and elsewhere.

They say all of the injured are conscious. Investigators say the suspect fled the train after jumping onto the tracks.

The man was taken into custody after entering a convenience store about five kilometers from the station. He was arrested on Saturday morning. Police are investigating his motives.