at 18:30 (JST), August 30

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/20210830183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : foreign substances okinawa
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210829_09/

Foreign substances have been found in another lot of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine. They were spotted at a large vaccination center in the southern prefecture of Okinawa on Saturday.

A pharmacist spotted black substances in a syringe with the vaccination dose.

Later, another syringe and a vial were found to be containing black substances. And pink substances were found in a different syringe filled with vaccine.

Okinawa Prefecture halted vaccination at the site and it remains suspended on Sunday.

On Thursday, Japan's ministry of health suspended the use of doses from three lots as foreign substances had been found in unopened vials of the Moderna vaccine at multiple vaccination sites.

The three lots were made at the same factory during the same period. Foreign substances were found in one of the lots and none were found in two others.

Takeda Pharmaceutical, which handles distribution in Japan, will analyze the situation and look into the possibility of contamination during the production process.

It will decide on what responses should be taken in coordination with the ministry.

Key words : foreign substances asking
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210826_04/

Japan's health ministry says foreign substances were found in some doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by US firm Moderna. It has decided to suspend the use of about 1.6 million doses of the vaccine.

The ministry says foreign substances were discovered in 39 unused vials at eight vaccination centers in the country from August 16.

The ministry says it has received no reports of health damage.

Takeda Pharmaceutical, which handles the vaccine's distribution and other tasks in Japan, says it has yet to identify what the substances are.

Takeda says the doses in question were produced in Spain in the same time frame.

The company is asking Moderna to conduct an investigation.

Takeda says it will take swift responses in coordination with Moderna and the health ministry.

Key words : junior high school chiba
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210830_09/

Six teachers at a junior high school in Chiba Prefecture have tested positive for the coronavirus, including two who took students to a Paralympic event.

Officials in Chiba City say the six teachers are in their 30s to 50s. Their infections were confirmed through Sunday.

The officials say the two who went to the Paralympic venue in the city on Wednesday took 18 students with them on two buses.

The teachers had no symptoms on the day. But they later developed fever and other signs of COVID-19.

The city officials say about 120 students who had contact with the six teachers will undergo virus testing.

A new school term is due to start on Monday at elementary and junior high schools in Chiba City.

But the junior high school where the infections occurred has decided to cancel classes through Friday.

Key words : paralympic committee two afghan express
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210829_14/

An official at the International Paralympic Committee says two Afghan athletes are grateful to be taking part in the Tokyo Games and the IPC will support them.

IPC Chief Brand & Communications Officer Craig Spence spoke at a news conference on Sunday.

Afghan track athlete Hossain Rasouli and taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi arrived in Tokyo on Saturday and were welcomed by IPC President Andrew Parsons at the Paralympic Village.

Earlier they gave up their spots in the competition following the Taliban's takeover.

After the collapse of the Afghan government, the country's Paralympic committee canceled their participation, citing the lack of a safe means of transportation for the pair.

The two spent a week in Paris under the protection of the French sports ministry after leaving Afghanistan last weekend.

Speaking about the two athletes, Spence said what the IPC can say is limited, stressing that human life is the most important thing.

He said now that the athletes could be safely evacuated from Kabul and as both wanted to attend the Tokyo Games, the IPC governing board decided on August 22 to allow the Afghan flag to be paraded at the Games' opening ceremony to show solidarity.

He said both Afghan athletes expressed their sincere gratitude for the opportunity to fulfill their lifelong dream of attending the Paralympic Games.

Spence said that taking their preference into account and out of consideration for their mental state, the IPC has decided not to allow media interviews after their competitions.

He said the IPC will continue to work for the two athletes to ensure they receive all the care and support they need both during and after the Tokyo Games.

Key words : taliban told nhk control of
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210830_01/

A Taliban spokesperson has told NHK the group has taken control of parts of Kabul's international airport that were vacated by the US military.

Zabihullah Mujahid made the comment on Sunday, two days ahead of the August 31 deadline for the ongoing US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Mujahid said the Taliban are optimistic about the complete pullout of foreign forces from the airport. He added that the group will put the entire airport under its control in the near future.

The Taliban are calling for the withdrawal of not only US forces but also staff from NATO member countries, who have been managing air traffic control, security and other duties at the airport.

However, the Taliban are believed to be short of trained personnel who can operate the airport, prompting some in the US government to question whether the group can operate flights as usual from next month.

The Taliban have been seeking cooperation from Turkey, which has been involved in managing military operations at the airport.

Attention is focused on whether the Taliban can secure the necessary assistance it needs to keep the airport operating to allow airlifts of relief supplies to Afghanistan from the United Nations and other entities.

Key words : self-defense 500 people still
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210828_05/

Japan has evacuated one national from chaos-ridden Afghanistan on a Self-Defense Forces aircraft.

The government still plans to evacuate up to 500 people, including Afghans working for the Japanese embassy, who were unable to reach the airport in Kabul.

The C130 transport plane arrived in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Friday night carrying a Japanese woman. Japanese foreign ministry officials and SDF personnel who are conducting the mission were also on board.

The government says they have been moved to Islamabad temporarily, adding that the SDF will be put on standby in the city.

Ministry officials say they will continue working to evacuate Japanese nationals and Afghans in cooperation with the United States and other nations.

The situation in Afghanistan has grown increasingly dangerous since the Taliban took power earlier this month amid the US military's full withdrawal from the country.

Key words : china origin phone
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210830_07/

China has opposed the summary of a US report that describes as "plausible" the theory that human infection with the novel coronavirus was likely a result of a lab accident in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

China's Foreign Ministry said Minister Wang Yi resolutely opposed the summary during a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday.

The ministry said Wang urged the US to stop politicizing the COVID-19 origins tracing, and putting pressure on the World Health Organization.

Last Tuesday, China sent a document to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling for investigations into theories that the virus originated in the US.

China claims that studies on the virus were held at the US Army's research installation in the state of Maryland and the University of North Carolina.

The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence released the summary of a review on the origins of the virus on Friday. The report was requested by President Joe Biden.

The summary says the intelligence community "remains divided on the most likely origin of COVID-19." But it says, "All agencies assess that two hypotheses are plausible: natural exposure to an infected animal and a laboratory-associated incident."

Key words : paralympian withdraw self-driving
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210828_11/

A Japanese Paralympian is out of the Games after being hit by a self-driving vehicle inside the Athletes' Village.

The accident left judo competitor Kitazono Aramitsu, who has a visual impairment, with injuries to his head and legs.

Police say Kitazono was struck on Thursday afternoon while using a pedestrian crossing.

They say he was treated at a clinic inside the village and that his injuries will take two weeks to heal.

Kitazono was due to compete in the 81-kilogram class in the men's Para judo. He was forced to withdraw from a match scheduled for Saturday.

None of the seven people on board the electric shuttle bus were injured.

The Toyota vehicle is part of a fleet being used to transport athletes and Paralympic officials around the village.

Toyota Motor President Toyoda Akio posted an apology on the company's website.

He said self-driving vehicles have struggled to cope with the special environment of the Paralympics, which includes people who can't see and those with other impairments.

Key words : organizer meal
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210827_19/

The organizers of the Tokyo Games say that during the month starting July 3, about 130,000 meals prepared for the Olympics were thrown away.

It had been reported that about 4,000 boxed lunches and other food prepared for staff and volunteers went uneaten at the Olympics opening ceremony on July 23. Many similar cases of food waste were reported at competition venues.

The organizers told reporters on Friday that they improved their way of placing orders, and cut food waste to 10 to 20 percent of the ordered amount for the latter half of the Olympics. They added that leftovers for the Paralympic opening ceremony on August 24 were limited to about 100 meals among the roughly 6,000 that were procured.

Organizing committee spokesperson Takaya Masanori said that while eliminating food waste is difficult, the committee will work to manage orders appropriately.

The organizers plan to donate leftover bread and other items with relatively long consumption periods to food banks.