at 18:30 (JST), September 13

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/20210913183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : north launch fulfillment
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210913_23/

North Korean media say the country has successfully launched a new type of cruise missile that potentially puts Japan within its range.

The ruling party newspaper says the two tests took place on Saturday and Sunday.

It doesn't reveal where the long-range missiles fell. But it says they flew for more than two hours over North Korean territory and hit their targets 1,500 kilometers away.

It adds the Academy of Defense Science developed the cruise missiles. It says the academy also conducted dozens of engine tests ahead of the launches.

A close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed the launches, calling them the fulfillment "of the Workers' Party's policy of prioritizing defense science and technology."

The official stressed the need for national defense science to do all it can to increase the country's capabilities and deterrence.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu responded to the news on Monday. He said if the missiles' 1,500 kilometer range is confirmed, it would be a concern for Japan.

Key words : four evacuees
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210913_02/

Four evacuees from Afghanistan have landed in Japan. They are the first group among the roughly 500 people the Japanese government has been seeking to help evacuate from Afghanistan.

An aircraft carrying the four touched down at Narita Airport near Tokyo on Sunday night after a stopover in Qatar. Upon landing, they were taken to the airport's coronavirus testing section.

The evacuees were among 10 people who made their way to neighboring Pakistan by land last week. They're Afghan staffers of the Japan International Cooperation Agency and their family members.

Six others are expected to arrive in Japan on Monday.

The 10 people are the first of those on Japan's list who are known to have escaped Afghanistan since the withdrawal of Japanese Self-Defense Force planes sent to evacuate such people.

Last month, the SDF mission airlifted one Japanese national and 14 Afghans to Pakistan. But about 500 others, including Afghan staffers of the Japanese Embassy, are still trying to flee Afghanistan.

The Japanese government plans to call on the Taliban to cooperate in securing the safe passage of people wanting to leave Afghanistan.

Key words : taliban continue to study
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210913_04/

The acting minister of higher education in the Taliban's caretaker government says women in Afghanistan can continue to study in universities but students will be divided by gender when taking classes.

Abdul Baqi Haqqani made the comment at a news conference on Sunday in the capital Kabul. He outlined a policy on education, which the Taliban had denied to girls and women when they were last in power.

Haqqani said the Taliban will start building on "what exists today." But he added they will change any practices that contradict Islamic teachings and Afghan culture.

The acting minister indicated male students will take classes in different buildings from women, classrooms will be split between male and female students, or that classes will be staggered by gender.

Haqqani also suggested students will be taught in principle by teachers of the same gender as them. He added that female students must wear hijabs.

The acting minister expressed his intention to reopen national universities, calling on teachers to return to their workplaces.

A female student of Kabul University told NHK that teachers she knows have quit their jobs and students have also fled Afghanistan. She added that she wants to go abroad as she cannot have hope for the future in Afghanistan.

Key words : emergency has been extended
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210913_01/

Japan's coronavirus state of emergency has been extended in many parts of the country, including Tokyo and Osaka, through the end of this month.

The extension came into force on Monday, in 19 out of the nation's 47 prefectures.

Miyagi and Okayama prefectures emerged from the state of emergency and joined six other prefectures in implementing quasi-emergency measures that will also continue through September 30.

The government plans to bolster the medical system through such steps as securing more hospital beds for coronavirus patients. It also aims to set up more facilities where COVID-19 patients can receive treatments, including oxygen administration.

The government will urge people to refrain from travel across prefectural borders as the next week has two national holidays.

Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi, who is in charge of the coronavirus response, appeared on Sunday in NHK's TV program.

He said daily counts of new infections have been falling, but the number of patients with serious symptoms remains above 2,000, which continues to put significant strain on the medical system.

Nishimura added more than 50 percent of Japan's population has received two shots of a coronavirus vaccine.

The central government plans to continue pushing vaccine rollouts and other anti-infection measures in cooperation with local governments, so it can lift the state of emergency at the end of this month as scheduled.

Key words : myanmar
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210912_16/

People from Myanmar have rallied around the world. They are urging the international community to take action against military rule in their country, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, due to start on Tuesday.

Rallies took place in more than a dozen countries over the weekend. Protesters are calling on the international community to reject the military junta and recognize the National Unity Government. The NUG is made up of pro-democracy groups and supports ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

The military seized power in a coup in February. Crackdowns have continued over the past 7 months against opponents nationwide. A human rights group says more than 1,000 civilians have been killed, including children. Over 8,000 people have been arrested.

About 1,400 people joined the rally in Tokyo. They were chanting "free Myanmar," and giving the three-finger salute associated with the protest against the military rule. The protesters in Tokyo were mainly young people from Myanmar and Japanese people who support them.

People observed a moment of silence in a ceremony in front of the United Nations University for those killed in the violence.

Representatives of the protesters handed a letter to the university staff requesting that the UN recognize the National Unity Government.

NUG Acting President Duwa Lashi La posted a speech online last week calling on the People's Defence Force and ethnic minority fighters to resist military rule. The force is made up of armed citizens.

Key words : defense minister vietnam relationship
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210912_06/

China and Vietnam have confirmed that they should expand their relationship.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Communist Party leader General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of Vietnam on Saturday during his visit to the Southeast Asian country.

China's foreign ministry says that during the meeting, Wang described China-Vietnam relations as having particular strategic importance.

He added that in the face of a complex international situation, the two countries should deepen political trust and strengthen unity and cooperation.

Trong noted that no one can undermine the unity and cooperation between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Japan's Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo has held talks with Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang in Hanoi.

The two ministers agreed to uphold the existing international order based on the rule of law. They are believed to have China's maritime activities in mind.

Kishi expressed serious concerns over China's Coast Guard Law, which allows the use of weapons.

He stated strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by coercion.

The two countries signed an agreement to transfer defense equipment and technology.

The ministers confirmed that their countries will promote defense cooperation and consult with each other on the transfer of specific equipment, including vessels.

The meeting lasted more than 90 minutes.

Vietnam was also the destination of two senior US officials. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited in July and Vice President Kamala Harris was there in August.

Key words : hoshide spacewalk
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210913_10/

Japanese astronaut Hoshide Akihiko has completed a spacewalk out of the International Space Station, his first in the current mission and fourth overall. He currently serves as commander of the ISS.

Wearing a spacesuit, Hoshide went outside the ISS with Thomas Pesquet of France for nearly seven hours of extravehicular activities on Sunday UTC.

The two astronauts successfully attached a support bracket for installing new solar panels for the station and replaced an old measuring device.

Hoshide's spacewalks now total 28 hours and 17 minutes, surpassing the record for a Japanese astronaut previously held by Noguchi Soichi by more than an hour.

The spacewalk was originally scheduled for August. It was postponed on grounds of a health issue involving a US astronaut, who was to have been Hoshide's partner in the activities.

Hoshide has been staying in the ISS since April. It is his third mission in space. The ISS is orbiting at 400 kilometers above Earth.

He is scheduled to carry out scientific experiments and other activities before flying back to Earth in early November.