at 18:30 (JST), September 23

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/20210923183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : taiwan officially unofficial talk
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210923_04/

Taiwan has officially applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP.

A spokesperson for Taiwan's Cabinet announced the application on Wednesday. Taiwan's Central News Agency said the minister of economic affairs, Wang Mei-hua, will give more details on the move on Thursday.

Wang had been expressing determination to join the pact, saying that Taiwan has been holding unofficial talks with participating countries. She had also said that Taiwan would naturally apply when the time was ripe.

Wang had also said Taiwan has been working on legislation to meet the strict CPTPP entry criteria.

China announced last week that it had applied to join the trade pact, formerly known as the TPP. China, which claims that Taiwan is a part of the country, is expected to oppose Taiwan's move.

The CPTPP currently has 11 signatory nations.

They have a combined population of about 500 million and aggregate GDP of more than 11 trillion dollars, accounting for 13 percent of the world's total.

Participating nations have streamlined rules on trade and investment. They have agreed to reduce or remove tariffs on most industrial and agricultural products.

Key words : suga pledged to provide
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210923_07/

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has pledged to provide up to 60 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine to other countries and regions.

Suga made the pledge in a video message sent to an online summit on the response to the coronavirus pandemic. US President Joe Biden hosted the meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which is currently being held in New York.

Suga said in the video that Japan has contributed 1 billion dollars to the COVAX Facility, an international framework aiming for fair distribution of coronavirus vaccines worldwide.

He also said Japan has so far sent about 23 million doses of the vaccine to various countries and regions, the third-largest amount dispatched by any country.

He pledged additional doses to make around 60 million in total.

Suga noted Japan has also offered assistance to strengthen other governments' capabilities to deal with the pandemic through supplies of oxygen concentrators, ventilators and other medical equipment. He said Japan will continue such contributions to overcome the coronavirus crisis.

Key words : haruki
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210922_31/

Japanese novelist Murakami Haruki has expressed hope that a facility showcasing materials he has donated to his alma mater in Tokyo will serve as a new cultural hub of the university.

The Waseda International House of Literature, also known as "The Haruki Murakami Library," allows items donated by the writer, including original writings and materials relating to his works, to be reviewed.

Murakami met reporters alongside the president of Waseda University, Tanaka Aiji, and others on Wednesday, ahead of the scheduled opening of the facility on October 1.

He said he wants to contribute his utmost to create an environment that he finds ideal, and wants the library to add books and materials from many other people so that it can become a broad and dynamic research facility.

Murakami also expressed hope that the facility will be a liberal, unique and stimulating space where students can freely come up with their original ideas.

He referred to the facility's motto, "Explore Your Story, Speak Your Heart."

He said not only novelists but everyone keeps creating their own stories every day, adding that people cannot lead a fulfilling life without making their past, present and future into a story, regardless of whether they are doing it consciously or unconsciously.

Murakami said recently he often wondered whether young people these days are able to create vivid stories about their future.

He said he thinks that ideals should exist in any world, and the role of a novelist is to tell a number of good stories.

Key words : hong kong decide leave
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20210914062614953/

China is tightening the screws on Hong Kong, and people who fled abroad are finding their liberty is still constrained. We look at the unforeseen anxieties they face in the shadows of sweeping security laws.