at 18:30 (JST), November 26

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/20211126183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : okinawa rejected
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211125_34/

The governor of Okinawa Prefecture has told Japan's government that he disapproves of a revised plan for moving a US military airbase to reclaimed land in the prefecture.

Officials of the prefecture visited the Okinawa Defense Bureau on Thursday to convey the disapproval of moving the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City to the less-populated Henoko District in Nago City.

Okinawa has formally rejected the plan more than 19 months after the central government presented it with new measures to solidify the soft foundation at the site for land reclamation added to the original plan.

The prefectural government concluded on Wednesday that the revised plan is not based on a detailed survey of the foundation. It also cited a lack of proper environmental measures for mitigating potential harm to marine life at the site.

Governor Tamaki Denny told a news conference on Thursday that the plan will not lead to elimination of the dangers that the base poses to local residents.

Tamaki said Okinawans and many other Japanese feel indignant over the government's push to forcibly continue reclamation work without adequate explanation.

He said Okinawa will patiently continue to ask the government to seek a solution through dialogue as the basis for democracy.

The governor added that Okinawa will keep asking the Japanese and US governments to eliminate the dangers of the base as soon as possible.

On Thursday, Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo was asked by reporters whether he would consider legal action against Okinawa's rejection of his ministry's plan.

Kishi said his ministry will carefully examine the reasons and grounds for Okinawa's decision before deciding how to respond.

Key words : scientists philippine
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211125_30/

Scientists in the Philippines say they have found what appear to be pumice stones from a Japanese undersea volcano washing ashore on an island of the country's north.

The volcano, Fukutoku Okanoba, near the Ogasawara island chain in the Pacific Ocean, erupted in August.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology says many pumice stones were found along the coast of Batan Island in the northern province of Batanes, near Taiwan, through early this week.

The institute says it does not know precisely how far the pumice stones are washing ashore nor their number.

The footage taken by a local government official shows dark grey pumice stones spreading about tens of meters along the shore.

The institute believes that the pumice stones were carried from the undersea volcano by ocean currents to the Philippines, and it is conducting an analysis.

The scientists are warning ships near the area where a large amount of the pumice is floating that the stones can cause damage to the hulls and engines of vessels.

A Japanese researcher has suggested it is highly likely that the pumice stones found on the Philippines' Batan Island came from the Japanese undersea volcano.

Miyama Toru at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology released a simulation on October 28 that analyzes the movements of the pumice stones.

The simulation suggested that the pumice would reach waters in the northern Philippines around November 20.

Miyama says there is a vortex-like current that travels from waters around Okinawa Prefecture, southwestern Japan, passes east of Taiwan and goes down south toward the Philippines. He says the pumice was likely carried by this current.

He says more pumice stones may reach the Philippines as stones remain in waters around Okinawa.

Miyama also noted there is a possibility that the pumice stones which are floating around the Philippines may drift to the Kyushu region in southwestern Japan in about a month, if they are carried by a current heading toward Japan.

Key words : south ban dog meat
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211126_01/

The South Korean prime minister says the government will launch a consultative body to debate whether to ban dog meat consumption amid growing social interest in animal welfare.

Kim Boo-kyum said in a government meeting on Thursday that the private-public body will consist of experts, NGO members and others. The group will aim to produce a social consensus on the issue and study the results of public opinion surveys before drawing a conclusion next April.

Kim said the number of households with pets has been rising, leading to greater awareness of animal welfare. He said an increasing number of people point out that continuing dog meat consumption only because it is part of the traditional food culture may be difficult.

Controversy over dog meat consumption has persisted in South Korea since the practice generated criticism from the United States, European nations and others around the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

In September, President Moon Jae-in, who is known as a dog lover, instructed Kim to consider whether to outlaw the practice.

But the government's move to launch the debate will likely provoke a backlash from the dog meat industry, which says the practice is an inherent part of the South Korean food culture.

Key words : taiwan strait china security threat
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