at 18:30 (JST), December 03

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/20211203183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : new booking
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211203_02/

Japan is rolling back a travel ban that it put in place to stop the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant. The restriction would have left some citizens stranded abroad.

The ban was on new bookings for flights into Japan for the rest of the year. The transport ministry had asked airlines to cooperate.

Existing reservations would not have been canceled. But new bookings would have been virtually impossible, even for Japanese citizens.

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio admitted Thursday the halt on new bookings had caused confusion. He said, "I instructed the transport ministry to fully consider the demand from Japanese people for a way to return home."

The government did not mention foreign residents.

But the situation is taking its toll on major events. The International Skating Union says it's canceling the Grand Prix Final international figure skating competition next week in the western prefecture of Osaka.

On the vaccine front, Japan started giving booster shots to medical workers on Wednesday. In principle, people have to wait at least eight months after their second dose.

But the government's chief spokesperson says that's not set in stone. Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu said, "The government will further consider which people do not have to wait eight months. Factors include the supply of doses, any changes in the infection situation, and the preparedness of local governments."

Japan has the pandemic under relative control. New cases remain low. Authorities reported 127 across the country on Thursday. Tokyo confirmed 11. The current number of confirmed Omicron cases in Japan is two.

Research institutes around the world are analyzing Omicron symptoms and the effectiveness of vaccines.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said all 44 people it confirmed as having Omicron in the EU on Tuesday had mild or no symptoms.

A senior health official in Botswana told Reuters news agency 16 out of 19 people with Omicron had very mild or no symptoms.

A Japanese expert says there's still no clear data on the new variant's characteristics.

Kitasato University Professor Nakayama Tetsuo said, "The number of serious cases increases once infections spread to a certain extent, so we must not drop our guard. We must keep collecting data, make sure we understand the situation, and make decisions based on the results of experiments."

Key words : russia deployed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211203_01/

Russia's Defense Ministry says it has deployed a surface-to-ship missile system on an uninhabited island northeast of the four islands that the country controls but Japan claims.

The ministry said on Thursday that the crews of its Bastion coastal missile system were also deployed and entered duty on the island of Matua to monitor the adjacent water area and straits around the clock.

It added that a naval facility for year-round service was set up on the island.

The island used to host an airstrip for the now-defunct Japanese Imperial military when it was under Japan's control.

Russia's military regards the area around the island as strategically important as it is between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean.

Russia has been building military infrastructure on and near the island. In 2016, it deployed surface-to-ship missile systems on the islands of Etorofu and Kunashiri, which are part of the four islands Japan calls the Northern Territories.

Russia controls the four islands. Japan claims them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. It says the islands were illegally occupied after World War Two.

Key words : border control strict sakai masahiko
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