at 18:30 (JST), December 07

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/20211207183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : myanmar prison sentence
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211207_03/

The prison sentence for Myanmar's ousted de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been reduced from four years to two years.
The chief of the military-appointed government issued a partial pardon.

Reuters news agency cited a report from Myanmar's state-run television late on Monday.

Earlier on Monday, the court delivered its first verdict since Aung San Suu Kyi was taken into custody during a military coup on February 1st.

She is charged with at least 12 crimes and is being tried in a special court set up in the capital, Naypyidaw.

Sources say the court convicted her of inciting public unrest through statements released by her National League for Democracy party after the coup.
The reason her sentence was reduced is not yet known.

Key words : japan provide three years
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211207_08/

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is expected to announce at the Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021 that Japan will provide about 2.8 billion dollars to other countries and regions for the next three years.

The two-day international conference for improving nutrition opens in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Kishida, Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and other officials will discuss with world leaders online how to promote global efforts to improve nutrition.

Kishida is also expected to pledge to offer at least 10 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to African nations through the international framework to ensure fair distribution of vaccines amid the spread of the Omicron variant.

Kishida apparently wants to show the world Japan's resolve to contribute to the vaccine rollout in Africa which has low inoculation rates.

Key words : eruption death toll 22
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211207_07/

Indonesian authorities say 22 people have been confirmed dead in a volcanic eruption on the island of Java.

The 3,600-meter Mount Semeru in East Java Province erupted on Saturday. The eruption sent a mixture of hot ash and lava gushing into residential areas at the foot of the volcano.

Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency says that the death toll has risen to 22, and 56 people were injured. The agency also says 22 others are still missing.

The eruption has caused damage to about 3,000 houses near the mountain.

Video footage shows houses buried to their rooftops.

The National Search and Rescue Agency says the number of casualties may increase.

But its rescue operations have been hampered by bad weather, as workers try to dig up mud manually.

Professor Iguchi Masato of Kyoto University says that Mount Semeru is one of the most active volcanos in Indonesia.

He says that an eruption in 1994 also caused deaths, but the latest has caused even more extensive damage.

Key words : india face-to-face space
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211207_06/

The leaders of Russia and India have agreed to step up bilateral cooperation in a wide range of fields, including military, science and technology. India also for the first time revealed that the delivery of Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to the country began this month.

The first face-to-face meeting in two years between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took place in India on Monday.

A joint statement released after the talks says Russia and India agreed to renew their military and technical cooperation pact through 2031.

The countries will work together on peaceful space development, including manned space missions and planetary exploration. They also agree to set up a framework to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla referred to the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems India signed a contract to purchase in 2018.

Shringla said, "supplies have begun this month and will continue to happen."

The United States fears that India's acquisition of the missile systems -- which have high radar and tracking capabilities -- will lead to intelligence leaks to Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the deal to supply S-400 systems to India is being implemented, despite Washington's efforts to undermine Russian-Indian cooperation and make India buy US weapons.

Prior to the leaders' meeting, the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries held their first ever "two-plus-two" dialogue. They signed a deal to manufacture more than 600,000 Russian-designed assault rifles in India.

Key words : kirin
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211206_29/

Japanese beer maker Kirin Holdings has filed for arbitration to settle a dispute over terminating its joint venture with a military-linked conglomerate in Myanmar.

Kirin says its Singapore subsidiary filed with a commercial arbitration body in the city state on Monday. The brewer says the aim is to ensure the process to end the joint venture with Myanma Economic Holdings is "fair and just."

The joint venture was created in 2015 when Kirin's Singapore unit bought shares in Myanmar Brewery.

Myanma Economic Holdings manages a welfare fund for the military. Kirin decided to dissolve the venture following the military coup in February.

The conglomerate rejected Kirin's proposals, however.
It unilaterally filed for the joint venture's liquidation with a Myanmar court last month.

Kirin says it won a provisional injunction from Singapore's High Court last week to suspend the liquidation process. The Japanese brewer also plans to ask the Myanmar court to dismiss its partner's application.

Kirin says there is no change to its plan to continue its beer business in Myanmar.

Key words : china central bank releasing
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211207_02/

China's central bank says it will cut the amount of cash banks must hold in reserve, releasing 1.2 trillion yuan, or 188 billion dollars, in liquidity.

The People's Bank of China announced on Monday it will reduce the reserve requirement ratio for most financial institutions by 0.5 percentage points on December 15.

This is the second such move this year, following the cut in July. Lowering the ratio gives banks more cash on hand and can encourage them to lend out more.

China's economy is slowing down against the backdrop of soaring raw-material prices and decreasing sales and investments in the real estate industry.

The central bank says the cut is aimed at helping financial institutions increase its stable financial resources to support the real economy and bolstering support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

It says it will maintain the overall direction of its monetary policy and avoid a "flood-like" stimulus.

Key words : manabe carbon challenging
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211207_N02/

Nobel Prize laureates who live in the US are being honored close to home. Syukuro Manabe, who was born in Japan, received his medal for the physics prize on Monday at a ceremony in Washington.

The pandemic has complicated overseas travel, making it difficult for many winners to make it to the awards ceremony in Sweden. Manabe has been on the faculty of Princeton University in New Jersey since 1968.

Manabe helped lay the foundations for research into climate change. He showed how carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to global warming.

Manabe said climate change has become one of the most challenging issues confronting mankind. He said people need to do all they can to control emissions.

Key words : manabe 90
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211207_28/

Friends and acquaintances are offering congratulations to this year's Nobel Physics Prize laureate Syukuro Manabe, who received his medal in Washington on Monday.

The Japanese-born scientist has been a member of the faculty of Princeton University in the United States since 1968. The 90-year-old helped lay the foundations for research on climate change.

Hokkaido University Professor Yamanaka Yasuhiro used to work under Manabe. They've been acquainted for more than 30 years.

Yamanaka said on Tuesday that Manabe looked nervous when he received his medal, but his distinct walk was the same as 30 years ago.

He said Manabe is the source of all current studies on climate change, and he himself has based his research on Manabe's ideas.

University of Tokyo Emeritus Professor Yamagata Toshio has done research at Princeton and has known Manabe for about 40 years.

Yamagata said despite Manabe's age, his eyes conveyed a strong message about global warming.

He said they have a good time when they drink together, so it's like having his older brother win the Nobel Prize.

He said Manabe's win gives hope to other scientists in the same field of study.

In Manabe's hometown in western Japan's Ehime Prefecture, schoolchildren enjoyed an eco-friendly lunch to honor the laureate's studies on climate change.

Meals made of locally grown food were served at 25 elementary and junior high schools in Shikokuchuo City.

Such ingredients have a smaller carbon footprint as there is no need to carry them long-distance by truck or ship.

A boy in the fifth grade said he ate the special meal with a feeling of gratitude toward Manabe.