at 18:30 (JST), December 10

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/20211210183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : Biden 100 summit
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211210_N02/

US President Joe Biden brought together more than 100 world leaders online on Thursday for his inaugural Summit for Democracy. He's trying to rally them against what he calls the forces of corruption and authoritarianism, and promote human rights.

Biden said the leaders are at "an inflection point in history." He called on them to stand up for the values that unite them, such as justice and the rule of law.

The leaders discussed the impact the pandemic has had on democracy. They cited the dangers of misinformation about COVID-19 spreading on social media. They said authoritarian leaders are taking advantage, cancelling elections, and limiting people's freedom to assemble.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio raised the issue of citizens abducted by North Korean agents. The Japanese government says at least 17 were abducted in the 1970s and 80s. Five have returned. Twelve are still unaccounted for.

Officials in the Biden administration did not invite leaders from China or Russia. The ambassadors from those countries have criticized the summit. They said it would create new "dividing lines."

Key words : taiwan basic human
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211209_N02/

US President Joe Biden is preparing to host the first Summit for Democracy. He has invited leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector for online talks on Thursday and Friday.

An official representing Taiwan told NHK that they hope to share their expertise in dealing with challenges such as disinformation. Hsiao Bi-khim of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States said they appreciate that the US sees Taiwan as a "democratic success story."

Hsiao said Taiwan has the right to be represented internationally. And she said Taiwan is an inspiration to all the people in places where they can't access basic human rights.

Hsiao said China's bullying and marginalization of Taiwan is unfair and unjust.

She said Taiwan can share its technological expertise. She added that artificial intelligence and big data should be used to advance human progress, not as tools of oppression or surveillance.

Key words : journalist prison
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211210_01/

An international non-profit organization says the number of journalists who remain imprisoned for their work is nearly 300, a record high.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, announced on Thursday that as of December 1, 293 journalists were behind bars worldwide. That is the most since record-keeping began in 1992.

The CPJ says, "China remains the world's worst jailer of journalists for the third year in a row," with 50 in custody. It is followed by Myanmar with 26, Egypt with 25, Vietnam with 23, and Belarus with 19.

The report mentions Jimmy Lai, founder of Hong Kong's now-defunct newspaper Apple Daily, which is known to be critical of Beijing. He was indicted for allegedly violating a national security law for Hong Kong.

The CPJ says, "Myanmar soared to the second slot after the media crackdown that followed its February 1 military coup."

The organization's website carries a photograph that it says shows Japanese journalist Kitazumi Yuki being taken to a Yangon police station in February after the coup. He was released and returned to Japan in May.

The CPJ adds that at least 24 journalists were killed because of their coverage so far this year.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee chose two journalists -- Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa -- as co-winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. They have been critical of their heavy-handed governments.

The Nobel committee recognized "their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace."

Muratov is the editor-in-chief of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Ressa is co-founder and CEO of Rappler, a Philippine digital media company for investigative journalism.

The Peace Prize award ceremony will be held in Norway's capital, Oslo, on Friday.

Key words : credit rating
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211209_33/

Struggling Chinese real-estate developer Evergrande has received a credit rating downgrade by Fitch Ratings to "RD," or Restricted Default.

The major ratings agency announced the downgrade on Thursday, following media reports that Evergrande had failed to pay creditors interest payments totaling around 82 million dollars on dollar-denominated bonds after the grace period lapsed on December 6.

Fitch said that Evergrande did not respond to its request for confirmation on the interest payments, and therefore it assumes that the payments had not been made.

Evergrande has billions of dollars' worth of dollar-denominated bonds outstanding.
Fitch pointed out that the company could fall into deeper financial difficulty if it was pressed by creditors to make immediate repayments of those debts.

Evergrande announced last Friday that it planned to hold discussions with offshore creditors to work out a viable debt restructuring plan.

The government of Guangdong Province, where Evergrande is based, has said it would send a working group to the company to oversee risk management.

The firm's deepening debt crisis has triggered a fall in global stock markets, as concerns grew over its potential impact on financial markets and the Chinese economy.

On Monday, Evergrande announced the formation of a Risk Management Committee whose members include representatives from state-owned companies in Guangdong, in an apparent sign of the Chinse authorities' growing involvement.

Key words : ohtani achievement morikawa
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