at 18:30 (JST), December 24

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/20211224183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : japan will not boycott seiko
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211224_18/

Japan will not send a government delegation to the Beijing Games, which kick off February 4. The news comes amid international calls for a diplomatic boycott.

Japan is dispatching local Olympic officials. Tokyo 2020 President Hashimoto Seiko and presidents of Japan's Olympic and Paralympic Committees will attend.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu declined to put a label on the move when asked if it constitutes a "diplomatic boycott." He said Japan made the decision on its own.

Matsuno said, "We believe that freedom, respect for basic human rights and the rule of law are basic universal values and should be guaranteed in China, as well. We've been providing our perspective directly to the Chinese side at various levels."

Global concerns over China's human rights record are growing.

US President Joe Biden first announced he would not send top diplomats to Beijing over alleged abuses in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Leaders in Australia, Britain, and Canada have followed suit.

Key words : south korea park 20
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211224_11/

The South Korean government says it will grant a pardon to former President Park Geun-hye, who is in prison on corruption and other charges.

The Justice Ministry on Friday released a list of people that President Moon Jae-in will pardon on December 31. It includes Park, who was convicted of taking bribes from the country's largest conglomerate, Samsung Group, and the intelligence agency and others.

Park is the third former president to receive a pardon, following Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo in 1997.

She was arrested and imprisoned in March 2017, after being removed from office. A prison term totaling 22 years was finalized by January this year.

Park was admitted to a hospital in Seoul in November when her chronic illness worsened.

South Korean media say attention is on whether her pardon will influence public opinion during a presidential election in March next year.

Key words : myanmar mining
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211224_01/

A mound of mining waste collapsed at a jade mine in Myanmar's northern state of Kachin, leaving at least one person dead and dozens missing, according to local media reports.

The landslide occurred on Wednesday, engulfing miners under dirt and rubble.

A man at the scene told NHK that people searching for survivors were volunteers like him and the relatives of missing miners. He said they faced difficulty as they were poorly equipped and hampered by large amounts of mud.

More than 160 people died in a similar mine accident in July last year in Myanmar, one of the world's largest producers of jade.

Observers say working conditions in the industry have considerably deteriorated since the coup in that country in February.

Key words : hong kong removed statue
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211223_18/

A university in Hong Kong has removed from its campus a statue commemorating pro-democracy protesters who were killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident.

The University of Hong Kong took the action early Thursday morning. The move comes amid increased restraint in Hong Kong as anti-government activists face crackdowns under Beijing's national security law for the territory.

The university said in a statement that its council made the decision on the monument based on "external legal advice and risk assessment for the best interest of the University." It said it was cautioned that the continued display of the statue would "pose legal risks."

The university has put the statue in storage at one of its facilities outside the city center.

The 8-meter statue, a column of anguished human faces and twisted torsos, was created by a Danish sculptor. It was built on the campus in 1998.

Students and citizens' groups seeking to find the truth of the incident have since held memorial services for the victims in front of the statue every year.

Pro-Beijing lawmakers and media outlets have said the statue could incite hatred against the Chinese government.

In Hong Kong, several senior members of citizens' groups organizing Tiananmen memorials have recently been arrested on suspicion of violating the national security law. The screening of a film themed on protest demonstrations has also been canceled.

Key words : south korea bringing back after easing
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