at 18:30 (JST), March 01

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/20220301183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : toyota suspend 14
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220228_47/

Toyota will suspend operations at all its factories in Japan on Tuesday.

Sources say the shutdown follows a cyberattack on one or more of the automaker's major business partners.

Toyota announced on Monday that it decided that all 14 of its factories will stop for the whole day on Tuesday.

The company explained that there's a system failure at their business partners.

Toyota said it will do its best to resume operations as soon as possible.

Key words : toyota police
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220301_21/

Toyota Motor says it has fixed a problem that saw its entire domestic production grind to a halt, and operations will be back to normal on Wednesday.

All 14 of Toyota's plants in Japan came to a standstill on Tuesday after a cyberattack crippled one of its suppliers.

Kojima Industries makes a wide range of interior and exterior parts for Toyota. The firm spotted a cyberattack over the weekend and shut down all servers and network connections. That made it impossible to take orders or coordinate deliveries. Toyota has now set up a temporary network to liaise with Kojima.

Kojima executives say they are working with the police and relevant government agencies. They say the problem will not affect their overseas production.

Key words : kishida confirm system failure
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Key words : japan transaction frozen
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220301_02/

Japan's government will get its central bank to restrict transactions with Russia's central bank, as part of efforts to make sanctions on Moscow more effective.

Officials say several trillion yen that Russia's central bank keeps at the Bank of Japan in foreign currency reserves will be frozen.

On Monday, the Russian ruble crashed to an all-time low, after Western countries imposed tough new economic sanctions.

The Bank of Russia has been deploying its stockpile of international reserves to defend the ruble in currency markets. But the bank will have difficulty doing so if its reserves are frozen.

If the ruble remains in free fall, inflation will accelerate, dealing a blow to the Russian economy.

Russia's central bank is said to hold large portions of its foreign currency reserves in dollars, euro and yuan. Still, officials believe Japan's move will help improve the efficacy of the sanctions against Russia.

Key words : china decision
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220228_40/

China has expressed its opposition to a decision by Western countries to block some Russian banks from the international payment network, known as SWIFT, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday that China does not support imposing sanctions to resolve issues and is against unilateral sanctions that are not based on international law.

Wang also said sanctions do not resolve issues but create new ones.

He added that China and Russia will continue conducting normal trade cooperation based on the spirit of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

Key words : bangkok
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220228_49/

People in Asian countries have been reacting to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In the Thai capital of Bangkok, dozens of protesters rallied to demand the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces.

The protesters, including Ukrainians and Russians as well as Thais, marched on Sunday in the center of the city. Carrying Ukrainian flags, they called on Moscow to stop the violence immediately. Similar demonstrations were held on Monday, too.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations expressed deep concern over the situation in Ukraine.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the bloc urged "all relevant parties" to exercise restraint and de-escalate tensions.
Separately, some member countries had harsher things to say. On Monday, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said his country plans to slap sanctions on Russia. He said they will include export controls on items that could be weaponized for use in Ukraine, and blocking certain Russian banks and financial transactions linked to Russia.

Key words : judo
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220228_02/

The International Judo Federation has suspended Russian President Vladimir Putin's status as its honorary president and ambassador in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The federation announced the move on its website on Sunday. Putin holds a judo black belt. He began practicing the sport when he was 13 years old.

The federation's President Marius Vizer issued a statement on Friday that said, "We are saddened by the current international situation."

He added, "The judo family hopes that the current unrest can be solved in the last moment, to reestablish normality and stability in Eastern Europe and the world."

But the statement stopped short of directly criticizing Russia.

The federation on Friday canceled an international competition due to be held in Kazan, Russia, in May.

Key words : japan border control
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220301_03/

Japan loosens its border controls on Tuesday, resuming new entries of foreign visitors other than tourists.

The easing of COVID-19 restrictions comes after the government reverted back to tough entry rules in response to the Omicron variant in November of last year.

Among those allowed entry into Japan are people who intend to stay for three months or less for business purposes, as well as students and technical trainees. Their host companies or schools need to apply online and get their visa screening completed beforehand.

The government, however, is keeping in place a daily cap on the number of arrivals as a precautionary measure. The number is expected to be raised in phases.

Starting Tuesday, Japan begins accepting up to 5,000 arrivals a day, up from 3,500. It will likely take quite some time before the estimated up to 400,000 people who have secured visas but haven't been able to enter Japan over the past two years are allowed in.

Self-isolation measures are also relaxed. Arrivals no longer have to self-quarantine for seven days, if they test negative on the third day after arrival. Those who have received booster shots are exempt from all quarantine requirements if they come from territories where the Omicron strain is not rampant.

The government wants to continue relaxing restrictions in order to revive social and economic activity. But officials say they are ready to bring back some of the measures if case numbers pick up again.

Key words : metropolitan lit up
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220228_31/

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko announced on Monday that the metropolitan government office building will be lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag in a show of solidarity with the country.

Koike told reporters that the 240-meter skyscraper in Shinjuku will be illuminated in blue and yellow every night from Monday through next Sunday.

She said Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a breach of international law and severely undermines Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

She called the military action a challenge to the international community and democracy.

Koike said she hopes that the illumination will help the public realize the need to send a message of support to the people of Ukraine.