at 18:30 (JST), March 21

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/20220321183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : india cambodia
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220320_14/

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has headed for Cambodia following a visit to India. In Cambodia, Kishida aims to confirm with Prime Minister Hun Sen the importance of international cooperation on the Ukraine situation.

Kishida met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. The Japanese prime minister is scheduled to arrive in Cambodia on Sunday afternoon.

Cambodia is the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year.

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of Japan's dispatch of Self-Defense Force personnel to Cambodia under a UN peacekeeping mission.

Kishida and Hun Sen are expected to discuss regional situations and contributions to the international community.

While in India, Kishida agreed with Modi that a unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force is unacceptable in any region.

They confirmed that it is necessary to seek a peaceful solution based on international law.

Key words : Kishida met cambodia
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220321_04/

The leaders of Japan and Cambodia have exchanged views on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and agreed to work together to protect international order.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio met his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen in Phnom Penh on Sunday. They agreed not to accept any attempt to change the status quo by force anywhere in the world.

The two leaders confirmed close cooperation between their countries at international meetings and other occasions, including meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that Cambodia chairs this year.

They also agreed to work together on China's maritime activities in the South China Sea and North Korean issues. Prime Minister Kishida expressed his respect for Cambodia's proactive efforts to break the deadlock in the situation in Myanmar.

Kishida said Japan plans to hold a special summit and invite ASEAN leaders, including Hun Sen. He noted that next year the two countries will mark the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

In their joint news conference, Kishida said a visit to Phnom Penh reminds him of the preciousness of peace. He said he greatly respects the indomitable spirit of the people of Cambodia, who rebuilt their country following a devastating civil war. Kishida added that the spirit has taken root in Cambodia, which is an example for other countries. However, he said in other parts of the world the peaceful lives of people are now being threatened by naked power.

Hun Sen said as for the Ukraine crisis he calls for an immediate halt to the use of force and peaceful dialogue through diplomacy.

He said Cambodia expresses its gratitude and appreciation for Japan's economic support and infrastructure development. Hun Sen added that his country intends to continue cooperating with Japan in security and other fields.

Kishida later told reporters it is important to report exchanges with other Asian nations at the Group of Seven summit slated for Thursday. He noted that Japan is the only Asian nation taking part in it, and he pledged to promote unity among the international community.

Key words : hayashi visit crude oil price
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220320_27/

Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa has urged the United Arab Emirates to help stabilize crude oil prices that have been soaring due to the situation over Ukraine.

Hayashi, who is visiting the UAE, held an online meeting on Sunday with Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan Al Jaber, who doubles as the chief executive of a state-run oil firm.

Hayashi said about 30 percent of Japan's crude oil imports come from the UAE, and expressed concern about the surging prices.

He called for the Middle Eastern country to contribute to stabilizing the global crude oil market by increasing supply and securing production capacity as a major member of the OPEC Plus group.

Jaber is said to have expressed a strong desire to support Japan through such measures as stabilizing the market and efforts for decarbonization.

Key words : nhk world offer ukrainian language
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Key words : north rocket
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220320_25/

The South Korean military says North Korea fired what appear to be four shots from multiple rocket launcher systems on Sunday morning.

Military officials say the shots were fired from a location near South Pyongan Province toward the Yellow Sea, west of the Korean Peninsula, over the course of one hour from around 7:20 a.m.

They also say the artillery pieces flew about 30 kilometers and reached a maximum altitude of about 20 kilometers.

The South Korean government convened its National Security Council and stressed that it will keep monitoring North Korea's movements in the wake of a series of ballistic missile and other launches.

It also pledged to ensure that no security vacuum exists during the transition period to a new administration that is to be inaugurated in May.

Key words : shigeru
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220319_02/

Renowned Japanese architect Ban Shigeru is working to improve the lives of displaced Ukrainians. Many are stuck in crowded shelters, but he's found a way to give them some much-needed privacy with one of his signature materials: paper.

Ban recently traveled to Poland, which has received nearly 2 million Ukrainians. During a four-day stay, he worked with local architects and university students to install about 400 partitions. Cardboard tubes serve as pillars and beams. Private spaces are created with fabric walls.

The architect told NHK that he saw some people burst into tears when they entered their private spaces. He believes they must have cried out in relief after such long and dangerous journeys.

Ban also plans to send 800 sets of partitions to people staying in shelters within Ukraine.

He is well-known for helping people in disaster areas, both in Japan and overseas.

In 2014, Ban received the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize.

Key words : subway station silence
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220320_16/

Sunday marks 27 years since the deadly sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system by the Aum Shinrikyo religious cult.

Members of the cult released the toxic nerve agent inside commuter trains on three lines in central Tokyo during morning rush hour on March 20, 1995. Fourteen people were killed and about 6,300 others were injured.

At Kasumigaseki subway station, staff observed a moment of silence at 8 a.m., almost the exact time of the attack 27 years ago.

Bereaved families, survivors and subway users offered flowers to commemorate the victims.

Takahashi Shizue was one of them. She lost her husband, who was the assistant station master at the subway station.

Takahashi said she has heard young people say that they know about the incident, but do not feel it is real. She said she would like to pass on the feelings of survivors and bereaved families to younger generations.

The cult's former leader Asahara Shoko, whose real name was Matsumoto Chizuo, and 12 other members were executed in 2018.

The Public Security Intelligence Agency says multiple successor organizations are still operating, and one of them, known as Aleph, has been actively trying to recruit young people.

Key words : cherry blossom
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220321_01/

Cherry blossoms have started opening in Tokyo, heralding the arrival of spring in the capital.

Officials of the Meteorological Agency visited Yasukuni Shrine in central Tokyo on Sunday and spotted more than five open buds on a benchmark cherry tree of the Somei-yoshino variety.

The agency announced the start of the cherry blossom season four days earlier than average, but six days later than last year. Agency officials say a rise in Tokyo's temperatures in early March may have helped buds open.

An agency official says flowers will come into full bloom sometime soon and he wants people to enjoy the season.

Cherry trees have also started blooming in the Kyushu and Shikoku regions in western Japan. Officials in the cities of Kumamoto and Kagoshima announced the start of the cherry blossom season on Sunday.