at 18:30 (JST), March 30

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/20220330183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : japan export
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220329_33/

Japan is to ban exports of luxury goods to Russia in order to put pressure on oligarchs -- wealthy business tycoons thought to be close to President Vladimir Putin.

The list covers 19 items, including cars worth more than 6 million yen, or about 48,000 dollars and motorcycles worth more than 600,000 yen, about 4,800 dollars. It also encompasses pianos worth more than 200,000 yen, some 1,600 dollars, natural pearls, high-end Japanese whiskey and watches with a value exceeding 40,000 yen, or about 300 dollars. The export ban goes into effect April 5.

Japan already bans exports of about 300 items to Russia, such as those that can be converted to military use and general-use semiconductor chips. Items to be used for humanitarian purposes are exempt.

Japanese trade minister Hagiuda Koichi told reporters on Tuesday that the country will keep a close eye on the situation in Ukraine and draw up further sanctions in cooperation with the international community.

Key words : south foreign minister nuclear test
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220329_24/

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has urged officials of the ruling Workers' Party to ramp up their ideological campaign in the run-up to the tenth anniversary of his leadership.

The party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Tuesday that Kim sent a letter to a workshop of officials in charge of ideological education and propaganda. The workshop, the first of its kind, opened in Pyongyang on Monday.

Kim stressed in the letter that the basic mission and general goal of the party's ideological work is to model the entire party and society on the ideologies of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, the country's former leaders.

He also called for wiping out anti- and non-socialist practices that obstruct the modeling of society through a "powerful ideological offensive."

Kim is set to mark 10 years in the party's top post on April 11.

Meanwhile, South Korea's Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong told a parliamentary committee on Monday that North Korea appears to be repairing the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast. The North claimed to have blasted and closed it off prior to the first-ever US-North Korea summit in May 2018.

Yonhap news agency quoted several military and government officials as saying North Korea seems to be trying to dig a shortcut to one of the site's four tunnels. The tunnel has not been used in past nuclear tests.

The South Korean military is said to believe that this would enable the North to carry out its seventh nuclear test as early as mid-April.

Key words : singapore face mask
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220329_44/

Singapore has lifted its requirement that people wear face masks outdoors, thanks to a decline in coronavirus infections and a high vaccination rate.

The move came as daily cases in the country fell to around 4,800. And 70 percent of the population has received booster shots.

A woman said, "It's a little bit awkward when you're out here and you look around. Actually, everyone's still wearing masks and you're wondering, 'Did I forget something,' right? So it's quite strange. It's quite new. But I actually love it. I love it so much."

A man said, "Now I can be free. And I'm feeling very relieved and happy. So I wish to the rest of the world that we get rid of this virus and come back to our normal and healthy state of mind."
The government still requires people to wear masks in places such as shopping malls, office buildings and on public transportation.

Singapore plans to ease its COVID rules even further.
Starting next month, it will lift quarantine measures for vaccinated foreign visitors.

Key words : afghanistan how girls struggling to study
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20220316195032839/

In Afghanistan, the Taliban have banned girls from attending secondary school since retaking power in August. The group says boys and girls cannot study in the same place under their interpretation of Islamic law. But with the help of teachers and others, girls haven't given up.