at 18:30 (JST), May 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/20220510183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : sri lanka step down
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220510_01/

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has stepped down amid public anger over the government's handling of the economic crisis.

His resignation came on Monday, after the government failed to quell the unrest despite taking emergency measures. Those measures included a state of emergency declared last week to enable authorities to arrest and detain people without a warrant.

The Indian Ocean island nation saw its foreign currency reserves plummet as tourist numbers fell during the pandemic. Anti-government protests have become widespread amid dwindling supplies of fuel and rampant inflation.

Despite the prime minister's resignation, the protests showed no signs of abating in Colombo, the nation's largest city, and in other parts of the country.

Local media reported that more than 100 people were injured in clashes between government supporters and protesters. There were also reports of deaths.

Protesters criticize Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and other members of his ruling family for mishandling the economy. They demand that the prime minister's younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, step down as well.

Key words : philippines next president 36
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220510_08/

Local media in the Philippines project that the son and namesake of ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos will be the country's next president.

Vote-counting is still underway, but some local media have made the call.

They say Marcos has captured most of the votes counted so far.

They believe his closest opponent, Leni Robredo, is too far behind to catch up.

Sixty-four-year-old Marcos will inherit a nation hit hard by the pandemic, and he's promised to rebuild.

He is the son of the late autocrat who ruled the Philippines for two decades.

But 36 years after his ouster, memories of the regime are fading.

Marcos used social media to recast his father's legacy, targeting young voters.

Marcos also secured support from fans of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.

He chose Duterte's daughter as a running mate and pledged to maintain the hard-liner's key policies.

But exactly how Marcos will rule remains unclear. He refused to be part of presidential debates and kept silent on the darker aspects of his father's rule.

His presidency could mean an even closer relationship with China, and a continuation of the heavy-handed aspects of Duterte's leadership.

Key words : kim putin
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220510_12/

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulating him upon the May 9 anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.

North Korea's state-run media say Kim conveyed his "solidarity" with the Russian people's achievements that "fundamentally aim to eliminate political and military threats posed by hostile forces" and "protect the peace and security" of their country.

Kim is said to have stressed his conviction that "strategic and traditional" friendly relations between North Korea and Russia will strengthen and develop "with the demands of the times" and in line with the fundamental interests of the two countries' peoples.

North Korea has repeatedly expressed support for Russia as it faces deepening international isolation over its invasion of Ukraine.

Kim's message is apparently aimed at underscoring his country's traditional friendly ties with Russia, its backer, and to keep the United States and other Western nations in check.

North Korea is adopting an increasingly confrontational stance against the US, accelerating its nuclear and missile development programs.

Key words : south sworn dialogue
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220510_21/

A new political era is underway in South Korea. Yoon Suk-yeol was sworn in as president Tuesday morning, ushering in the country's first conservative government in five years.

The ceremony attracted about 40,000 people, including US second gentleman Douglas Emhoff and Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa.

One of Yoon's main challenges will be dealing with North Korea, which is accelerating its nuclear and missile development. He said there is room for dialogue and a way for the North to benefit.

Yoon said, "If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea's economy and improve the life of its people."

Yoon also touched on domestic policies, saying economic growth based on science, technology and innovation is one way to help solve problems, including the widening wage gap.

The new president also has some new digs. Yoon relocated the presidential office from the compound known as the Blue House, to a building once used by the defense ministry. He says it's meant to show his office is away from a "symbol of imperial power" and closer to the public.

Key words : hayashi met
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220510_13/

Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and his incoming South Korean counterpart Park Jin have agreed to work together to improve bilateral ties, which have soured over wartime issues.

Hayashi met with Park on Monday in Seoul.

Hayashi was in the South Korean capital to attend the presidential inauguration the next day as a special envoy of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.

During a two-hour talk over dinner, Hayashi and Park shared a view that the rules-based global order is under threat, and bilateral and trilateral strategic cooperation involving the United States is needed now more than ever.

The two officials concurred there is no time to spare in improving Japan-South Korea relations.

Hayashi said there is a need to resolve issues pending between the two countries, including those related to wartime labor and the people referred to as comfort women.

They vowed to push for "speedy consultations" at all levels to resolve the issues as quickly as possible.

Key words : northern pakistan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220509_29/

A glacial lake in a mountainous region in northern Pakistan has burst, triggering a massive flood that swept away a bridge.

The phenomenon, known as a glacial lake outburst flood, occurred on Saturday at Hunza Valley at the foot of the Karakoram mountain range.

Footage taken at the scene show a muddy torrent washing away a concrete bridge beam, causing half of the bridge to collapse.

Local media report that no one was injured in the disaster.

Pakistan has been hit by a heatwave, with a daytime high of 49 degrees Celsius being observed in late April in the southern city of Jacobabad.

In the past 20 days, there was a 40 percent rise in water levels at the glacier lake that unleashed the flood.

Local media say the heatwave has caused more than 3,000 glacial lakes to form, of which 33 could burst.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari noted in a statement on Saturday that concerted efforts are needed on the issue of climate change.

Key words : beijing stay at home
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220509_23/

Officials in Beijing are urging residents of a central district in the Chinese capital to stay at home as much as possible to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Beijing authorities say around 50 daily new cases have been confirmed since the May Day holidays ended last Wednesday.

Officials announced on Sunday that they will ask people who live in or commute to the district of Chaoyang to work from home.

The officials also urged businesses that do not provide essential services to suspend operations, and warned of taking tough steps if preventive measures are not thoroughly implemented.

Residents have been told to refrain from leaving the district unless absolutely necessary.

With a population of about 3.4 million, Chaoyang is a commercial hub and home to many foreign diplomatic missions including the Japanese Embassy and companies.

Subway and bus services have been reduced, and some parks are closed from Monday.

The district's business area was almost deserted.

Meanwhile, strict lockdowns remain in place in Shanghai where more than 3,700 cases were reported on Sunday.

Local officials have delayed the national college entrance exam by one month to July for applicants in the city.

Key words : 50th 80 percent
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220509_37/

May 15 marks the 50th anniversary of Okinawa's return to Japan from US rule following the end of World War Two.

About 80 percent of respondents in an NHK survey say they think it's wrong for the majority of US military facilities in Japan to be concentrated in the southwestern prefecture of Okinawa.

The survey, which was carried out in February and March, polled 1,800 people in Okinawa and 1,800 people across the rest of Japan. Over 800 people in Okinawa and over 1,100 people from other areas of the country responded to the survey.

Around 70 percent of US military facilities in Japan are in Okinawa. Fifty-six percent of respondents in Okinawa and 24 percent in other parts of Japan said they disapproved of this.

Twenty-eight percent of respondents in Okinawa and 55 percent in other parts of Japan said they rather disapprove.

Eight percent of respondents in Okinawa and 13 percent in other parts of Japan said they tended not to disapprove.

Five percent of respondents in Okinawa and 7 percent in other parts of Japan said they did not disapprove.

In Okinawa, more than 80 percent of respondents disapprove or rather disapprove of having US military facilities concentrated in their prefecture.

Meanwhile, 11 percent of respondents in Okinawa and 12 percent in other parts of Japan said they thought the US bases were necessary for Japan's security, while 51 percent in Okinawa and 68 percent in other parts of Japan said they thought it was unavoidable for Japan's security.

But 19 percent of respondents in Okinawa and 14 percent in other parts of Japan said the bases are not necessary for Japan's security. Another 17 percent in Okinawa and 5 percent in other parts of Japan said the bases could pose a threat to Japan's security.