at 18:30 (JST), May 26

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/20220526183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : north three ballistic 300
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220525_18/

Japan's defense minister says North Korea launched at least two ballistic missiles on Wednesday morning. Kishi Nobuo also says the North may have fired a third missile.

Kishi told reporters on Wednesday morning that the first missile was launched just before 6 a.m. He said it flew about 300 kilometers and reached a maximum altitude of 550 kilometers.

The minister indicated that the second missile flew for about 750 kilometers on an "irregular trajectory." He noted that it reached an altitude of about 50 kilometers.

Kishi said both were ballistic missiles. He added that the defense ministry is trying to determine whether more missiles were launched by the North.

The Japanese government says the two missiles that were confirmed to have been launched fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The South Korean military says the North fired three ballistic missiles toward the east, one after another, starting at around 6 a.m.

Kishi said the North has fired 16 missiles this year. Some of them were cruise missiles. He said the launches are threatening peace and stability in the region and around the world. Kishi revealed that Japan has already protested against the latest launches, as they violate resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council. He stressed that Japan cannot tolerate such provocations.

North Korea's latest launches occurred one day after the summit of the Quad framework. The meeting was hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.

Kisida and the leaders of the US, Australia and India condemned North Korea's missile development. They said it is leading to uncertainty in the region.

Key words : senior south
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220525_36/

A senior South Korean presidential official says North Korea has been testing a nuclear detonation device apparently in preparation for a nuclear test.

Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the presidential National Security Office, told reporters on Wednesday the possibility of a nuclear test in the next day or two is low, but there is certainly a possibility after that.

Kim revealed that operational tests of a nuclear triggering device have been detected at a location away from nuclear test site Punggye-ri, and the tests have been carried out multiple times over the past several weeks.

He added that North Korean authorities are near the final preparation stage for a nuclear test of a scale and quality they want.

Last week, South Korea's National Intelligence Service told a parliamentary committee the North has completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test, and is now gauging its timing.

Key words : mitsubishi 70 percent
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220526_16/

An independent panel investigating a data-falsification scandal at Japan's Mitsubishi Electric has found more cases. About 70 percent of the equipment maker's domestic production bases were involved in quality control fraud.

The panel of outside experts said in its latest report on Wednesday that it found 101 additional cases at 15 manufacturing facilities.

In most of the newly discovered cases, employees omitted some of the quality control tests requested by clients or falsified data.

One factory in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, did not conduct some of the vibration tests required for train cars for at least 50 years and submitted falsified data to clients.

At another factory in Aichi, central Japan, a voltage test was not conducted for elevator components exported to the United States before December 2018.

The panel says the employees engaged in the misconduct to meet delivery deadlines or cut costs.

Kimeda Hiroshi, Chair of Investigative Committee, said company executives bear heavy responsibility for failing to create a corporate culture that allows mid-level managers to enforce standards.

This is the third report by the panel. Two previous ones found 47 cases of data falsification at six factories.
The panel will continue its probe to establish the full scope of the scandal.

Key words : xi defended
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220525_39/

Chinese President Xi Jinping has defended the country's human rights record, as a senior UN official visits China to inspect the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

China's foreign ministry says Xi met online with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday. Bachelet was in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

Xi said China has taken a path of human rights development in line with its national reality, and the Chinese people's human rights are guaranteed more than ever.

He also said countries should not politicize human rights issues or use them as a pretext to interfere in other nations' internal affairs.

His remarks were apparently aimed at Western and other countries that express concern about the human rights situation in Xinjiang.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Twitter that the meeting was valuable to discuss directly about human rights issues and concerns.

Bachelet has been in China since Monday. But there has been no information that she has entered Xinjiang. She is believed to have met with senior Chinese officials.

The United States has expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the inspection. A US State Department spokesperson said Washington has "no expectation" that China "will grant the necessary access required to conduct a complete, unmanipulated assessment."

Key words : russia reacted
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220526_05/

Russia's ambassador to Japan has reacted sharply to President Vladimir Putin not being invited to the annual ceremony marking the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Mikhail Galuzin made the protest on Wednesday on the Twitter account of the Russian Embassy in Japan.

Hiroshima City had planned to invite Putin to the August 6 ceremony as it did in the past.

But after consulting with the central government, the city decided not to do so, explaining that the invitation could cause misunderstanding over Japan's stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Galuzin said, "Such an ignoble action is yet another proof that the leaders of the self-proclaimed anti-nuclear movement once again turned their backs on the memory of tens of thousands of their fellow citizens who became innocent victims of the USA's barbaric atomic bombing."

The ambassador also wrote in Russian on the Telegram messaging app, "The numerous bogus insinuations about the alleged possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine are being dishonestly spread."

Galuzin said Russia is seriously working toward nuclear nonproliferation.

He added, "Russia is not a rhetorical but a real leader promoting nuclear non-proliferation and the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons."

Key words : ukrainian student
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220526_02/

NHK has learned that the Japanese government will launch a new scholarship program for Ukrainian students who have evacuated to Japan following Russia's invasion of their country.

The government plans to accept applications for around 100 people and start the program as early as July.

The education ministry says Ukrainian students who have entered Japan since the invasion in February as well as those planning to study in Japan will be eligible. Recommendations by universities or embassies will also be needed.

The scholarship will include a monthly payment of 117,000 yen, or about 920 dollars, and travel expenses for those planning to come to Japan.

The government and universities will also cover enrollment fees and tuitions. The grant will be for one year.

Applicants will be called for interviews. They may be granted a scholarship even if they don't fully meet requirements, such as passing Japanese-language proficiency tests.

The total cost is estimated at roughly 1.18 million dollars.

The education ministry says 106 students and researchers had arrived in Japan as of May 11. Universities and other institutions have already begun providing them with support for tuition and living expenses.

Key words : samsung
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220525_07/

South Korea's Samsung group plans to invest about 356 billion dollars in chips, biopharmaceuticals, and artificial intelligence, in the next five years.

The investment will be 36 percent more than the amount the group had invested in the last five years.

The country's largest conglomerate said on Tuesday that it will allocate 80 percent of the new investment to South Korea, and create 80,000 jobs mainly for young people.

Samsung stresses that it will take the initiative to make the country a chip superpower, and contribute to its economic development.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol recently visited a Samsung Electronics factory together with US President Joe Biden, who was on a visit to South Korea.

The leaders agreed in their summit talks to work to strengthen supply chains of semiconductors and other products.

Hyundai Motor also announced a plan on Tuesday to invest about 50 billion dollars by 2025.

South Korean media says these moves are aimed at demonstrating a willingness to cooperate with the Yoon administration.