at 18:30 (JST), June 07

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/20220607183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : US diplomat
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220607_09/

A US diplomat has reaffirmed Washington's commitment to defend Japan and South Korea from North Korea's nuclear and missile threat.

Daniel Kritenbrink, who serves as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, made his comments during a speech at a Washington think tank on Monday.

Kritenbrink condemned North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches. He said, "These provocative launches are violations of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and they threaten the peace and security of the Indo-Pacific region and the entire international community."

Kritenbrink said US security commitment to Japan and South Korea remains "absolutely ironclad."
He went on say that the US, Japan and South Korea "continue to be in full alignment" on their approach to countering the threat posed by North Korea.

He said, "Our goal remains the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Kritenbrink also called for the resumption of dialogue. He urged Pyongyang "to commit to serious and sustained diplomacy and to refrain from pursuing further destabilizing activities."

Key words : UN nuclear watchdog
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220606_39/

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed serious concern that North Korea may be preparing for a nuclear test.

Director-General Rafael Grossi is attending a closed IAEA Board of Governors session that opened Monday in Vienna.

The UN nuclear watchdog has released Grossi's introductory statement. Grossi said one of the tunnel entrances at the nuclear test site at Punggye-ri, North Korea, has been reopened, possibly in preparation for a nuclear test.

He also commented on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The plant remains under the control of Russian forces there.

He said the Ukrainian regulator has told the IAEA that they have "lost control over" the facility's nuclear material.

He said the situation there is a clear and present risk to the safety, security and safeguards at the plant.

He said the IAEA is working on how to send a team of international experts to the plant to ensure safety there.

Key words : cambodia landslide victory
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220606_17/

Cambodia's ruling party led by Prime Minister Hun Sen is projected to score a landslide victory in Sunday's local elections.

Voters cast their ballots to choose members of more than 1,600 commune councils across the country.

Ruling and opposition party sources say the Cambodian People's Party is forecast to win most votes in more than 90 percent of the councils.

The country's election commission is due to announce the official results in late June.

The council elections have a proportional representation system and are held every five years.

In 2017, the main opposition party scored large gains by attracting support from voters dissatisfied with Hun Sen, who had been in power for more than 30 years. The opposition party won more votes than any other parties in 30 percent of the councils.

Hun Sen's government began crackdowns after the elections, arresting the opposition party leader and forcing the party to disband. As a result, his ruling party won all parliamentary seats in the general election the following year.

Sunday's elections were seen as a bellwether for next year's parliamentary election.

Key words : keidanren meet south
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220607_13/

The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, plans to meet with its South Korean counterpart for the first time in three years.

Keidanren has held the forum with the Federation of Korean Industries almost every year, alternately in Japan and South Korea.
But it was suspended in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Keidanren Chairman Tokura Masakazu said he has reached out to the South Korean side to resume the dialogue.

He said, "Japan and South Korea share the same values. Unfortunately, there has been tension over historical issues. But the two countries have a long history of exchange. I want to visit and have talks."

Tokura said the Korean federation also wants to hold the meeting.

He expressed hope that exchange between business people will help improve bilateral ties.

Key words : indonesia entrance fee
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220606_25/

The Indonesian government has come under fire for its plan to significantly raise the entrance fee to the famed Borobudur Temple.

The temple in central Java, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, is a UNESCO World Heritage site known as one of the largest Buddhist stone monuments in the world.

Borobudur drew about 4 million tourists in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic.

The Indonesian government on Sunday unveiled a plan to quadruple the entrance fee to 100 dollars for foreign tourists as part of its efforts to preserve the cultural heritage. It is considering raising the fee for domestic tourists by 15 times to about 50 dollars.

The government also plans to limit the number of visitors entering the temple to 1,200 per day.

The announcement comes as Indonesia in April relaxed its border controls for foreign travelers for the first time in about two years.

It has lifted its quarantine measures and PCR testing for vaccinated foreign visitors in a bid to jump-start its tourism industry.

But the latest decision on the entrance fee has prompted public outcry from both inside and outside of the country, with complaints being posted across social networks.

One post reads that the charge is too high, while another reads that only the rich can visit the temple in the future.

Key words : ukrainian ambassador visited hospital
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220607_10/

The Ukrainian ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky visited a wounded Ukrainian man being treated at a hospital near Tokyo on Monday.

Thirty-seven-year-old Anton Kornishuk says he was seriously wounded in a Russian mortar attack, while he was helping evacuees in a city near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in March.

He was sent to Japan last month and taken to Chiba University Hospital in Chiba City.

During his first meeting with Kornishuk, Ambassador Korsunsky extended get-well wishes to the patient.

Kornishuk, who studied Japanese at a college in Lviv, western Ukraine, said in Japanese that he wants to help his country's citizens and do whatever he can.

He also said that he wants injured Ukrainians to come to Japan for medical treatment.

The ambassador said he is relieved to see that Kornishuk is recovering well. He thanked the hospital for accepting the Ukrainian.

Key words : science ministry
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220606_24/

Japan's science ministry says more than 20 types of amino acid have been found in samples collected from the Ryugu asteroid. The discovery may help scientists better understand the origins of life, as amino acids are one of its basic building blocks.

The sand and dust samples were collected from the asteroid and brought to Earth by Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe in 2020.

Eight teams in the country, including one at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, have been analyzing the materials.

Amino acids are an essential substance in most forms of life and are thought to have existed since shortly after the Earth was formed.

One theory suggests that they ceased to exist on Earth during a period when the planet became extremely hot but were reintroduced from outer space by meteors.

The ministry says the eight teams are wrapping up their analyses, and detailed data are expected to be made public in academic papers and other publications.

Key words : kobayashi points out discovery
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