at 18:30 (JST), June 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/20220621183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : discuss sideline
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220621_04/

Japan's government is planning four-way and three-way summit meetings with the United States and other Asia-Pacific nations on the sidelines of a NATO leaders' gathering in Spain.

The two top-level meetings under consideration include one between the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. They have been invited as partners to the NATO summit scheduled for late this month in Madrid.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio also hopes to arrange another summit with South Korea and the US.

Kishida wants to discuss a range of security issues with the leaders of the Asia-Pacific nations.

They include the security environment in the Indo-Pacific region and responses to China's maritime activities and North Korea's nuclear and missile development.

Kishida also hopes to lay out more details of a plan he announced at a recent security forum in Singapore on how to maintain and reinforce peace and order in the Indo-Pacific region.

Officials suggested it is possible that those three-way and four-way talks will be combined into a five-way summit.

Key words : survivor wanted kido
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220620_27/

A Japanese atomic bomb survivor is among those taking part in a conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons that opened in Vienna on Monday.

The conference kicked off in the Austrian capital one day before signatory nations to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons are to gather for their first meeting since the pact went into effect. Government officials, representatives of non-governmental organizations and others are taking part.

Previous meetings held in Norway, Mexico and Austria have focused on bringing the treaty into being.

Kido Sueichi was exposed to radiation at the age of five when an atomic bomb was dropped on southwestern Japan's Nagasaki City in 1945.

He shared his story at the conference. He noted that atomic bomb survivors have been campaigning against nuclear weapons and war. He said they provided the impetus behind the creation of the treaty. He said the treaty is exactly what atomic bomb survivors wanted.

As at past conferences, a Japanese government delegation is present even though Japan is not a party to the treaty.

The threat posed by nuclear weapons has been on the rise since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February.

The Austrian government, the host, is aiming to raise global awareness of the inhumane consequences of using nuclear arms to help stop the use and development of nuclear arsenals. They also wish to highlight the significance of the treaty.

Key words : south resolve
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220620_21/

South Korea is planning to launch a consultation group soon, to discuss ways to resolve wartime labor related issues with Japan.

Sources told NHK on Monday that the body will be made up of government officials and private-sector experts.

A government source says responding to the issues is one of South Korea's priorities for improving relations with Japan.

The Seoul Shinmun reported on Monday that the body is likely to be set up by the end of June.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry fell short of specifically referring to the plan, but said it is working to find a reasonable settlement that matches the two countries' interests.

South Korean courts have ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation to people who say they were forced to work for the firms during World War Two.

The Japanese government says any right to claims was settled completely and finally in 1965, when Japan and South Korea normalized ties.

Japan says the rulings and related judicial procedures are in breach of international law, and urges South Korea to rectify the situation.

But procedures are underway to sell assets seized from the Japanese firms.

South Korean media are reporting that attention is on whether the consultation body to be set up by the new government of President Yoon Suk-yeol will help mend bilateral ties with Japan.

Key words : protest drilling
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220621_02/

Japan has lodged a protest with Beijing after confirming that China installed drilling equipment in a prospective gas field in the East China Sea.

This is part of the area that Tokyo and Beijing agreed to jointly develop as gas fields in 2008.

A treaty on the joint development has yet to be signed, but China has been pushing ahead with development on its own, including setting up structures in the waters near an intermediate line between the countries.

In May, Tokyo confirmed that Chinese workers had set up the 17th structure of its kind in the region. Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has recently confirmed the installation of drilling equipment at that site, according to an announcement by the Foreign Ministry on Monday.

Japanese officials say they are also aware that, as of last Friday, work to transport the foundation of an 18th structure into the area was underway.

Funakoshi Takehiro, who heads the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, called China's unilateral development "extremely regrettable."

Funakoshi urged Beijing to respect the 2008 agreement and return to the negotiating table to work out a joint development treaty.

Key words : japanese government unchanged
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220620_34/

The Japanese government has kept its overall assessment of the economy unchanged for the third straight month. Officials say there are signs of an upturn, but called for caution against rising raw material prices amid the prolonged conflict in Ukraine.

The economic report for June upgraded the assessment for residential construction, citing steady demand for condominiums for rent or sale.

The assessment for imports was also raised due to a recovery in purchases from China. That comes after an easing of pandemic restrictions in Shanghai. The report said the decline in imports has stopped.

The report, however, downgraded the assessment for production, saying signs of recovery appear to be stalling. It cited reductions in automobile output due to parts shortages.

Key words : court unconstitutional violate
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220620_29/

A court in western Japan has rejected a lawsuit claiming damages by plaintiffs who argued it is unconstitutional that same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in the country.

Three same-sex couples filed the lawsuit at the Osaka District Court, demanding one million yen per plaintiff in compensation.

They argued that not being legally allowed to register their partnerships as marriages under the current family register law and the civil code violates the Constitution.

In handing down the ruling on Monday, presiding judge Doi Fumi said Article 24 of the Constitution stipulates that marriage shall be based on the mutual consent of parties of both sexes and does not encompass same-sex marriage.

In reference to Article 14 of the Constitution, which stipulates that all people are equal under the law, Doi described marriage between heterosexual partners as a means of allowing society to protect couples that reproduce and raise children.

She said how society is to protect same-sex couples wishing to marry is a matter of debate on which a conclusion has yet to be reached.

The judge ruled in favor of the state and dismissed the plaintiffs' claims.

At the same time, she said one should not interpret the Constitution as prohibiting same-sex marriage or similar frameworks.

She added that the interpretation should be made in a democratic fashion, taking into account Japan's traditions, public sentiment and issues faced by married couples and families.

She suggested that the state may violate the Constitution should it fail to keep up with changing values and continue to prohibit same-sex marriage.

Monday's ruling runs counter to a 2021 decision by the Sapporo District Court that acknowledged the government's non-recognition of same-sex marriage as unconstitutional.

Similar lawsuits have been filed separately in three other legal jurisdictions in Japan.

Lawyer Miwa Akiyoshi, representing the plaintiffs, criticized the latest ruling, saying the court did not make a salient argument as to why same-sex couples cannot marry.

He expressed a readiness to appeal the ruling, saying he will join with the plaintiffs and their supporters to ensure that same-sex couples can wed.

Key words : record number civil servant
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220620_25/

A record number of women have passed this year's national civil servant exams in Japan to become career-track bureaucrats with the central government.

The National Personnel Authority announced on Monday that out of 1,873 who passed the exams, 573 were women.

Successful female applicants accounted for 30.6 percent of the total. The percentage is the same as last year, which was the second-highest, but the figure is the largest-ever.

The government this year created a digital-specialist job category and aims to hire people with expertise in such fields as information systems.

Seventy-five applicants passed an exam for such posts.

The largest number of successful applicants hail from the University of Tokyo, with a tally of 217, or 11.6 percent of the total. Both the number and percentage were record lows.