at 18:30 (JST), June 23

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/20220623183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : afghanistan surpass
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220623_12/

The death toll from Wednesday's earthquake in Afghanistan has surpassed 1,000. Casualties are expected to increase as an unknown number of people remain trapped under collapsed buildings.

The magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred in the eastern province of Khost early Wednesday.

Authorities in neighboring Paktika Province told NHK that an estimated 1,500 others were injured.

A resident said, "The earthquake hit around 2:00 in the morning. It was too dangerous. We left home. A lot of people were injured."

Speaking to reporters, a UN aid official to Afghanistan said at least 2,000 homes were destroyed in the region, where households typically have seven or eight occupants.

Rescue workers rushed to remove people trapped under the rubble of homes mainly made from clay bricks.

The Taliban's supreme leader pleaded with the international community to help the Afghan people.

Meanwhile, a senior UN official said rescue efforts are difficult as the area is remote and access is limited.

Loretta Hieber Girardet of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction said, "The roads are poor, even in the best of times. So, having a humanitarian operation put in place is going to be immediately challenged by the lack of easy access to the area, to the region, and I think that is going to be probably one of the big challenges."

UN officials said heavy rains were hampering rescue operations by helicopters and landslides were also a concern.

Major earthquakes have hit Afghanistan in the past, including one in 2015 that killed around 300 Afghans and Pakistanis.

Key words : okinawa 77th itoman
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220623_03/

People in Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa observe on Thursday the 77th anniversary of the end of fierce ground battles fought in the closing days of World War Two.

The fighting between Japanese and US forces in 1945 on Okinawa's islands left more than 200,000 people dead. One in four local residents lost their life.

June 23 is considered to be the final day of organized fighting by the Japanese military. Each year, the prefecture holds a service at Peace Memorial Park in the city of Itoman on that date to remember the dead.

How the memories of the war will be passed down to future generations has become increasingly challenging.

As of October 2020, about 90 percent of the population in Okinawa were born after World War Two.

Caves played a major role during the war and have been visited by students as part of peace education programs. But some of them have become inaccessible as they have deteriorated.

2022 marks 50 years since Okinawa returned to Japan from postwar US rule.

Before the reversion, the people of Okinawa hoped that the prefecture would become peaceful and free of US military bases. But about 70 percent of US bases in Japan are concentrated in the southern prefecture.

Key words : leaders of russia
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220623_04/

The leaders of Russia and China have condemned sanctions imposed against Russia in separate video messages released at the opening of a virtual forum of five emerging economies, or BRICS.

BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The group will hold a summit meeting on Thursday.

In his video message, Putin criticized the West for the sanctions imposed in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Putin held Western nations responsible for the ongoing food crisis, saying, "Problems with ensuring global food security are getting worse; prices for grain crops and other basic agricultural products are being inflated."

At the same time, he noted that there has been a noticeable increase in exports of Russian oil to China and India, and that his country has exported considerable amounts of fertilizer to all nations within the BRICS framework.

He said, "The Russian business community, in coordination with the business communities of the BRICS states, takes prompt steps to develop the transport infrastructure. Logistics routes are readjusted, new production chains are created."

Meanwhile, with the possible eastward expansion of NATO in mind, Chinese President Xi Jinping also criticized the West.

China's foreign ministry quoted Xi as saying countries will surely end up in security hardships if they place blind faith in their positions of strength, expand military alliances and seek their own safety at the expense of others.

He also warned that imposing sanctions could act as a boomerang and a double-edged sword.

Key words : indonesia president
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220623_02/

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, whose country currently chairs the Group of 20 economies, appears set to visit Ukraine and Russia at the end of the month for summit talks.

He is expected to exchange views on the possible participation of the leaders of the warring countries in the November G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters on Wednesday that Joko will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Joko will be the first Asian leader to visit the two countries since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

Retno said the situation surrounding Ukraine is "abnormal" and "complicated," but that Joko chose to try making a contribution instead of staying silent.

She said the president is showing compassion on the humanitarian crisis and will try to contribute to dealing with the global food crisis caused by the war.

Putin has expressed readiness to take part in the G20 summit, while Joko has invited Zelenskyy to attend.

Opinions among members of the G20 forum are divided over Putin's participation.

Key words : south monkeypox exceeded 2,000
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220622_26/

South Korea has reported its first case of monkeypox.

Health authorities said on Wednesday that a South Korean citizen tested positive after arriving at Incheon International Airport from Germany on Tuesday.

They said the person voluntarily reported a possible infection after developing symptoms suggesting the disease, including fatigue and skin lesions.

Health officials are calling on people to notify them if they have monkeypox symptoms after visiting countries where the disease has already been confirmed.

The number of monkeypox cases has exceeded 2,000 in the current outbreak, mainly in Western nations.

The World Health Organization plans to hold an emergency meeting of experts on Thursday to assess whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.

Key words : record rainfall
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220622_22/

Flooding, landslides and other disasters caused by record rainfall in southern China have reportedly affected more than 5 million people.

Intermittent heavy rain has continued since last month in Guangdong Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, both in southern China, as well as Hunan Province in inland China and three other areas.

Chinese weather authorities said average rainfall in the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian as well as the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from May 1 through last Wednesday reached 621 millimeters each. This is the highest level for the season since 1961.

The rain caused flooding and landslides and destroyed houses in many of those areas.
Chinese media said over 5 million people have been affected, including those who were killed or injured.

The authorities warn that the impact of floods is likely to increase in Guangdong Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region until later on Wednesday. Local authorities are calling on those living along local rivers to evacuate.

Key words : owner castle
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220622_16/

The owner of an Austrian castle which is home to a collection of Japanese Old Imari porcelain has visited Japan and called for peace and friendship. Much of the collection was damaged by the former Soviet military after World War Two.

Gabriel Piatti owns Loosdorf Castle, which is located in the suburbs of Vienna. He is visiting Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan, to deliver a speech at the Kyushu Ceramic Museum.

The museum is currently holding the exhibition "The Tragedy of Loosdorf Castle" to display fragmented porcelain from his family's collection.

The Piattis have been collecting the Old Imari porcelain produced in Arita in the prefecture during Japan's Edo Period between the 17th and 19th centuries.

The family preserved the porcelain even after much of it was broken by the former Soviet military. Some items have been restored thanks to Japanese techniques.

Piatti held talks with Saga Governor Yamaguchi Yoshinori on Tuesday. He told the governor that Russia's military invasion of Ukraine has come nearly 80 years after World War Two and that such aggression must never happen again.

He said he hopes the fragments of the Old Imari porcelain will help more people realize that a war is meaningless.

Piatti said now is a very difficult time but he wants to let people know the importance of friendship through the exhibition. The exhibition runs through July 18.