at 18:30 (JST), July 18

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/20220718183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : south visit hayashi
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220718_01/

South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin on Monday starts his first visit to Japan since taking office. He is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and other officials.

Park will be the first South Korean foreign minister to visit the country in about three years.

During his 3-day stay, a meeting between the foreign ministers is scheduled for Monday evening. Items on the agenda will likely include wartime labor, those referred to as comfort women, and other outstanding bilateral issues.

Park has expressed his willingness to hold talks with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio as well. Officials from the two countries are currently arranging a meeting.

Relations between Japan and South Korea are said to be at a postwar low due to pending issues.

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol has expressed his willingness to improve ties with Japan. The focus is on whether a visit by his foreign minister will lead to an improvement in bilateral ties.

The South Korean side also says it wants to pay respect to former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo during Park's stay. Abe was fatally shot this month while making a campaign speech.

Key words : satoshi problem
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220717_10/

Japan's National Public Safety Commission chairperson has inspected the site where former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo was shot dead.

Ninoyu Satoshi visited the city of Nara, western Japan, on Sunday. He observed a moment of silence at the site.

He was briefed by Nara prefectural police officers, including details of Abe's security arrangements at the time of the incident.

Abe was shot from behind while delivering an election campaign speech on July 8. Police are investigating the 41-year-old suspect Yamagami Tetsuya on suspicion of murder, while reviewing their response to the attack.

The National Police Agency has set up a task force to revise security measures for dignitaries while examining problems with Abe's security, such as the inadequate response to the attack from behind.

Key words : corona three-day
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220717_01/

A member of the Japanese government's panel of experts on the coronavirus says the rapid spread of the highly transmissible BA.5 Omicron sub-variant may be one of the factors behind the surge in infections nationwide.

Toho University Professor Tateda Kazuhiro spoke to NHK after a daily caseload of more than 110,000 was recorded in Japan for the first time since the start of the pandemic on Saturday.

Tateda said people have become more active since the start of the month, resulting in more contact between them. He said the waning effects of third vaccine shots may also be a contributing factor.

Tateda said the number of new cases is doubling from a week earlier, and the daily tally may well exceed 200,000 in the coming week.

He said the number of severely-ill patients has yet to increase sharply. But he said caution is advised, because as caseloads surge, a certain proportion of patients will develop severe COVID-19.

As Japan is in a middle of a three-day weekend, Tateda said many people might be planning to travel. But he added that those who feel sick with cold-like symptoms should stay at home, or undergo testing for the coronavirus.

He said people feeling unwell should also avoid personal contact, especially with the elderly who face a higher risk of falling seriously ill.

Key words : corona consecutive
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220717_13/

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 17,790 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday.

The figure is up 8,308 from a week ago, or 1.88 times the total of last Sunday.

The daily tally in the capital topped 10,000 for the sixth consecutive day.

The seven-day average of the daily count through Sunday came to 15,292.9.

That was 202.3 percent of the number from a week earlier.

Tokyo officials say there are 13 seriously ill patients on ventilators or ECMO heart-lung machines, down one from Saturday.

They also reported one death from the virus.

Health authorities across Japan reported a total of 105,584 new cases on Sunday. The nationwide daily tally topped 100,000 for the third consecutive day.

Key words : xi tour
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220716_01/

Chinese President Xi Jinping has visited the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for the first time in eight years.

State-run China Central Television said he visited Urumqi, Turpan, and other cities during a four-day tour that ended on Friday.

Xi spoke at a logistics hub in Urumqi for China-Europe freight trains. He said Xinjiang is no longer a remote region, but a core hub in Beijing's Belt and Road economic initiative.

An explosion occurred at a railway station in Urumqi shortly after Xi's last visit to the region in 2014. The incident prompted the Communist party to tighten its grip over the region.

Europe and the United States have grown increasingly critical of Beijing's treatment of certain ethnic minorities, even using the word genocide.

In the United States, a law that bans all imports of goods produced using forced labor went into effect in June, effectively shutting out items from Xinjiang.

Xi is seeking an unprecedented third term as party leader. Observers say the visit to Xinjiang could be an attempt to show that his handling of the region has been a success.

Key words : sri lanka stepped down
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220715_24/

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has officially stepped down as president of Sri Lanka. This comes after months of anti-government protests over a worsening economic crisis.

Sri Lanka's parliamentary speaker officially accepted Rajapaksa's resignation on Friday.

Earlier this week, the now-former leader fled the country with his wife. He is now reportedly in Singapore.

It brings an end to more than a decade of rule by the Rajapaksa dynasty.

Both Gotabaya and his brother Mahinda have served as president, while their relatives have held key government positions.

Colombo, the country's largest city, is still under a state of emergency after a week of unrest.

Protesters clashed with security forces on Wednesday, and the official residences of both the president and the prime minister remain occupied by demonstrators.

Sri Lanka's prime minister is serving as acting president, until a new one is elected next Wednesday.

There's hope that new leadership will help ease tensions and restore public trust.

But the country remains critically short on food and fuel, and lacks the funds to import more.

Key words : power shortage this winter
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220715_29/

The economy and industry minister has indicated that more nuclear reactors could be switched on since Japan is facing possible power shortages this winter.

Currently, only 5 nuclear reactors are in operation in Japan. Four others could soon pass regular safety inspections.

Japan's industry minister Hagiuda Koichi said that the government is preparing to put nuclear power reactors back into operation. He said the government is doing all it can to secure maximum power capacity for the winter, and this includes restarting offline reactors while ensuring safety.

Hagiuda also said he will secure additional capacity from about 10 thermal power units.
He said he plans to ask electric power companies to restart dormant thermal power stations.

Key words : malaysia festival
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220717_06/

A version of the Japanese Bon festival has been held near the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. A crowd of about 50,000, both local people and Japanese nationals in the country, gathered to enjoy the summer tradition.

The event is thought to be one of the largest Bon festivals outside of Japan.

On Saturday, Japanese school students danced to traditional Japanese songs on an elevated platform while others danced around it.

The festival has been organized by a Japanese residents' club and other groups every summer since 1977 to promote friendship between Japan and Malaysia.
This year's festival took place after skipping two years during the pandemic.

It attracted controversy after Malaysia's religious affairs minister called on Muslims not to take part, claiming that it is influenced by elements of other religions.

But others defended it, saying it is a cultural festival.
It ended up drawing 15,000 more participants than last time, according to organizers.

One participant who came with friends said she enjoys the festival and was happy to hear that more people took part this year. She also described the event as a good opportunity for cultural exchanges.